Web workers are utilized in web development to run tasks in the background, preventing the main UI thread from freezing during heavy computational tasks. This guide explores the basics of web workers, including their implementation and usage in React applications, with a focus on addressing UI performance issues caused by tasks like sorting large datasets. The useWorker hook is introduced as a tool for managing web workers more efficiently, enhancing code readability and maintainability by allowing developers to track worker status, kill threads when necessary, and update the UI based on worker activity. A practical example demonstrates how to implement web workers in a React component for sorting user data without affecting the UI. Additionally, the guide highlights the benefits of using the useWorker hook, which simplifies the implementation of background tasks and improves user experience by preventing UI interruptions.