Happy National Freelancers Day
Perhaps we really need a "Respect your Freelancers Day"?
Today, in the UK, is National Freelancers Day, an annual celebration of self-employment, organised by IPSE.
They host some wonderful events for freelancers, with talks, advice, support and generally act as a champion of the self-employed in the UK, along with membership which offers legal advice, contract support, helplines, etc. Worth checking out.
Whilst the world has way too many “national days” for things (today is also National Apple Strudel Day and National Eat Your Vegetable day), having a point in the year where we take a moment to celebrate the 3m freelancers in the UK is important.
Not least because we’re so often neglected or forgotten (or worse ignored or hidden) as a workforce.
Whilst celebrating and looking inwards to freelancers as a community is important - what’s even more important is making use of today to help our clients remember and reflect upon their freelancers too.
But what do we want them to think about?
What do we want them to know?
What are the things we want our clients to hear from us as freelancers?
I’m currently working on a large scale project to highlight the challenges and frustrations faced by freelancers. I already go deep into the emotional side of things via the Leapers project, but much of the stressors come from operational things too.
Late payments
Ghosting.
Low day rates.
Poor communication.
Contract issues.
The list goes on.
But - rather than just hearing grumbles, I want to do something tangible about it.
So I’m building a comprehensive list of the challenges we face, and then working with clients across the creative industry to see what things we can do to highlight where they’re happening, what improvements can be made, and what commercial benefits it creates (most companies only respond when they can see it hit their profit margin).
So today is a call for your input: what do you want your clients to know about working with freelancers?
Drop a comment or send me a DM, and we’ll gather this into something more than just a list of frustrations, but an action plan for Freelance Friendly behaviours, which clients can look to, to make improvements.
But as today is about celebration, not just complaining, I wanted to highlight a number of brilliant communities who do amazing work supporting and uplifting freelancers - and I would argue, make freelancing more sustainable.
Doing it for the Kids - a brilliant community run by Frankie, focused on freelancing parents. An active online community space, resources, annual meetups and local meetups. Indispensable for any self-employed parent, and worth every penny.
blkbk - if you’re a designer, this is the space for you. Again, a highly active community run by Nick, with a slack space, and steady flow of work and opportunities from top-tier brands and agencies, along with chat from fellow professionals in the industry.
The Studio - not only for freelancers, but again, a hugely active community platform run by Katy from Creative Boom. Resources, meetups, events, and a very busy space with some of the creative industry’s most brilliant people. If you’re a fan of Creative Boom, you’ll love this.
Not your Business - run by Arlo, this community is for neurodivergent, queer, and trans freelancers to connect, grow, and thrive. Relatively new, but already doing brilliant things to support its members.
Cowork Crew - both offline and online, this group focused on regular local coworking sessions in Northampton, Cambridge, London and handful of other locations. If you need to get out of the house, check out Cowork Crew to see if there’s something near you.
There are so many amazing communities - I’m slowly building a list of them here, so you will always have a group to find. If you run or are a member of a community we haven’t listed, drop me a note and we’ll get you added.
And here’s one for the hirers…
Oh, and if you’re a client reading this… here’s five things you can do today, to tangibly support your freelancers:
1. Pay their invoices, today - any outstanding, overdue or recently submitted invoices? Get them paid immediately. And then review your processes to ensure no late payments in the future. More than half of invoices to small businesses are paid late - you can be part of the solution. And if you’re an existing good payer, sign up to the Fair Payment Code to demonstrate your committment.
2. Ask for feedback - understand where there are challenges in working with you, so you can make things efficient and reduce costs and snags. Less than 10% of freelancers are asked for feedback, which means you aren’t likely aware of any issues in your pool - leading to your best talent floating away. There are independent benchmarks who will gather anonymous feedback for you.
3. Signpost to support - point them to communities, resources and platforms that provide them with ongoing support, between your briefs. 70% of freelancers don't know where to find support for their mental health as a self-employed worker, for example. Speak to the team at Leapers for useful tools and resources you can signpost to.
4. Review your rates - still paying 2018 day rates? Consider the value they're creating for you, and offer better than competitors. You can find existing market rates for your sector and roles here.
5. Internal Accountability - give someone responsibility for designing how you work with freelancers, don't just hope that it magically happens. If you need some help on this - speak to The Independency Co, we’ll connect you with brilliant contingent talent specialists.
None of the above cost anything, other than some time and respect.
More and more businesses are working with freelancers - make sure you're doing it well.
That’s all from me this week
✌️ mk
My favourite is National Sausage Roll Day.