【Friend’s Mothers 4】

Gig-economy companies such as Deliveroo are Friend’s Mothers 4increasingly coining a sort of doublespeak in order to explain their oft-critiqued work practices.

SEE ALSO: This top bank will supply you with a 'trust passport' for the gig economy

A six-page document seen by Mashableoffers a fascinating glimpse into the vocabulary guidelines that Deliveroo, an online takeaway food delivery company, has given to senior members of its UK staff.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The first thing that jumps to the eye is that couriers should be referred to as "independent suppliers" instead of employee/workers/staff members or team members.

That's because, according to the gig economy model, workers are self-employed contractors rather then employees, with no holiday pay, sick pay and minimum wage.

The list of do's and don'ts, divided into two columns, gives hints to the staff on how they should talk to or about the couriers and words and sentences to avoid.

For example, in the "do" column: "Riders engage with Deliveroo as independent suppliers to perform services," as opposed to "Drivers are employed by Deliveroo to complete deliveries".

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The staff is also encouraged to talk about riders' "availability" rather then shifts.

Instead of saying, "You did not attend a shift," staff should tell riders "You were unavailable to accept orders at a previously agreed time." Any absence request is not "holiday" or "time off" but "unavailability."

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Similarly, in informing a rider that he or she was late in starting the shift, senior staff should say: "Yesterday you logged in later than you had agreed to be available."

Other examples of doublespeak include referring to couriers' clothing as "kit," "equipment" or "branded clothing" rather than a uniform; the term "invoices" instead of payslips and "ending supplier agreements between riders and Deliveroo" rather than "firing/sacking/resignation."

In a statement to Mashable, Deliveroo said: “We have almost 1,000 full-time staff and work with over 15,000 riders in the UK."

"We ensure that employees know how to work with our partners, which includes training and guidelines to follow when talking to customers, restaurants, and, of course, self-employed riders.”

Credit: Pictures/REX/Shutterstock

But the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) which is fighting for the right of union recognition at Deliveroo in Camden and Kentish Town, isn't buying it.

"This document is further evidence of what the IWGB has been saying all along. Deliveroo is operating a charade with regard to its employment practices," IWGB's general secretary Jason Moyer-Lee said.

"It has even found it necessary to create a whole new vocabulary to hide what is blindingly obvious to any objective observer."

The document has emerged as a group of about 200 Deliveroo couriers are planning legal action against the takeaway food delivery company to claim they're employees and and win basic employment rights such as sick and holiday pay and the minimum wage.

MPs on the work and pensions committee in the UK have slammed both Uber and Deliveroo on Thursday after releasing copies of the contracts the gig companies give to workers.

The chairman of the committee, Frank Field, called Uber's contract "gibberish".

---

Featured Video For You

---

Uber driver surprises passengers with rescue puppies

---

• Life
• Shopping
• Social Good
• Entertainment
• Science
• Digital Culture
• Games
• Deals

• Nvidia DLSS: An Early Investigation
• Ai Weiwei asks AI 81 major questions about tech, life, and us
• Thunder Moon by Nina MacLaughlin
• Staff Picks: Comics, Keys, and Chaos by The Paris Review
• How to Easily Make iPhone Ringtones Using Only iTunes
• Get up to 38% off tax software at Amazon: Save on H&R block, TurboTax, and more
• The Review’s Review: Magma, Memphis, and the Middle Ages by The Paris Review
• Staff Picks: Comics, Keys, and Chaos by The Paris Review
• How to Secure Your Android Phone and Get the Most Out of Smart Lock
• Redux: It’s All a Question of Language by The Paris Review

• The best video game hidden gems of 2021
• A reminder that you should definitely stay in your car while driving through a safari park
• Merry Sexy Christmas, 'Ted Lasso' fans
• Benedict Cumberbatch isn't interested in a job if there's no equal pay
• Adventurous tourist got catfished by a glamorous picture of a hotel pool
• How to restrict your TikTok screen time in app
• The 5 most important TV features to look for in 2022
• Kim Kardashian fans slam her for promoting 'appetite suppressant' lollipops on Instagram
• How 'Station Eleven's hair department created the perfect apocalyptic look
• 7 ridiculously large sex toys to help you go big in the bedroom

• Best rope light deal: Save 25% on Lepro N1 AI Smart RGB LED Strip Lights
• Redux: Fireworks Out of Nowhere by The Paris Review
• Staff Picks: Melancholia, Music, and Meaning by The Paris Review
• Redux: Some Instants Are Electric by The Paris Review
• The Sound and the “Furious”
• The Shuffle and the Breath: On Charlie Watts by Christian Lorentzen
• The Review’s Review: Magma, Memphis, and the Middle Ages by The Paris Review
• Staff Picks: Cornets, Collections, and Corn Tempura by The Paris Review
• New MIT report reveals energy costs of AI tools like ChatGPT
• The Ghosts of Sittwe by Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint

• The 10 Most Anticipated PC Games of 2017
• Emmys 2024: Watch RuPaul's brilliant acceptance speech
• Staff Picks: Bowling, Borges, and Bad People by The Paris Review
• Eileen in Wonderland by The Paris Review
• The Story Behind the Home of Forgotten Video Games
• The Genealogy of Disaster by Charif Majdalani
• Best robot vacuum deal: Get the Shark AI Ultra voice control robot vacuum for under $300
• Remember Me and You by Lizzy Stewart
• Best Sony deal: Save $100 on WH
• Best robot vacuum deal: Get the Shark AI Ultra voice control robot vacuum for under $300