U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) are pushing the U.S. Government Accountability Office to report on companies’ increased use of subcontracted and contingent workers for work that used to be performed by direct employees.
This leads to the creation of ‘fissured workplaces’ – environments where primary employers outsource “non-core” business functions to subcontracted firms but still maintain tight control over the outcomes of those subcontractors. This has primarily affected occupations in payroll, accounting, janitorial services, facilities maintenance, security, food preparation, among others.