Work Life Balance As A Gig Worker Some Stories Colege Student
Keywords:
work life balance, Gig worker, role boundary, lived experience, studentAbstract
Introduction/Main Objectives: The phenomenon of gig workers has created new flexible, project-based work patterns, attracting university students to participate. Students experience dual roles: worker and student, while remaining tied to the demands of social life, forming a triadic pattern in their daily lives. This study aims to understand how student-gig workers navigate the balance between academic, work, and social roles.
Background Problems: Students' involvement in flexible work presents a unique challenge in the form of conflicts between academic, work, and social responsibilities. This phenomenon raises a key question: how do gig worker students achieve work-life balance when they simultaneously fulfill these triadic roles?
Novelty: The novelty of this research lies in its focus on the context of student-gig workers in Indonesia, which is underexplored. This study not only describes students' triadic roles but also explores their strategies in negotiating role boundaries through a narrative approach that emphasizes lived experiences.
Research Methods: This study used a qualitative approach with an exploratory narrative design. Data were collected through in-depth narrative interviews with five gig worker students in October and November 2025. Participants were selected purposively based on a variety of occupations, and data analysis was conducted using the Gioia methodology to trace the conceptualization process from empirical experiences to key themes.
Finding/Results: The results show that gig worker students achieve a life balance through ongoing negotiations between academic demands and flexible work. They develop time management strategies, maintain intrinsic motivation, and engage in emotional adaptation in the face of role pressures.
Conclusion: Gig worker students' life balance is shaped by self-awareness and adaptive skills in managing role boundaries between the triadic roles. These findings emphasize the importance of institutional support and more welcoming work policies for flexible student workers to maintain mental health, motivation to learn, and long-term work productivity.
References
Adjaino, O. V., & Adekunle, S. A. Y. O. (2025). GIG Work and Career Intention among University Students Western Delta University , Oghara , Delta State , Nigeria. 11(2), 191– 199.
Adriaansen Lauren. (2023). Gig Work & College Students : An Analysis of the Student Employment Experience.
Ashforth, B. E., Kreiner, G. E., & Fugate, M. (2000). All in A Day ’ s Work : Boundaries and Micro Role Transitions. July. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMR.2000.3363315
Ayudiana, S. (2024). Proporsi pekerja informal di Indonesia naik 59,40 persen. Antara.
https://www.antaranews.com/berita/4814169/bps-proporsi-pekerja-informal-diindonesia-naik-5940-persen Braun, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. 3, 77–101. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Colla, R. H., & Kurtz, C. F. (2024). Storying Research : Exploring the Benefits of Participatory Narrative Inquiry as a Methodology for Wellbeing Research. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 9(3), 1205–1224. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41042-02400147-4
Creswell, W. J. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Methods Approaches. In SAGE Publications.
Gioia, D. A., & Thomas, J. B. (2015). Identity , Image , and Issue Interpretation : Sensemaking during Strategic Change in Academia and. SAGE Publications, 41(3), 370–403.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2393936?origin=JSTOR-pdf
Greenhaus, J. (2011). Work-Family Balance : A Review and Extension of the Literature. American Psychological Assosiation, January, 22.
Greenhaus, J. H., & Collins, K. M. (2003). The relation between work – family balance and quality of life. 8791(December). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0001-8791(02)00042-8
Hidayatullah, T., & Prihastuty, R. (2023). Edukasi Overview of factors affecting work life balance in student part-time. 17(2), 150–157. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15294/edukasi.v17i2.45091
Hsieh, J., Bafna, S., & Zhu, H. (2023). Designing Individualized Policy and Technology Interventions to Improve Gig Work Conditions. Carnegie Mellon University USA, 9. https://doi.org/10.1145/3596671.3598576
Kurian, J. S., & Madhavi, N. B. (2024). Navigating the gig economy : exploring challenges and motivations for the wellbeing of Gen Y and Gen Z gig workers. Cogent Psychology, 11(1).
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2024.2357458
Lund, S., Madgavkar, A., Manyika, J., Smit, S., Ellingrud, K., Meaney, M., & Robinson, O. (2021). The future of work after COVID-19. McKinsey Global Institute, February, 152.
Luo, Q. (2025). How flexibility in gig work affects work-life balance : A case study of online service platform industry Keyword s. 12(2), 133–150. https://doi.org/10.18488/74.v12i2.4260
McKinsey. (2023). What is the gig economy ? August.
Mcleod, S. (2024). Narrative Analysis In Qualitative. June. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.30491.07200
Ranggu, T., Marewa, J. B., & Biringkanae, A. (2025). Analisis Work Life Balance pada
Karyawan ( Studi Kasus di PT Malea Energy ) Analysis of Work-Life Balance in Employees (Case Study at PT Malea Energy ). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.60036/jbm.552
Rani, U., Dhir, R. K., Furrer, M., Nora, G., Moriati, A., & Conney, S. (2021). World Employment and Social Outlook (U. Rani, R. K. Dhir, M. Furrer, G. Nora, A. Moriati, S. (University of M. Conney, & A. C. (Universidad A. de C. Mc Manus (eds.)). International Labour Office (ILO).
Sari, A. P. (2025). Work Life Balance pada Generasi Z Pekerja Gig Economy. 2(3), 503–510. Statistik, B. P. (2024). Keadaan Pekerja Di Indonesia (D. Romadhon & A. H. Yusuf (eds.)). Directorate of Population and Labour Statistics.
Syarifudin, A. (2024). Journal of Sumatra Sociological Indicators Blurred Boundaries : Maintaining Work-Life Balance in the Gig Economy. University Trunojoyo Madura, Madura, 325–332. https://doi.org/10.32734/jssi.v3i2.18730
Wang, S., Li, L. Z., & Coutts, A. (2022). National survey of mental health and life satisfaction of gig workers : the role of loneliness and financial precarity. 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-066389
Warren, T. (2021). Work – life balance and gig work : ‘ Where are we now ’ and ‘ where to next ’ with the work – life balance agenda ? SAGE Publications Ltd, Los Angeles, 24.
https://doi.org/10.1177/00221856211007161
Yuniawan, A. (Diponegoro U., Nasikh, (State University, Malang), & Franksiska, R. (Satya W.
C. U. (2025). Navigating work and study : The interplay of time-spatial flexible work arrangements , workload , and work-life integration among undergraduate working students. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 14. https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.23(2).2025.22
Yustisia, A., & Mada, U. G. (2022). Mahasiswa dan Gig Economy : Kerentanan Pekerja
Sambilan ( Freelance ) di Kalangan Tenaga Kerja Terdidik Mahasiswa dan Gig Economy : Kerentanan Pekerja Lepas ( Freelancer ) di Abstrak. December. https://doi.org/10.22146/polgov.v3i1.2866
Zaini, M., Miladiyah, S. J., & Salim, A. (2025). Balance : Jurnal Akuntansi dan Manajemen Eksplorasi Faktor Pendorong Mahasiswa untuk Terlibat dalam. Lembaga Riset Ilmiah –
Yayasan Mentari Meraki Asa, 4(1), 322–331. https://jurnal.risetilmiah.ac.id/index.php/jam
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Conference Proceedings Volume
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Aiswara Denisya Ramadhani, Lussia Mariesti Andriany
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
ECOSIA is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- 4.0 International Public License (CC - BY).
