No-connect-vember: Solidarity Freelancers, UW staff, Genuine Clients.

[#1]

For those not in the know yet, things at Upwork are continuing to look very very bad for staff, freelancers, and by affect clients.

 

21% staff lay off with little notice, while Upwork announces $28M profit.

15% staff lay off last year.

Worsening quality and amount of dud job posts,

Repeatedly reported but not enough effective action,

Costing freelancing time and money

while "clients" are allowed to repeatedly post jobs that never hire,

and connects are not refunded unless client bothers to cancel job (and in certain circumstances: . Upwork states Connects are returned to you in two cases: (1) if a project is canceled by the client before a contract is created, and (2) if a job post is removed because it violates our Terms of Service. {8th November 2024} ).

Upwork makes money while many lose money and don't get genuine chances of work opportunity.

No-connect-vember

In solidarity with staff and freelancers suffering from the continuous changes that are making using the platform increasingly counter productive, for the month of November I will not submit any proposals, use any connects, buy any connects, give free help in forums, flag dud forum or dud job posts. I have not given permission for Upwork to use my data to trian AI and I dont use Upwork's AI when avoidable.

The objective is to create awarness. Specifically about the growing common concerns that freelancers have been highlighting. Also to stand in solidairty with staff for better protections and rights, and for eveyone working in similar work environments whether freelancer, staff, or client.

I hope Upwork and other industry figures will take note of these actions and reconsider its current course of direction and action.

I will honor my current contracts and that is it. Depending on how November pans out, I may also carry No-connect-vember through to December and the New Year.

I realize this kind of action won't be possible for everyone, but I encourage the community to please kindly show support and contribute solidarity in any way you can - it will help.

This story needs national and global news coverage.

If you can contribute your solidarity please boost and share this post, and share your thoughts and experiences in the comments and elsewhere.

Please be mindful to keep comments balanced to help encourage productive engagement and sustained efforts.

Closing Thoughts

The relatively new frontier of remote work, facilitated by advancing digital technologies, is evolving at a rapid pace. The impact that remote work and freelancing have had on economies is significant and therefore warrants the kind of progressive support and sensible engagement that has historical achieved a more equal and fairer quality of living for all.

Related posts worth readings and engaging with to keep informed on developments:

If you think there's no support now... just wait...

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/If-you-think-there-s-no-support-now-just-wait/m-p/171886...

Why Did the Freelancer Cross the Road?  (Coffee Break Forum)

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Coffee-Break/Why-Did-the-Freelancer-Cross-the-Road/m-p/1721995#M7695...

Why Did the Freelancer Cross the Road? (Freelancer Forum)

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/Why-Did-the-Freelancer-Cross-the-Road/m-p/1722399#M89515...

Should Freelancers Unionize, should UW staff?

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/Should-Freelancers-Unionize-should-UW-staff/m-p/1718870#...

My Year-Long Struggle with Scam Clients, Ghosting, and Unresponsive Proposals (Medium Blog Post)

https://medium.com/@legithiphop/my-year-long-struggle-with-scam-clients-ghosting-and-unresponsive-pr...

Support forum missing and new profile feedback option

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/Support-forum-missing-and-new-profile-feedback-option/m-...

Bay Area tech company Upwork announces $28M profit, slashes staff by 21%

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/Bay-Area-tech-company-Upwork-announces-28M-profit-slashe...

Holy Grail of No-Hire Client 0 of 29 in 1 Month

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/Holy-Grail-of-No-Hire-Client-0-of-29-in-1-Month/m-p/1717...

So Upwork just cut people and had more layoffs. (Reddit)

https://www.reddit.com/r/Upwork/comments/1gacrn0/so_upwork_just_cut_people_and_had_more_layoffs/?rdt...

Upwork to layoff 21% of workforce after announcing 28 million in profits (Reddit)

https://www.reddit.com/r/Layoffs/comments/1gbjc7a/upwork_to_layoff_21_of_workforce_after_announcing/

Upwork News Room:

A Message from Our CEO

Press Release - 23rd October 2024

President & CEO Hayden Brown sent the below message

Hi Team,

Today I am writing to share the difficult news that we will be combining and changing some teams in our organization, as well as reducing our full-time and hybrid workforce by 21%.

https://www.upwork.com/press/releases/a-message-from-our-ceo-oct2024

Upwork Announces Organizational Changes to Drive Continued Profitable Growth and Provides Preliminar...

Press release - October 23rd 2024

Approximately $60 million in annual cost savings advances Upwork toward 5-year profitability target

https://www.upwork.com/press/releases/upwork-announces-organizational-changes-and-provides-prelimina...

[#2]

SOLIDARITY !!!

[#3]

Thank you Sebastine - SOLIDARITY !!!

[#4]

Meme: Skeleton pictured sitting at office desk. Text reads: "A freelancer, still waiting to get paid".

 

[#5]

News update - RSS gone 14 weeks

Interesting thing about the idea some people had

that removing RSS would help clean up spam and dud posts:

SPAM in forums and Dud Job posts are worse then ever.

Still no equivalent feature for real-time job notifications to email.

Petition Save RSS feed function (Not Solved)

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/Petition-Save-RSS-feed-function-Not-Solved/m-p/1728067#M...

STOP THE SPAM AND DUD POSTS PLEASE UPWORK

Meme - Text reads: Spampagne

Photo: Actor in black-tie suit, smiling while holding up a champagne glass and a can of spam.

[#6]

Jokes, Satire, lighten mood and boost morale for Freelancers, Clients, marketplace, and Upwork Staff

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Coffee-Break/Jokes-Satire-lighten-mood-and-boost-morale-for-Freelanc...

Over at the Coffee Break Forum

Being a freelancer is like riding a roller coaster – lots of ups and downs, and occasionally you'll want to throw up.

MEME: Text reads: Me when the meeting invite email was longer than the meeting should've been an email

Photo: A frustrated lady biting a laptop.

[#7]

REMOTE WORK

Day 1: This will be fantastic. I get to stay inside and eat toast on a paper towel.

Day 8: Engages in conversation with a lamp.

MEME: Text reads: Me when the meeting invite email was longer than the meeting should've been an email

Photo: A frustrated lady biting a laptop.

[#8]

I've stoped paying for UW plus for over an year,  I've only paid for connects 2 times this year ($15 each time) that i still hold  - 160 connects available.

What i cannot do is refuse invites from previous clients or even refuse to reply to job offers from verified quality clients.

But i do sugest that all freelancers stop sending job proposals to unverified clients. To all freelancers make what's really needed and should be obvious: don't spend connects in spammers and always look for the clients history.

Quality freelancers will get the jobs from quality clients, and spammer clients will be grifted from grifting freelancers.

[#9]

Thanks Mark, agreed being super selective with connects use and job applications is a must.

[#10]

I agree, I think the best way we can stand against Upwork is by not wasting connects on these scam postings and unserious clients. That is just giving away your money to Upwork. I won't be using my connects on clients with a low hire rate or even new clients. If connect spending drops, they're be forced to return Upwork to what it use to be.

[#11]

Hi Cwamne, thanks I agree with you.

Freelancers and the staff that help run platforms deserve better rights and better protection. It's important we draw a line.

[#12]

I have been trying for years to get freelancers to stop applying to jobs they won't get or are scams. Most do not listen and believe throwing connects will get them jobs. If freelancers used vetting, and common sense, Upwork would not have all that lovely connect money.

After all this time, I know most will continue to throw connects.

[#13]

Definitely Jeanne I agree vetting is a crucial skill that should be more visable hightled and encouraged to new and unseasoned freelancers as a top skill that benifits the overall marketplace as well as job landing and delivering success rate.

[#14]

Most of them don't listen simply because most of them are newbies or "work" for some sort of "company" that allows for job spamming.

Listen Jeanne, here's my take: does of us that have been here since Elance or Odesk, have learned this by trial and error. We've tried to tell how it works. but some don't listen and some don't care.

Personaly i've came to believe that this is a lost cause... Some people only learn by beating their own heads against a wall until it bleads.

All of the rest, all with experience, all with proven work will get by.

Eventually the good clients will get back looking for the good freelancers, and the scammers and griffters will scam and grift themselfs. They deserve that. They're birds of the same feather...

[#15]

I can see where the £28 million profit comes from, we're putting money into a fruit machine and they're not paying out, I haven't had a job in ages and I've got 30 years experience. Only did right at the beginning.

[#16]

Using outworks these days, it's literally gambling.

[#17]

Yes it can really feel like that a lot of times, it doesn't seem right at all compared to how things used to run here.

[#18]

Hi Chris, thanks. A lot of Freelanceers in the community have been saying they feel the same way as you.

[#19]

A Message from Our CEO

Press Release - 23rd October 2024

President & CEO Hayden Brown sent the below message

Hi Team,

Today I am writing to share the difficult news that we will be combining and changing some teams in our organization, as well as reducing our full-time and hybrid workforce by 21%.

https://www.upwork.com/press/releases/a-message-from-our-ceo-oct2024

Upwork Announces Organizational Changes to Drive Continued Profitable Growth and Provides Preliminary Third Quarter 2024 Results Above Financial Guidance

Press release - October 23rd 2024

Approximately $60 million in annual cost savings advances Upwork toward 5-year profitability target 

Company expects to exceed revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance for third quarter 2024 results

"We are making ourselves a more streamlined and efficient organization, continuing our successful focus on durable, profitable growth and delivering value for our customers and shareholders,” said Hayden Brown, president and CEO, Upwork.

https://www.upwork.com/press/releases/upwork-announces-organizational-changes-and-provides-prelimina...

What does the work force and community make of this?

Source:

Upwork Newsroom

https://www.upwork.com/press

[#20]

Is this satire or are you acutally serious? I honestly can't tell. Will you be covering my bills with this proposal to not advertise in November?

I am the minority but we are KILLING IT on Upwork. Most of my proposals get viewed. Most of my proposals end up with interviews. 2/3rd end up booking. Our minimum is $600. In 10 months we've gone from no account to nearing in on Top Rated Plus. I've never boosted a single proposal. $40K+ in 9 months.

We do this full time.

So if you all want to not propose to jobs in Novemeber, by all means, please leave them to us.

[#21]

You're saying that you're bringing in $50k appx in your first year, and it's a group effort (multiple mouths to feed) and you live in the 5th most expensive state in the US?  This doesn't sound like the flex you think it is.  

With better management by UW C-suite, you could be doing much better on the platform (we all could, myself included).  I'd consider supporting this movement.  

[#22]

When he says "we", he is talking about his wife and kids who model for product and lifestyle photography and videography. He probably has an assistant as well.

It's a family endeavour like the two YouTube channels he manages.

I was curious about his growth here and checked out his profile and portfolio links.

And, I dont think minimising someone's success on the platform because it goes against collective experience is necessary, even when they seem to be ignoring/questioning the said experience.

[#23]

Hi Rekha, thanks,

"I don't think minimising someone's success on the platform because it goes against collective experience is necessary, even when they seem to be ignoring/questioning the said experience."

I agree with you. At times feelings run high in this forum and I think it's import not to assume to much about fellow freelancers. We don't all have to agree, that wouldn't make sense, but we should in my view try to keep an open mind and maintain a respectful and professional tone to each other.

[#24]

This doesn't sound like the flex you think it is.  

I agree it's not the right kind of flex for people in the US but still, Nick's experience here seems to be smooth, and it's intriguing. I remembered Nick's posts, he never have anything to complain about not getting jobs.

It's not about profile if you ask me, because people with the same level of profiles, both new and veterans, are having troubles as well.

Or maybe it’s just not yet the time for the algo to get its hands on Nick, or there will still be a handful of people who can experience normal-freelancing-marketplace here, etc.

[#25]

Yes, there will always be a select few who thrive when things are not going well for others. This goes for every industry, business, and job market.

I don't think he is lacking in money. He was a software engineer before being laid off. Not to mention he sold a couple of small successful businesses.

I think, it's a mix of things . His photography skills, accessibility, rates, and his own business experiences that helps him win clients over.

My point -- if we can't believe in or celebrate their "success", we shouldn't trivialise it.