The dark side of freelancing, or a few words about the dangers

Freelancing is not always a positive solution

You quit your job, decided to freelance, because it is now a fashionable way to earn money, and suddenly it turns out that it is not as colorful as you thought. Yes, there are many positive sides to freelancing, but he is a little far from ideal.

Many people who choose this form of employment are not aware of the risks associated with it. Of course, this is a risk that can be easily eliminated, but it requires the freelancer to be highly self-reliant and motivated to overcome obstacles. Therefore, before making a decision to freelance, it is worth taking a look at the threats that lie in wait for an unaware future freelancer. However, you have to remember that each medal has two sides, so in this case the employer also takes some risk by hiring a freelancer.

Freelancer risk

A person deciding to freelance must be aware of the risks that this form of employment entails before making a final decision.

1. Little sins of freelancers

   • Laziness - at first glance, freelancing is a real paradise for people who do not like to get up early. They organize their own working time - a dream. However, having no control over themselves, they easily fall into the trap of their own laziness. They create a disastrous network of translations around them: "I'll do it tomorrow, today I don't feel like it anymore", "if I do it in a few days, nothing will happen" etc. performing them superficially and carelessly, and even worse, not fulfilling the contract at all. And yet if a freelancer does not work, he does not earn. Therefore, only disciplined and independent people should decide on freelancing.
   • Immoderate - many freelancers undertake an unimaginable number of jobs. And yet man is not a robot and has its limit. Yes, a freelancer can work longer than the average employee, but he must also rest. Taking on several tasks at once ends up with the freelancer doing them carelessly or not having time to complete them at all. And thus - principals discourage from such a contractor and give up his services, and in extreme cases, advise against using his services to other companies.
   • Pride - some freelancers are characterized by "ambition over content." "But I am a specialist, I can ask for more" - this is how they explain the inflated rates. Of course, you have to appreciate yourself, but don't overdo it. You should exercise some moderation, because the client will start looking for someone better and cheaper, and given the rapid growth of freelancers - it will not be difficult.
   • Anger - a freelancer has a lot of reasons to be angry every day. Because the client is a nasty savage and makes fights, because the tax office is not sure why it is picking on, because it has too many orders and not enough time to carry them out, because it does not rest at all, etc. All these situations lead to an outburst of anger, and what a hence - they negatively affect the health of the freelancer. Yet a little self-control and patience is enough.
   • Greed - earn more on the client's naivety and ignorance. "You don't have the materials for this assignment? Well, I'll look for it myself, but it will cost extra ”- such words are often uttered by freelancers. Greedy and dishonest freelancers often use their advantage, for example, when they are highly qualified and their mantra becomes the short formula: "it will cost extra". However, such a permanent action poses a negative attitude towards the principals of a given freelancer. Because they expect some discounts rather than "extra costs".
   • Jealousy and impurity of moves - there are freelancers who act to the disadvantage of their competitors - "How is it possible that he can do as much as I do and earn more? I'll show him. These types of freelancers not only envy their competitors, but also often do not have a sober view of the situation. They overestimate their abilities and do not see that, for example, the task performed by a competitor was of a completely different type or more difficult or detailed. Defamation of competitors in the eyes of principals is a frequent procedure. However, incompatible with the work ethic.

2. Advantages that can turn into disadvantages

   • Lack of top-down control - this is one of the most important advantages of freelancing. Meanwhile, in the absence of independence, it can become fatal. Nobody watches over a freelancer, rides to work and helps. When a freelancer lacks independence, he will look for help, wasting time unnecessarily and introducing chaos into his professional life.
   • Non-standard working time - as we wrote above - non-standard working time in the absence of self-discipline leads to laziness, and laziness to bankruptcy.
   • Higher salary - theoretically, with proper organization of working time, a freelancer is able to earn much more than the average full-time employee. But in order to earn money, he must have orders, to have orders, he must look for clients. And it's not that easy when a freelancer is shy and afraid of contact with people. She will avoid him and thus won't get any jobs. You can be an exceptionally conscientious person, but being shy at the same time, you miss out on really big money.
   • Fulfillment of professional ambitions - freelancing gives you the opportunity to meet professional goals, ie "you do what you like". But the question arises: "Can what you like be profitable? Is this what is missing on the market? ”. A freelancer should find out whether his services will be in demand on the market or will get enough orders. Because he can be really happy with his work, but in the absence of orders, he will quickly go bankrupt.
   • Setting up your own company - "I will create my own company, be the CEO, hire employees and pick up coconuts" - sounds wonderful, but at the same time unreliable. When starting your own business, you need to take into account the fact that not all activities lead to success. In that case, a freelancer should have at least a basic understanding of taxes and insurance. Because if he does not meet the deadlines, at some point he can be struck down by horrendous punishments. And then it's not a success, and bankruptcy is certain.
   • Flexible contract terms - it's great that a freelancer has a say in shaping contracts, but is he aware that they hold him under more legal responsibility? Each wrongly executed job becomes a failure for the freelancer, not the client. And life teaches us that some failures are hard to recover.

Principal's risk

Of course, hiring freelancers is extremely beneficial for employers. But sometimes it can also be disastrous, because some dangers await them as well.

1. You never know who you will hit

Often there are cases when the client finds a freelancer, gives him a task and ... either receives it poorly or, worse, does not receive it at all. You have to bear in mind that freelancers usually "pull up" their skills a bit. A fluent English may in fact turn out to be communicative, a Senior Specialist turns out to be a Junior Specialist, and the knowledge of graphic programs actually involves a one-time contact with them, etc. Moreover, there are dishonest freelancers-thieves who deliver the order on time, but after some time it becomes clear that this is plagiarism. Of course, the consequences are borne by the freelancer, but all the unpleasantness related to this fact hits the client first.

1. You put your face on yourself

If the client does not check the freelancer beforehand and still entrusts him with the task, let him take into account that he has just put a mine under his company. Why? Because incompetent freelancers negatively affect her image in the industry environment. Although the client is not legally responsible for the failures of the freelancer, they leave a mark on his company. After all, bad news travels quickly.

1. Freelancer loyalty, or rather lack of it

Loyal employees are worth their weight in gold, and the lack of that loyalty can be destructive. Let's say an employer hires a freelancer to make a unique project and everything looks perfect at first glance. However, after some time it turns out that such a project already exists on the market and the freelancer service has been paid for in advance. Therefore, it is very important to check its integrity before outsourcing a job to a freelancer.

1. No control

The employer entrusts the task to a really excellent specialist who basically performs the task correctly, but it turns out that the client imagined its effect completely differently. It's good that the client doesn't waste time checking the freelancer. However, the lack of this control means that sometimes he receives a job that is far from what he had imagined.

Before opting for freelancing, you need to think twice and weigh the pros and cons. Get to know the threats that lurk both freelancers and principals. Maybe the devil is not as scary as it is painted, but in the end the devil remains a devil.