DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Inshur provides embedded insurance to ride-hailing companies like Uber. Check out the 16-slide pitch deck used to secure $19 million.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-17 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Insurtech startup Inshur has secured $19 million in Series B funding. AdvertisementNew York-based startup Inshur, which provides bespoke insurance for workers in the on-demand economy, has secured $19 million in Series B funding. AdvertisementIts products are used by ride-hailing clients such as Uber and can be embedded into a company's existing platform. For example, Uber drivers can log in using their Uber credentials on the Inshur app, to get a quote, said Bratshpis. The Series B, led by Viola Growth and with participation from MS&AD, brings the startup's total funding to $80 million.

Persons: —, Dan Bratshpis, Viola Growth, Inshur Organizations: Service, Uber, American Business Insurance Services Locations: New York

☆ Companies that 'prioritize work flexibility' have the happiest workers, new ranking shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

1 for employee wellbeing, according to the 2024 Work Wellbeing 100 from Indeed and the University of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre. Indeed's ranking found that companies with higher work wellbeing scores also have higher valuations, returns on assets and profits. "A lot of these companies tend to prioritize work flexibility," says Kyle M.K., a talent strategy advisor at Indeed. "Companies that provide choice are the ones that tend to have a much better reputation among their employees," M.K. "By prioritizing work wellbeing, companies cultivate a more resilient, effective and happier workforce which ultimately drives business growth."

Persons: Kyle M.K, LaFawn Davis, Indeed's Organizations: University of Oxford's, Research, Nasdaq, Companies, Block, Human, Delta Air Lines, Accenture Nike, International Disney Parks, Flex, Walt Disney Company Wipro, Vans, Technology Solutions, Bros Coffee Microsoft FedEx Freight, CNBC

☆ How Amazon is using AI to make your shopping better
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Amazon is also using AI to create highlights about how clothing fits, the quality of the fabric, and other aspects based on buyer reviews. aims to reduce the number of damaged or incorrect products Amazon sendsAn Amazon warehouse. MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty ImagesAmazon has cut down on packaging waste — think about those times you've gotten something tiny in a huge box — using AI. The approach means that Amazon can ship products using less cardboard and other packaging materials by using them more efficiently. AI can give you recommendations on Amazon's Fire TVAmazon isn't just using AI for shopping.

Persons: —, you've, there's, they're, Rufus, Rufus chatbot, Amazon, Sean Gallup, MARCO BERTORELLO, Smalls, Alexa, Maestro Organizations: Service, Business, Amazon, Apparel, Getty, Workers, Amazon's, Fire, Amazon Music, Foods Locations: Amazon, AFP

☆ Amazon Prime Day delivery workers say they're planning to grab early-morning shifts and take toilet paper with them
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-15 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewAs Amazon's Prime Day approaches, one delivery driver in Texas has a strategy for handling the coming avalanche of packages. Flex workers, meanwhile, are independent contractors who are paid per shift (or "block," as the workers call them) and use their own cars to work. Some Amazon delivery workers said they peed in bottles as they faced pressure to complete their routes, BI reported in 2018. "Amazon Flex delivery partners have the freedom to take breaks and run errands during their delivery window specified in-app," Branden Baribeau, an Amazon spokesperson, told BI. AdvertisementDo you work for Amazon Flex, Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, or another part of Amazon's retail business and have a story idea to share?

Persons: —, They're, she's, Branden Baribeau, Baribeau, Dhruv Grewal, Grewal Organizations: Service, Business, Amazon, Amazon ., Walmart, Target, Flex, Whole Foods, Babson College, Foods Locations: Texas, Alabama, Washington, Seattle

☆ An Amazon Flex worker explains the biggest challenges of Prime Day deliveries
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But for one Amazon Flex delivery worker in Alabama, work started picking up this past week. The Flex worker, who made deliveries for Amazon during Prime Day in 2023, asked not to be identified by name, but Business Insider has verified her identity and work for Amazon. For many Amazon delivery workers, Prime Day has become one of the busiest times of the year. AdvertisementBut in the run-up to Prime Day, those higher offers come up sooner — even a full day before the shift, she said. Do you work for Amazon Flex, Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, or another part of Amazon's retail operations and have a story idea to share?

Persons: —, It's, she's, Branden Baribeau, Baribeau Organizations: Service, Business, Amazon, Whole Foods, Workers, deactivating, Flex, Foods Locations: Alabama

☆ More than 15,000 Amazon contract drivers file legal claims asking for compensation for overtime and unpaid wages
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —More than 15,000 Amazon contract drivers filed arbitration claims against the e-commerce giant on Tuesday, alleging Amazon classified them as independent contractors instead of employees with minimum wage and overtime rights. Amazon Flex, launched in 2015, allows independent contractors to sign up to deliver Amazon packages. Flex drivers provide Amazon Fresh grocery deliveries or same-day deliveries from the company’s warehouse hubs. Since the drivers are classified as independent contractors, these claims ask for compensation for unpaid wages and overtime, and reimbursement for expenses such as mileage and cell phone usage. Tindall told CNN that the workers filed independent arbitration claims instead of a class action lawsuit because drivers have to sign an agreement that forbids class action.

Persons: misclassification, Steven Tindall, Tindall, Joseph Sellers, “, Sellers, we’re, ” Tindall, CNN’s Samantha Delouya Organizations: New, New York CNN, Amazon, Flex, American Arbitration Association, Drivers, CNN Locations: New York, California , Massachusetts, Illinois

☆ Gig work is the new Ellis Island for immigrants looking for work. But many drivers feel trapped in the long hours and low pay.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Immigrants nationwide are relying heavily on gig work driving for Uber and Lyft to make ends meet. AdvertisementThe major ride-hailing companies told BI they aim to support immigrant drivers. BI spoke with a dozen immigrant Uber and Lyft drivers who moved to South Florida from countries including Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti, and Venezuela. Dozens of ride-hail drivers from across the country who spoke to BI over the last few months said they've recently noticed more immigrant drivers on the apps. AdvertisementDespite the challenges of earning enough, some drivers are set on perfecting strategies to make driving work for them.

Persons: Uber, —, Rodolfo, He's, he's, Katie Wells, Ellis, Wells, they've, she's, Edgar, didn't, hasn't, Alex, haven't, Eliezer, Carlos, Nicanor Organizations: Service, Ipsos, McKinsey, Georgetown University, International Rescue, Immigrants, Economic, The Washington Post, New York, Deliveristas Unidos, BI, Uber, Amazon, Miami, downtown Locations: South Florida, Venezuela, Washington, DC, Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti, New, Miami, Haitian, Nicaragua, Miami Beach, New York, downtown Miami

☆ I quit delivering for apps like DoorDash to build my own 200-driver business. It's rewarding but tough.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In 2019, Urias-Roy and her husband started URATX, a delivery service based in Austin that uses independent contractors for large food deliveries, such as catering orders. The problem these stores had was that they were getting a lot of business orders, but drivers weren't equipped to handle it. That basically allowed me to start a delivery business instead of working as a contractor for the big apps or local delivery services. It's lower now though because we recently lost our biggest partnership with a major catering delivery company. AdvertisementAnd so the best thing about it is that I don't have drivers confronting restaurants about tips, I don't have drivers confronting clients begging for tips.

Persons: Moumita Urias, Roy, URATX, we've, we're, there's Organizations: Service, Business, Amazon Flex Locations: Austin, Urias, Canada, we're, Texas, Arizona, Russian

☆ Many single parents who drive for apps like Uber and Lyft say it's their best option — but they still can't pay their bills
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

AdvertisementFlexibility can be an illusionMost single parents with whom BI spoke said they valued the flexibility gig work gives them. Some single parents with disabilities said being able to take days off has helped them stay healthier and avoid burnout. This means that a higher percentage of single parents' earnings goes toward childcare costs, pushing some away from using childcare entirely. "These fluctuations and discrepancies can be devastating to individuals who don't have other mechanisms to make money, including single parents who are often operating on a single income," Greening said. AdvertisementIt's not easy for parents with older childrenThe issues single parents face still linger for those with older children.

Persons: Bri, Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi, Lyft, Uber hasn't, Susan, she's, Lindsey Cameron, Cameron, Cindy Lehnhoff, Lehnhoff, Bryant Greening, Greening, Starla, She's, Genesis, Paul, he's, It's humbling Organizations: Service, DoorDash, Walmart, Business, Wharton School, National Child Care Association, BI, Uber, Security Disability Insurance, Arizona State University Locations: Fort Worth , Texas, Grubhub, bam, Ohio, Jacksonville , Florida, Atlanta, Las Vegas

☆ A single mom who drives for Uber Eats and Amazon Flex said she sometimes works 16 to 18 hours a day to provide for her kids
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Starla, a single mother, is struggling to make ends meet driving for Uber Eats and Amazon Flex. Gig driving is a popular income source for single parents, but earnings are inconsistent and often low. AdvertisementStarla, 27, sometimes has to drive 16 hours a day for Uber Eats to make ends meet as a single mother raising an eight-year-old in Jacksonville, Florida. It’s super discouraging, but you have to do what you have to do.”Driving for Uber Eats and Amazon FlexStarla began driving for Uber Eats and Amazon Flex two years ago. She couldn’t immediately find another job, so she tried to figure out some strategies to make gig driving work for her.

Persons: Uber, Starla, —, she’s, ” Starla, Lyft, “, ’ ” Starla, couldn’t, “ Uber, ”, ’ it’s, She’s, “ I’m Organizations: Service, Business, Flex, ”, Walmart Locations: Jacksonville , Florida

☆ The golden age of working for Instacart, DoorDash, and other delivery apps is over, workers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-31 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

"2020 and 2021 were excellent, but things started to go downhill in 2022 and now 2023," Juan told Business Insider. AdvertisementSpokespeople for Amazon, DoorDash, and Grubhub confirmed to Business Insider that they put prospective delivery workers on waitlists in certain markets based on demand for deliveries. AdvertisementHere are some of the problems that delivery gig workers faced in 2023, varying from lower pay to greater competition to sudden deactivations. The companies that employ delivery workers oppose the laws. Do you work for Instacart, Walmart Spark, or another gig delivery service and have a story idea to share?

Persons: —, Juan, he's, He's, hasn't, they're, Grubhub, Greg F, Greg, Instacart, Alexia Hudson, Daniel Danker, Hudson, Uber, GeekWire, Shipt Organizations: Service, Amazon, Business, Instacart, Walmart, Hudson, Bank of America Institute, New, New York Post Locations: Instacart, Southern California, Utah, California, Texas, Charlotte , North Carolina, Seattle, New York City, Juan

☆ A Gen Xer gave up gig work with Amazon to become a full-time bus driver. He's nearly doubled his hourly income and loves the benefits.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A former Amazon Flex driver said he's making thousands of dollars more as a bus driver in Seattle. He recently quit his gig job with Amazon Flex and started working with King County Metro full-time. While this is mainly concentrated among younger Americans, many Gen Xers and boomers have left the corporate world for more flexible gig work. Making the transition to bus drivingAt Amazon Flex, Timss said he was earning at least $1,000 each week. "Gig work really should be a stepping stone or get you by."

Persons: —, Jason Timss, Timss, Xers, he'd, I'd, He's, he's Organizations: Amazon, Service, Amazon Flex, King County Metro, Seattle, Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: Seattle

☆ A Tesla owner built a bed and make-shift kitchen for his Model X and lived in his electric car for a year, traveling to 49 states
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Tesla owner said he lived out of his electric car for about a year. The YouTuber, Sandro van Kuijck, built a makeshift kitchen and recently took his Model X to Alaska. The Tesla owner said he quickly learned how to find free charging stations using PlugShare, a navigation app for charging stations. A Tesla owner built a makeshift kitchen for his EV. Courtesy of Sandro van Kuijck"I'll cook my meals in the morning and eat it throughout the day," van Kuijck said.

Persons: Sandro van Kuijck, Van Kuijck, he's, —, Kuijck, YouTuber, van Kuijck, He's, I'm, Tesla Organizations: Service, Tesla, DoorDash, Amazon Locations: Alaska, Texas, Yukon

☆ A baby boomer who's been a delivery driver for 4 years says he values the flexibility — but cautions that the work is becoming harder to get
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A baby boomer who's been a delivery driver for four years may soon call it quits. Barely anyone can get rich off of just doing delivery driving, Scott said, but it's an option for him while he searches for a more stable office position. AdvertisementAdvertisementSince then, he's driven nearly 40,000 miles with personal vehicles for Amazon Flex, which he's had to maintain with his own money. AdvertisementAdvertisement"Amazon Flex delivery partners sign up for delivery blocks that fit their schedule," Steve Kelly, an Amazon spokesperson, told Insider. Amazon Flex delivery partners are encouraged to check the Amazon Flex app throughout the day for available blocks and instant offers."

Persons: —, Scott, it's, he's, He's, Steve Kelly, I've, that's Organizations: Service, Walmart, Amazon Flex, Amazon, Flex Locations: Washington, DC, America

☆ Meet a Gen Xer with $145,000 in student debt who said she had to sell items on eBay to afford loan payments: 'It makes me feel tremendously hopeless'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Helena, 58, has $145,000 in student debt that she's struggling to pay off. Since she could not afford to finance her programs out of pocket, she took out about $80,000 in student loans for her bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology, the latter of which she earned in 2009. Because of her minimal income, she could not afford to pay off any of her student loans for a period, and interest accrued. Interest on student loans began accruing again last week, and borrowers' first bills are due in October. One 70-year-old borrower said in 2021: "When student loans took over my life, I stopped looking forward to anything.

Persons: Helena, She's, — Helena couldn't, It's, she'd, Helena —, Joe Biden's, He's Organizations: Service, Ohio —, eBay, Education Department Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ohio, Helena

☆ Instacart drivers say they'd rather quit and work for McDonald's or DoorDash after the company slashed their minimum order pay from $7 to $4
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Instacart shoppers are considering leaving the platform after it cut base pay for filling orders. Last week, Instacart started paying its gig workers as little as $4 in base pay per order, Insider reported on Monday. Base pay is an amount that Instacart shoppers and drivers are guaranteed to make if they accept an order, though they can earn more from customer tips. Daniel Danker, Instacart's chief product officer, told Insider that the company pays "guaranteed batch earnings that are 2x higher than other app-based companies." On a Reddit page for Instacart shoppers, some workers say a traditional job is starting to look more appealing.

Persons: Instacart, Daniel Danker, aren't, InstaCart, they've, That's, Alexia Hudson, I've Organizations: Service, Base, McDonalds, Workers, Instacart Locations: Wall, Silicon, Charlotte , North Carolina

☆ Companies like Uber and Amazon use AI to pay people different wages for the same work, a new study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some companies use AI to pay workers "different amount for the same amount of work," per new research. As companies adopt AI, she's concerned these practices could become prevalent in other industries. According to Dubal, companies like Amazon and Uber have "massive data sets" on the contract workers using their delivery or rideshare platforms, including when they work, for how long, and what kind of pay they've taken for past jobs. One Uber driver Dubal interviewed, Domingo, recalled being one ride of short of unlocking a $100 bonus one evening, but then said he experienced 45 minutes of "dead time" in a popular area before he was able to get another ride. Dubal described the alleged variable pay system as the "gamblification of work," a sentiment other gig workers shared.

☆ Spanish court rules Amazon 'Flex' couriers were falsely self-employed
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, Feb 3 (Reuters) - A Spanish court has ruled that Amazon (AMZN.O) must compensate self-employed couriers who used their own vehicles for deliveries, a move welcomed by a labour union that has criticised worker conditions in the "gig economy". Amazon scrapped the Flex programme in Spain last year, after a 2020 Supreme Court ruling forced companies to hire freelance couriers as staff and the government introduced a pioneering law to the same effect in 2021. "Amazon is a company that is not only a logistics and transport operator, but also a courier and messenger service provider," the judge said. According to the court, Amazon made all decisions related to the service - including schedules, geographic distribution and remuneration - and used an app to direct and coordinate the couriers, who "lacked their own and autonomous business organisation". "We're happy with the result and especially happy that this Amazon Flex model no longer exists," Ranz added.

WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The District of Columbia attorney general's office filed suit Wednesday against Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) alleging it previously withheld tips from delivery drivers. Attorney General Karl Racine said Amazon "tricked consumers into thinking they were increasing drivers’ compensation when Amazon was actually diverting tips to reduce its own labor costs and increase profits" through its Amazon Flex service. Last year under a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Amazon paid $61.7 million to more than 140,000 drivers. Racine said Amazon has "thus far escaped appropriate accountability, including any civil penalties, for consumer harm." Reporting by David ShepardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ DC attorney general sues Amazon for allegedly misusing driver tips
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN Business —Amazon faces a new lawsuit from the attorney general of Washington, D.C. that alleges the e-commerce giant used customer tips meant for delivery drivers to reduce what it owed in driver wages. The lawsuit by Attorney General Karl Racine further claims that Amazon covered up the practice, which allegedly began in 2016. According to the FTC, and now Racine, Amazon in 2016 changed its payment model without notifying drivers or customers. In a statement responding to Racine’s suit, Amazon spokesperson Maria Boschetti said the company revised its payment model for delivery drivers in 2019. In its earlier allegations, the FTC said Amazon only changed its payment model after the company learned that federal regulators were investigating the practice.

☆ Is the Uber, Lyft and gig economy battle over workers nearing its end game?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Tim Mullaney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

With federal regulators set to tighten Trump-era labor standards that let Uber and Lyft, as well as food-delivery services like Doordash, treat gig workers as independent contractors with few protections under labor law, shares dropped sharply last week. But while a shift, the Department of Labor proposal doesn't immediately transform gig workers into employees entitled to overtime pay, unemployment insurance and other benefits. "It seems like the start of a Game of Thrones battle between the Department of Labor and the gig economy,' Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said. Uber believes the Department of Labor is focused less on ridesharing and more on industries such as construction that also use gig workers, pointing out that the proposed rule doesn't single out rideshare drivers. Uber drivers also supply their own cars and gasoline, though the company in March added a per-trip fuel surcharge that goes directly to drivers.

☆ Rideshare, retailers brace for tough U.S. independent contractor rule
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Broadly defining independent contractors as employees would also force companies to pay benefits, such as overtime pay and health benefits, that would hurt their bottom line. Employers can save about 30 percent by skipping payroll taxes and unemployment and benefit costs, workers' groups estimate. The meetings at the White House were one-sided, with officials at OIRA letting groups speak and not participating or asking follow-up questions, several employer sources said. A White House official said that listening without comment is part of the standard rulemaking process at OIRA. WORKERS WARN OF GROWING PAINGig Workers Rising, RideShare Workers United, Mobile Workers Alliance, We Drive Progress also met White House officials to broaden the definition of employee further, according to records and sources.

☆ Amazon says it will raise pay and add more benefits for some delivery drivers, though the group that protested for higher pay amid rising gas prices was left out
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The program will add a 401(k) plan and educational programs for participants in Amazon's Delivery Service Partner program. Amazon Flex workers protested earlier this year for higher pay, but they are not affected by this announcement. The e-commerce giant announced Tuesday that it is boosting pay and adding benefits for some delivery drivers after workers protested earlier this year amid rising gas prices. However, this wage increase affects Amazon's Delivery Service Partner program, which is separate from Amazon's Flex program. Amazon covers fuel costs for Delivery Service Partners, but it does not cover all fuel costs for Flex delivery partners.

☆ Amazon tells some Flex contract delivery drivers their paychecks may be delayed after massive AWS cloud outage
▼ + stars: | 2021-12-08 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In a Wednesday-morning email to Amazon Flex drivers, the network of thousands of independent contractors who deliver Amazon packages in their own vehicles, Amazon assured drivers they would be paid for the time they had been scheduled to work Tuesday during the outage. The email added that the app Flex drivers use to schedule shifts, route deliveries, and check their earnings continued to experience glitches. Drivers who finished their shifts during the outage said they couldn't find a record they ever delivered their packages. "Screenshot EVERYTHING," one Flex driver told the members of a Facebook group for drivers in the Seattle area on Tuesday. The company recently agreed to repay almost $60 million in withheld driver tips after a Federal Trade Commission investigation.

Persons: —, Katherine Long Organizations: Service, Amazon Web Services, Business, Amazon Flex, Drivers, Amazon, Federal Trade Commission Locations: Seattle

☆ An Amazon Flex delivery driver in his 60s making $120 a day shares what it's like to work independently for the retail giant
▼ + stars: | 2021-11-24 | by ( Jacob Swanson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A quick internet search will turn up numerous driving jobs at Amazon Delivery Service Partners. Amazon Flex, a program where drivers use their own cars for deliveries, is recruiting in over 80 cities. (Editor's note: The writer of this article drove for Amazon Flex from August to October.) "Launched in September 2015, Amazon Flex gives individuals the opportunity to set their own schedule, be their own boss, and earn great pay while delivering packages for Amazon. Amazon Flex delivery partners across the US have competitive earnings that exceed $26 per scheduled hour on average," Amazon Spokesperson Maria Boschetti told Insider.

Persons: —, Maria Boschetti, who's, It's, Amazon's Boschetti, doesn't, That's, he'd, you've Organizations: Service, Amazon Delivery, Partners, Amazon, Amazon Flex, Business, Flex, Connecticut, Foods

Search resuls for: "Amazon Flex"

25 mentions found