In the past few years, the phenomenon of gig economy started to flow into the world of business. More and more employees chose to permanently work as self-employed; could we also call them ‘digital nomads’? In parallel, more and more companies tend to choose ‘employees’, who are not exactly employed by them, but they could rather be viewed as ‘partners’. In Europe, this phenomenon had initially spread in the ride-hailing and food delivery business, and skyrocketed during the pandemic.

The question which is raised is how these companies manage this type of ‘partners’. The management as well as the engagement of this kind of employees is of great interest as it can seriously impact the performance of the company. However, there is a scarcity of research of how firms motivate gig employees, and how these employees can feel secure and motivated during their 'employment'. Within this context, this dissertation investigates how a company could boost the motivation of gig employees and drive their performance to the highest possible point by diving into the gig employees' mind to give a clear view of what they are expecting. The methodology employed is primary research through a questionnaire coupled by a literature review. The findings of this dissertation show that extrinsic but more importantly intrinsic motivation is important, and they shed further light on the gig economy, and assist HR managers to understand better their gig employees and how their motivation and performance could be improved.