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haydenb
Community Member

We are here for you- COVID-19 Update

In troubling and uncertain times like these, we find more meaning than ever in our company mission, which is to create economic opportunities so that people have better lives. It is through this lens that we are responding to the current COVID-19 crisis.

 

There is no higher value than the well-being of our team members, our customers, and our global community. Upwork is monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely and taking the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our team members, while proactively driving business continuity plans to ensure that we continue to deliver for our customers. 

 

To ensure the safety of our team members as well as our business continuity, we’ve moved from a hybrid to a fully remote model. Upwork was built on a strong distributed team model, with the majority of our 1,700 team members already working remotely from their home offices in more than 800 cities before this crisis. Those who regularly work in one of our three corporate offices have shifted to working remotely as well. 

 

As Upwork’s CEO, I’m very aware that self-employed individuals and small-business entrepreneurs often face heightened risks in economic downturns. Upwork is committed to supporting you through this trying time, and we are working hard to ensure that clients know that your skills and talent may be exactly the thing they need to get through the current crisis. 

 

We have received some questions about Upwork’s approach and want to keep all our customers equally informed, so in addition to sending out emails, we are sharing information here in the Community forums on the steps we are taking and the ways we can help you.

 

The ways we are all connected have never been clearer, and Upwork remains committed to helping all our community members however we can. In particular, we are working to:

 

  1. Help you maintain business continuity. We are working hard with our clients around the world to ensure that their changing business needs are translating into work opportunities for all of you—particularly in this time when the need for work done remotely is at an all-time high. We are investing in developing new job pipelines for you so that you can find meaningful work opportunities on our platform even as this crisis unfolds. We are also helping our clients successfully adapt to remote work.

  2. Support freelancers in a time of need. We are a Founding Partner of the Freelancers Relief Fund, established this week by the Freelancers Union to assist independent workers in the United States who are experiencing financial hardship as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. For more information, visit here.

  3. Facilitate your earnings from non-Upwork clients. We are testing a program that gives you the ability to leverage our escrow services and directly invoice your non-Upwork clients. We are here to help you get paid at a time when prior solutions such as cash and checks may not be viable. If you are interested, please sign up here.

  4. Accelerate receipt of payments. We have heard from many of you a heightened desire to expedite payments from your Upwork clients. We have established an internal task force that is working on how we might do this, and we will keep you posted on these efforts here in the forums.

 

Our team is working around the clock to develop new resources for our customers and community, and we will continue to share more as the situation evolves. In the meantime, our thoughts continue to be with each of you during this challenging time. Please stay safe, stay healthy, and stay connected—and let us know how we can help.

 

Sincerely,

 

Hayden Brown

President and CEO, Upwork

173 REPLIES 173
michela_f
Community Member

I can't really understand why Upwork security requires 10 days (5 days for Review time and 5 days for Pending time) before freelancers can finally get their earnings. Aren't the 5 Review days enough? Sometimes it's already a struggle to get clients finally release funds at the end of the project, waiting for Upwork additional time is frustrating when you need to put food on the table.

Hi Michela,

 

We understand your concern around reducing the security period for your withdrawals. We currently have established an internal task force that is working on how we might do this, and we will keep you posted on these efforts.

 

Thank you.

~ Aleksandar
Upwork

It's been 10 day since you announced your glorious task force. Where the $*#)@#$)* are we on accelerating funds release?

Either you are doing it or you aren't.

charl-niche
Community Member

Hi,

 

Despite the  positive words in this letter from the President and CEO, Upwork has now, during these "troubling and uncertain times” doubled the cost to withdraw funds. After taking off 20% (or 10% is some cases) I still have to pay to withdraw funds. I know it is a small amount but to double the cost of a withdrawal at a time like this is certainly not helping the plight of freelancers that are already facing reduced opportunities and increased competition in these “troubling times. 

 

I have also seen no results of the effort to expedite payments. If a client has approved the work there is no logical reason for Upwork to hold the funds for 5 days. The only reason can be the financial benefit to the company. 



 

Hi Charl,

 

As a freelancer, you’re charged a sliding fee based on your lifetime billings with each non-Enterprise client. This includes all contracts you’ve ever had with that client. Service fees are the same whether the contracts are hourly or fixed-price. You can check this help article for more information on this.

 

Our standard security period applies to all payments and refunds, which includes both hourly and fixed-price contracts. It gives Upwork time to process and clear the payments, and resolve any disputes before funds are released to freelancers. You can learn more in the "Security Period" section of this help article.

 

Regarding your withdrawal, we think it is fair to charge the same to all freelancers who use e-wallet style payment methods (such as PayPal and Payoneer) and our current Upwork transaction fees reflect that idea. If you’d like to explore other ways to receive your payments, you can check the payment method options available to you by clicking on “Add Method” in the “Get Paid” section of your Upwork account under “Settings”. Feel free to check out this Community thread for the announcement.

 

Stay safe!

~ Aleksandar
Upwork
robinmaxwell
Community Member

Dear Ms. Brown, 

 

My name is Robin, and I have been a faithful freelancer on Upwork (formerly oDesk) since January 2011. I have worked 10,405 hours to date and have referred countless of capable contractors and employers in need of contractors to the platform. I truly do value the opportunity to work for your company from home. 

 

That said, I would really like to know what was meant when an Upwork staffer typed "We are here for you- COVID-19 Update" into the subject box of this string. I ask because this has been my experience . . . 

 

Covid-19 is a tricky illness. You get it, are sicker than you have ever been, and recover (or so you think you have). I contracted Covid in early March but continued to work, as I was able, not wanting to disappoint my clients. I got somewhat better, not feeling 100% but managing. At the beginning of May, Covid tossed me another big surprise with a pulmonary embolism in my lung, complicated by pneumonia for which I was hospitalized. Prior to being admitted, however, I did change my Upwork status to unavailable until May 30th, even though I was unsure if I would ever be home to work from home again. 

 

(Please bear with me, as I do have a point.)

 

I had some great doctors and nurses and was released late last week more than a little concerned about the business to which I was returning. I honestly was most concerned about my annoyed clients and the hundreds of emails awaiting me in my inbox, but it never occurred to me to be concerned about my standing with Upwork, as I had done everything I should have done, right? Wrong. I came home to my account being suspended because I did not reply in a timely manner to have my identity verified for the 5th time during a pandemic when my profile was paused. 

 

The closing of your message asked the community to let Upwork know if there is anything you can do to help. I would like to suggest putting a stop to suspending accounts during this pandemic for frivolous reasons, such as identity verification, especially if the freelancer has been working for you for 9 years. For my part, when I do not look like an extra on The Walking Dead, I will schedule yet another verification interview. 

 

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

 

Sincerely, 

Robin M. 

 

**Edited for community guidelines**     

Hi Robin,

 

Thanks for sharing your experience with us and I'm really sorry this has been an inconvenience. I have followed up with the team and they'll be assisting you directly with your situation.

 

~ Valeria
Upwork
robinmaxwell
Community Member

Hi All, 

 

I commented on https://community.upwork.com/t5/Announcements/We-are-here-for-you-COVID-19-Update/td-p/719217, hoping to shed some light on freelancers dealing with Upwork and Covid-19, but when I realized that my comment was buried on Page 17 and would likely never be read, I thought I would repost it here. No haters, please. We are a community that should be working together. Please just ignore the below if it doesn't pertain to you. If it does, I would welcome your replies, as I am sure others will to. I stayed away from commenting on anything other than work (i.e. mortage payments, dwindling food supply, childcare, etc.). So, without further ado . . . 

 

Dear Ms. Brown, 

 

My name is Robin, and I have been a faithful freelancer on Upwork (formerly oDesk) since January 2011. I have worked 10,405 hours to date and have referred countless of capable contractors and employers in need contractors to the platform. I truly do value the opportunity to work for your company from home. 

 

That said, I would really like to know what was meant when an Upwork staffer typed "We are here for you- COVID-19 Update" into the subject box of this string. I ask because this has been my experience . . . 

 

Covid-19 is a tricky illness. You get it, are sicker than you have ever been, and recover (or so you think you have). I contracted Covid in early March but continued to work, as I was able, not wanting to disappoint my clients. I got somewhat better, not feeling 100% but managing. At the beginning of May, Covid tossed me another big surprise with a pulmonary embolism in my lung, complicated by pneumonia for which I was hospitalized. Prior to being admitted, however, I did change my Upwork status to unavailable until May 30th, even though I was unsure if I would ever be home to work from home again. 

 

(Please bear with me, as I do have a point.)

 

I had some great doctors and nurses and was released late last week more than a little concerned about the business to which I was returning. I honestly was most concerned about my annoyed clients and the hundreds of emails awaiting me in my inbox, but it never occurred to me to be concerned about my standing with Upwork, as I had done everything I should have done, right? Wrong. I came home to my account being suspended because I did not reply in a timely manner to have my identity verified for the 5th time during a pandemic when my profile was paused. 

 

The closing of your message asked the community to let Upwork know if there is anything you can do to help. I would like to suggest putting a stop to suspending accounts during this pandemic for frivolous reasons, such as identity verification, especially if the freelancer has been working for you for 9 years. For my part, when I do not look like an extra on The Walking Dead, I will schedule yet another verification interview. 

 

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

 

Sincerely, 

Robin M. 

 

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

I think you know the answer. And we all do. And thank you for bringing this to light for all. I hope you are recovering well.

Hi Robin,

 

I understand how this can be very frustrating for you, and I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you.

 

The sorting order of the posts in a thread depends on how you sort posts in your settings. The arrangement will also change if you are logged out of the Community. For me, your post is showing on page 1. If you want to make changes to the sorting order, please check out this Settings page

 

I can see that Valeria has already responded to your post and our team already followed up on your open ticketAs a gentle reminder, please be mindful of our Community Guidelines and avoid duplicate posting as this may be considered spam. Let me know if I can assist you further.

 

Thank you.

~ Aleksandar
Upwork
mymb
Community Member

Is there an open ticket or any issues in getting paid today? I have not seen my pay reflecting on my 'get paid'
g_vasilevski
Retired Team Member
Retired Team Member

Hi Maria,

 

Cleared payments are released on Fridays by 5 a.m. UTC. If you live in another timezone, please calculate the time difference to determine when your payment will be available. We will also email you after your payment is applied and ready to be withdrawn. Thank you.

~ Goran
Upwork

I chose weekly to get paid, my last payment withdrawal was April 2, 2021.
That leaves me to withdraw funds for this week, but I haven't been able to
withdraw and it says my pending earnings will be available next week which
is not supposed to happen. That means I don't get paid this week. For the
past year since Covid as one of the top rated freelancers I was one of the
few to be able to withdraw funds early. Again, I chose weekly yet I didn't
have the option to withdraw funds for this week.
g_vasilevski
Retired Team Member
Retired Team Member

Hi Maria,

 

One of our team members will reach out to you via ticket as soon as possible and assist you further with your earnings. Thank you.

~ Goran
Upwork
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