Employees' Use of Sharing Economy Poses Risks

James McDonalds was quoted in the SHRM Online article “Employees’ Use of Sharing Economy Poses Risks” on October 14, 2014.

James was quoted on the usage of sharing economy services such as Airbnb and Uber, in the workplace.

Employers shouldn’t ban it, at least not at this point, James told SHRM Online. Policies forbidding the use of such sharing economy services as Airbnb and Uber would be overkill, in his opinion.

HR “shouldn’t assume that just because Uber is not a taxi it’s dangerous,” James said. “I use Uber all the time, and it’s a terrific alternative.” He said the cars often are cleaner, better maintained and “show up faster” than taxis. Plus, if there’s an injury in a sharing economy service, such as Uber, the business may provide liability insurance.

The sharing economy is highly political, James commented, noting that unions representing taxi cab drivers and hotel employees are opposed to the competition.

To read the full article, please visit SHRM Online.