The platform estimates that the entire process could take anywhere from six to sixteen days. The webpage also used to have links to Altinn and to the HSE card application form. In late 2023/early 2024, the platform modified this information, and it now provides an overview of what a potential cleaner would need to do: (1) establish a sole proprietorship on Altinn to obtain an organization number, (2) create a cleaner profile in Vaskehjelp and (3) apply for an HSE card from the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority. Unlike before, the platform asks the cleaner to enter their full name and e-mail address to receive the step-by-step explanation.
3.5 Analysis: Platform work in the Norwegian cleaning industry
In this section, the empirical data is analysed and presented. First, we take a closer look at why cleaners choose to work for platform companies, followed by discussions of the platform companies’ employer responsibility, working environment challenges that characterize platform work in the cleaning industry, and authorities’ challenges in reaching this group of workers.
3.5.1 Why do cleaners want to work for platform companies?
Valestrand and Oppegaard (2022) argue that in a labour market that generally offers full-time positions, good working conditions and decent wages, one could expect that jobs with low and unstable income and long days, such as those available through platform work, become relatively less attractive. Nonetheless, they note that platforms have succeeded in getting a foothold in the labour market, partly by recruiting labour from the parts of the workforce that are often excluded from the stable and well-paid jobs that generally characterize the Norwegian labour market by offering formal flexibility, making the jobs more attractive than other work opportunities available to these groups.
This argument was supported by our interviewees from the trade union, the regional safety representatives, and the sector programme. They were of the impression that cleaners who take on jobs in the private cleaning market in general, and through platform companies in particular, do so because it is perceived as their only option. The representatives from the trade union were concerned that foreign workers might take these jobs without being aware of what they involve. They highlighted that these workers might not be familiar with the Norwegian language and the composition of the Norwegian labour market, adding that many cleaners are forced into sole proprietorships without necessarily knowing what it entails in terms of the instability and unpredictability of earnings and working hours, and worker and social rights.
In contrast, both of our interviewees who worked as cleaners for the platform company emphasized the positive sides of being a platform worker, and especially of being self-employed. The cleaners particularly valued the independence it allows and the opportunity the company provides as an arena – or a platform – to reach new customers. On of them said: “I started to use the app because I was curious. Maybe to be sure that I had some extra money. If my own customers are passing [me] over. I heard about the company from other girls (…) It is a very nice opportunity to get extra jobs” (cleaner, platform company). Another cleaner explained: “I like the independence at Vaskehjelp. I like that I don’t have any managers. No one to supervise me. I speak directly to the customer” (cleaner, platform company).
The advantage of having formal flexibility and autonomy as a platform worker is a central argument used by platform companies to recruit new workers (Valestrand and Oppegaard, 2022; Jesnes and Oppegaard, 2023). In sum, the cleaners I interviewed also pointed to these factors as important reasons for being platform cleaners. In addition, they emphasize the arena the platform provides for becoming visible and accessible to potential customers.
3.5.2 The legal responsibilities of the platform companies
Platform workers are often legally regarded as operating their own business, but as their services are mediated through, and to a certain extent managed by the platform, discussions have been raised concerning the amount of employer responsibility the platform should take on. Hotvedt (2020) argues that the allocation of responsibility in platform work raises difficult questions, considering that both the platform and the customers may, in certain cases and depending on legal interpretations, be responsible for employer duties. The regional safety representative I interviewed stated that one important measure to secure better working conditions for cleaners would be to place more responsibility on the platforms by clarifying the cleaners’ form of employment.
As described above, the cleaners I interviewed who worked for the platform company valued the flexibility and independence of being a platform worker. The cleaners are free to choose the area they want to work in, to set their own hourly rate, to decline requests from potential customers and to suggest a new time and date if the request does not fit their schedule. Despite this flexibility, one of the cleaners I interviewed also emphasized that the company does keep an eye on the cleaners and contacts them if they decline too many requests.
The cleaner had been contacted by the platform after choosing to be available for customers in a larger city centre after previously solely providing services in the city’s surrounding areas due to traffic and road tolls. When they became available in the city center, the number of requests they received rapidly increased, making the cleaner unable to take on all the proposed jobs. The platform then reached out, wanting to know the reasons for the decline in their job acceptance rate. After the cleaner explained the situation, the company showed understanding but also suggested limiting the cleaner’s availability in the city centre if the number of requests was too high, interfering with the cleaners’ opportunity to choose. Both interviewees who worked for the platform company also informed us that the platform covers the cleaners with an accident insurance. One of the cleaners also told us that the company provides the cleaners with a digital library of videos and courses for workers to consult as desired and is willing to help them with their taxes if they have questions.
As Wiesböck et al. (2023) point out, platforms actively influence cleaners’ labour processes, by monitoring declined jobs and interfering when the number of declined jobs is considered too high. The cleaners are classified as self-employed contractors and therefore not employed by the platform. However, the control performed by the platform affects the cleaners’ autonomy. In addition, the platform provides accident insurance and digital courses and ensures that the cleaners are paid the generally applied minimum wage, not counting expenses such as travel costs and workwear. The employer responsibility the platform takes on in terms of insurance and wage determination all point to the questions raised by Hotvedt (2020) concerning the extent to which the platform is responsible for the cleaners and their working environments.
3.5.3 Working environment challenges
In the following sections, we take a closer look at different working environment challenges that characterize work as a cleaner for platform companies. These include customer reviews, work pressure and time management and risks faced by self-employed workers in general. While self-employment is widespread among cleaners in the private cleaning market, it has significant implications for workers’ claim to social and labour rights. It must therefore be addressed in relation to other characteristics of platform work.
Customer reviews
On Vaskehjelp’s website, customers can sort the available cleaners according to their set hourly price rate and their customer reviews. The customer reviews are presented as the percentage of previous customers who have given the cleaner a “thumbs up” for the job they performed. According to the cleaners I interviewed, the platform asks the customers whether they would like to give the cleaner a thumbs up or not after the job is finished. On the website, you can also see the cleaners’ number of previous customers and the number of jobs they have performed. If you look more closely at each individual profile, you can also read reviews in cases where previous customers have left comments.
Both our interviewees who were platform workers informed us that they had not yet received any negative feedback from customers and noted that they were very happy about this. One of the cleaners was under the impression that most customers take the time to give a thumbs up, and many also give feedback through comments on the cleaners’ profiles. She added that if a cleaner rarely receives any feedback, their score will drop: “Some (customers) are silent and don’t write anything. I think your overall score will drop if you don’t maintain good feedback” (cleaner, platform company). Thus, these cleaners – like other platform workers (Wiesböck et al., 2023) – depend on customers’ good feedback to maintain a good score on their profile, which again affects their opportunity to receive more requests in the future.
One of the cleaners implied that the reviews make it easier for potential new customers to trust the cleaners and to let them into their private homes. Reviews can make the cleaners seem more trustworthy, and hence attract future customers. Likewise, a lack of reviews, or negative reviews, can make cleaners seem less trustworthy, highlighting their dependence on reviews. The cleaner added that the accident insurance provided by the platform also counts for this trust element as customers know that the platform will cover the accident if the cleaner breaks anything during a job.
Work pressure and time management
The cleaning industry is labour-intensive, and Trygstad et al. (2018) described the work pressure in the industry as increasing. One of the cleaners I interviewed emphasized that cleaning is heavy work: “It is difficult, physical work, and work under pressure” (cleaner, platform economy). The cleaners also placed an emphasis on the transit time between jobs. The cleaners I interviewed who worked for the platform were not paid extra on the weekends or for the transit time between jobs. The time it takes to get between jobs varies, and the cleaners emphasized taking this into account when planning and accepting jobs. As previously described, cleaners can decline jobs, or suggest a new date or time if the request does not fit their schedule. According to the cleaners, a cleaning job usually takes three to four hours but can last anything from two to six hours. Three hours is the “default” when ordering a “standard cleaning service” on Vaskehjelp’s website, but the customer can choose up to eight hours. The platform also suggests the time needed according to the size of the area the customer wants cleaned.
I asked the cleaners whether they felt stressed in their work, and both cleaners who worked through the platform answered that the work could be stressful but emphasized that being self-employed allowed them to manage their time as they please, which is helpful for stress management. One of the cleaners stated that she was not stressed but was working under pressure. Cleaners’ opportunity to manage their own time must be seen in light of the fact that it is the customer who decides the time frame. Both cleaners had experienced showing up at a customer’s house and realizing that the job would take longer than the customer had anticipated. As the cleaners plan their weeks based on these jobs, they are reliant on finishing a given job on time to reach their next customer. Furthermore, they are only paid for the time frame that has been set, and the reliance on customer reviews is an incentive to finish the job within this window. One of the cleaners put it like this: “The stress is only in my head, that I must do as much as possible to get a good review and so on. I think it is ok” (cleaner, platform company). In cases where cleaners need more time than the customer has anticipated, they can ask whether the customer would like to expand the time frame for extra payment or whether they can prioritize parts of the job to finish on time.
When asked about stress, one of the cleaners also emphasized that not having enough to do can be equally stressful as having too much to do. She expressed that she had felt more stressed when she was new to the platform, being concerned she would not receive enough requests from potential customers. However, she experienced that her customer base grew quite fast and highlighted that while it can be demanding when there are many requests, she also feels content and motivated by this.
Working environment challenges related to being self-employed
One of the cleaners I interviewed who worked for the platform company also stressed some of the risks of being self-employed, especially the fact that one cannot receive compensation for sick leave before the seventeenth day of being sick. She once had to cancel a week of jobs when she got sick and had no legal right to compensation, being self-employed. Moreover, she added that this is something you agree to by being self-employed and that the company is very transparent on this matter. It is my impression that both platform cleaners who were interviewed were well informed and aware of their rights and obligations towards the platform company. The cleaner also added that while most customers are flexible about changing the time of the appointment if a cleaner gets sick, it can be difficult to find new dates due to the rotation of jobs for other customers who book cleaning appointments regularly.
The other cleaner who worked for the platform company explained that as a self-employed worker, you have a say in how the working environment challenges you are exposed to affect you. For instance, the cleaner emphasized that the risk to your health, for example, depends on what chemicals you use or how heavy you choose to lift. When providing cleaning services through Vaskehjelp, the customer is responsible for providing the equipment and cleaning supplies necessary for the job they want carried out. Both cleaners I interviewed who worked for the platform described having taken precautions to mitigate the potential negative effects of using equipment and chemicals that can be harmful to one’s health. For instance, both had encouraged their customers to choose milder cleaning supplies and chemicals: “I try to promote natural products. Cleaning chemicals can intensify the risk of asthma. I try to inform the customers, and we help each other. It is good for me, their homes and their families” (cleaner, platform company), one argued. Another highlighted: “If the customers use some of the cheaper chemicals that are bad for you, you can ask them [to change]. Everything is up to us. Some cleaners don’t ask their customers, but the customers probably don’t think about these things if you don’t ask (…) If they like you and the job you do, they would like you to come back” (cleaner, platform company).
Nonetheless, to be able to influence these factors, cleaners must have the courage to discuss these matters with the customer, so one again must consider cleaners’ dependence on good relations with the customer to ensure good customer reviews. In these cases, language barriers can also pose a challenge. The consequence of using harmful cleaning supplies was also pointed out by the cleaner I interviewed who worked for a smaller company in the private market: