Portable Benefits Represent Innovative and a Bipartisan Solution for Independent Workers, According to New Flex Association White Paper

New Paper Shows How Portable Benefits–Also Known as Flexible Benefits–Can Strengthen Independent Work for the 21st Century

WASHINGTON – Flex, the trade association representing leading app-based platforms, today released a new white paper, titled “The Time is Right to Bring Benefits and Independence Together,” highlighting the importance of portable benefits for those who choose independent work opportunities to earn income on their terms.

The white paper sets forth: 

• Our country’s atypical system of frameworks that tie benefits to employment
• That technologies and evolving worker preferences have led more people to seek opportunities that offer greater flexibility
• Why independent work offers greater flexibility than traditional employment
• How current laws hinder companies from offering benefits to independent workers

Taken together, these dynamics illustrate the need for innovative and bipartisan solutions like portable benefits. The paper also highlights the broader public policy rationales for portable benefit initiatives. 

“Portable benefits represent the best of both worlds: offering workers benefits historically provided by employers while retaining the flexibility of independent work–flexibility that is simply not possible with traditional jobs,” said Kristin Sharp, Flex’s CEO. “With growing bipartisan recognition that portable benefits can increase access to benefits for independent workers, we are proud to highlight the app-based industry’s support for balanced solutions that don’t force workers to choose between employment with benefits or flexible work without.”

The white paper builds on the portable benefits principles that Flex released last year, as well as the testimony that Sharp provided to the U.S. House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Workforce Protections in April and Flex’s participation in the Utah Flexible Benefits Working Group. 

Visit Flex’s website for the full white paper. 

Contact:
Katie Grant Drew, Monument Advocacy
kdrew@monumentadvocacy.com 

About Flex. Flex is the voice of the app-based economy, representing America's leading app-based rideshare and delivery platforms. Our member companies—DoorDash, Grubhub, HopSkipDrive, Instacart, Lyft, Shipt, and Uber— help provide access to crucial goods and services to customers safely and efficiently, offer flexible earning opportunities to workers and support economic growth in communities across the country.