The Volatility of Microwork: Daily Working Conditions, Worker Well-Being, and the Role of Motivation

Microwork is a growing market of the gig economy, contributing to the development of technology through human data processing services. This work is highly unpredictable and is conducted under precarious conditions, which impacts workers’ well-being. We expected daily fluctuations in microworking conditions to promote worker well-being contingent on workers’ motivation. Using a daily diary design, we examined how three microwork-specific conditions affect workers’ general well-being. Our findings reveal that daily fluctuations in working conditions directly impact workers’ psychological well-being. Further, these working conditions affect psychological well-being, psychological distress, and psychosomatic well-being through workers’ basic need satisfaction. However, we did not find that workers’ motivation moderated the association between working conditions and basic need satisfaction. This study illustrates that the volatility of working conditions in microwork plays a distinct role in shaping workers’ well-being. We call for changes at task- and organization-level of platforms to create more sustainable working environments.