Starting a contract

[afe8bcc2]

Hi, 

Why do some freelancers delay starting to work once they are hired? If they sign up for an x number of hours a week, does that mean that they will log all those hours every single week?

Thanks.

[prestonhunter · Accepted solution]

re: "Why do some freelancers delay starting to work once they are hired?"

Maybe they are too busy doing other things.

If this is a time-sensitive project, then hire other people. Hire multiple freelancers.

If you hire four people to do to a project, and only one logs time and turns the project into you, then you only need to pay that person. Once you receive the work, end all the contracts.

re: "If they sign up for an x number of hours a week, does that mean that they will log all those hours every single week?"

No.

The "x number of hours a week" is the MAXIMUM number of hours that they can work.

They might work zero hours.

[afe8bcc2]

Hi Preston and thank you for your reply.

Let me also ask you this: I need a blogger to write something on a blog to promote a product. Once the blog is posted, do I still need to keep the contract active so that the blogger can answer emails coming from potential buyers or if, in your opinion, that's not necessary. The product is a novel.

Thank you.

[prestonhunter]

re: "I need a blogger to write something on a blog to promote a product. Once the blog is posted, do I still need to keep the contract active so that the blogger can answer emails coming from potential buyers or if, in your opinion, that's not necessary. The product is a novel."

Frank:

This is a great question.

The answer is very simple:

No, you are not required to maintain an active contract with a blogger who writes a blog post for you, after the post has been written and posted.

But there is a very important principle here that needs to be understood:

Freelancers do not work for free. If you want somebody to work on your behalf, then you will need a contract with them.

In other words:

If a blogger posts a blog, and then the contract with you is over, then from that time forward, if the blogger can be contacted by readers of the blog post, the blogger IS ALLOWED to interact with those readers. But the blogger is not required to. What he does after the contract is over would be his own personal choice. He could ignore everything. He could reply, but say only bad things about the novel. Because he is acting on his own, as the author of a blog post. He doesn't work for you.

HOWEVER, if you maintain an hourly contract with the blogger, then the blogger would be working for you, working on your behalf. So he would be able to log time while corresponding with people who write to him about the product.

I point out these concepts without knowing exactly what kind of website or "blog" you want to post this freelancer's writing on. There are websites and blogs which are clearly created to represent specific authors, products, franchises, product lines. On something like this, a writer or blogger could be expected to represent the author/product/etc. The blogger or writer serves as a representative. There are also independent review sites as well as large marketplace websites (offering products from many vendors and authors) which have their own rules about reviews, whether or not reviewers may represent the author, whether or not paid-for reviews may be posted on the site, whether or not the reviewer must purchase the product from that supplier, etc. Upwork's policy is that clients and freelancers adhere to the rules of other sites.

[gilbert-phyllis]

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@Frank L wrote:

Hi Preston and thank you for your reply.

Let me also ask you this: I need a blogger to write something on a blog to promote a product. Once the blog is posted, do I still need to keep the contract active so that the blogger can answer emails coming from potential buyers or if, in your opinion, that's not necessary. The product is a novel.

Thank you.

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 Do you want to answer the mail yourself or do you want the original blog author to handle it on your behalf? If the latter, then set up a contract and communicate extensively and specifically about what is to be done, in what timeframe, consuming how many hours, at what cost, etc.

[gilbert-phyllis]

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@Frank L wrote:

Hi, 

Why do some freelancers delay starting to work once they are hired? If they sign up for an x number of hours a week, does that mean that they will log all those hours every single week?

Thanks.

---

 How do you define "delay"? Do you establish a shared understanding of when work will commence, how many hours it will take, and when it will be completed?  As for your question about the weekly hours: maybe yes, maybe no. Again, what understanding did you reach in advance? I've had hourly contracts on which I billed only a fraction of the hours allowed under the terms, and others where I max'd out more or less every week. The crucial thing is for the client and freelancer to have a mutual agreement about how many hours the job is anticipated to take and about how any overrun will be handled. If you are not communicating that extensively and specifically, then you are all asking for trouble, sooner or later.

[sbegum2311]

First you must select related expert person for your project. Then you should consider the point that hired freelancer's job in progress. That means they have or not enough time to get started new task.

[bobafett999]

I delay starting the work to make sure the payment method is verified for hourly jobs and milestones are funded for fixed price jobs.