This is the first post in the series of the articles, which I would like to publish about the freelance hazards. That is true that freelancing gives us a freedom of the movement, the choice of sleeping late and having an office wherever we want, the possibility to be with your family almost non-stop (of course, if you want) and it is a good choice to earn some money for the disabled people and the ones with chronic illnesses, in those unfortunate cases when it is hard to leave home.
However, the current freelancing environment as a rather under-regulated phenomena where neither the nation-states, nor international organisations have paid enough attention to secure the rights of usually cosmopolitan freelancers, feels like a failed anarcho-capitalist ideal where there is no place for the justice or like an animal kingdom where the fittest will survive and the strongest is always right. But, in the freelance world, the “strongest” who is always right is the client since the strength in that world is measured in money.
However, the current freelancing environment as a rather under-regulated phenomena where neither the nation-states, nor international organisations have paid enough attention to secure the rights of usually cosmopolitan freelancers, feels like a failed anarcho-capitalist ideal where there is no place for the justice or like an animal kingdom where the fittest will survive and the strongest is always right. But, in the freelance world, the “strongest” who is always right is the client since the strength in that world is measured in money.
by Kristine Sergejeva
Remember, if you enter the freelance world:
1) You may have limited rights from discrimination and harassment
You have to be ready that almost every second advert, searching for freelancers will mention some discriminatory criteria: nationality, geographical location, gender, etc. Besides, don’t be surprised that the potential client will want to find out about your family situation, can decide to make friends with you, your second half and befriend on Facebook all your friends (of course, without your permission), will try to find out your preferences, political or ethical opinions, and all that can be good enough reason to tell you good-bye (with the ‘logical’ argument “we don’t fit together”). Let me give you an example about one client who was only hiring female freelancers: the adverts clearly stated that only female candidates would be considered (and we don’t talk here about such jobs as, for example, models for bras or similar where female body would be a necessary attribute, but these all were intellectual jobs), though the boss himself is a male.
2) You may have limited rights to fair wages for work performed
Please, understand the main reasons why most of the clients choose to hire freelancers. Not because they lack an access to specific skills or not because they think that the freelance world if full with geniuses. Sorry but no! They hire freelancers because it is cheaper and because they have less or maybe none responsibilities towards them, except to pay what was agreed (but also not always). For most of the clients, the essential qualities of the ideal freelancer are being very cheap (that is why there are these adverts targeted to freelancers from Asia, particularly, Philippines and India) or at least as cheap as possible, obedient (being submissive to the client’s authority whenever something is asked/expected from you even if it does not fit with what was agreed before) and kind (or being able to endure all tantrums of the client with acceptance and smile). Your secondary qualities will be your professional skills and experience.
3) You may have limited rights to refuse working overtime…
…since all your time is becoming work time, and there is no such concept as “overtime” in the freelance world.
4) You may have limited rights against unfair dismissal or wrongful termination of the contract
There is also no such concept as a “job security” in the freelance world. And, I think, this is what makes freelancers particularly vulnerable and what negatively influences their quality of life and their well-being. Your contract can be terminated because you might have not a good enough voice for the client (even if you write blog article only, for example), or because you are born in a wrong astrology sign that does not fit together with the client’s sign, or because “we simply do not fit together” (as if there would be a search for a lover and not for a professional), or because you dare to say “no” to disrespectful treatment or rudeness or unprofessional attitude, or because the client wants to hire her/his cousin instead of you, or because of any other anecdotal evidence. Unfortunately, you won’t have any rights to against being consumed and then simply replaced.
As Simone de Beauvoir once said:
1) You may have limited rights from discrimination and harassment
You have to be ready that almost every second advert, searching for freelancers will mention some discriminatory criteria: nationality, geographical location, gender, etc. Besides, don’t be surprised that the potential client will want to find out about your family situation, can decide to make friends with you, your second half and befriend on Facebook all your friends (of course, without your permission), will try to find out your preferences, political or ethical opinions, and all that can be good enough reason to tell you good-bye (with the ‘logical’ argument “we don’t fit together”). Let me give you an example about one client who was only hiring female freelancers: the adverts clearly stated that only female candidates would be considered (and we don’t talk here about such jobs as, for example, models for bras or similar where female body would be a necessary attribute, but these all were intellectual jobs), though the boss himself is a male.
2) You may have limited rights to fair wages for work performed
Please, understand the main reasons why most of the clients choose to hire freelancers. Not because they lack an access to specific skills or not because they think that the freelance world if full with geniuses. Sorry but no! They hire freelancers because it is cheaper and because they have less or maybe none responsibilities towards them, except to pay what was agreed (but also not always). For most of the clients, the essential qualities of the ideal freelancer are being very cheap (that is why there are these adverts targeted to freelancers from Asia, particularly, Philippines and India) or at least as cheap as possible, obedient (being submissive to the client’s authority whenever something is asked/expected from you even if it does not fit with what was agreed before) and kind (or being able to endure all tantrums of the client with acceptance and smile). Your secondary qualities will be your professional skills and experience.
3) You may have limited rights to refuse working overtime…
…since all your time is becoming work time, and there is no such concept as “overtime” in the freelance world.
4) You may have limited rights against unfair dismissal or wrongful termination of the contract
There is also no such concept as a “job security” in the freelance world. And, I think, this is what makes freelancers particularly vulnerable and what negatively influences their quality of life and their well-being. Your contract can be terminated because you might have not a good enough voice for the client (even if you write blog article only, for example), or because you are born in a wrong astrology sign that does not fit together with the client’s sign, or because “we simply do not fit together” (as if there would be a search for a lover and not for a professional), or because you dare to say “no” to disrespectful treatment or rudeness or unprofessional attitude, or because the client wants to hire her/his cousin instead of you, or because of any other anecdotal evidence. Unfortunately, you won’t have any rights to against being consumed and then simply replaced.
As Simone de Beauvoir once said:
Resignation is the Saddest Virtue
The Freelancer, do not resign yourself to how things are – do not accept the injustice, the slave-like treatment, “fuck-offs” and similar “wishes” from the clients or the potential clients and do not accept low salary. It is OK to stand against the mistreatment, it is OK to defend your rights, it is OK to request to be treated with the respect! A better future where freelancer’s rights would be regarded require your resistance and your voice!
So be it.
So be it.
PS. Enough is enough. This article was inspired by the today’s “fuck-off for wasting my time” received from the potential Upwork client via Skype during the interview. I thought that the time has come to prepare one blog article not, as always, for some client but for myself, and for my current freelance “sisters” and “brother”, as well as the ones who want to join this army.
Please, follow me not to miss my next articles where I will explain how to diagnose bad clients before signing a contract with them (with case studies), how to protect yourself against the unfair treatment and how to prepare contracts, what to know when you search for the clients in Upwork, etc.
If you have a wish to hear about some other related topic, don’t hesitate to mention it in the comments.
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