OPEN LETTER to Upworks CEOs

sebadraw · ‎09-17-2019

Upwork helped me create a wonderful freelancer career while traveling around the world. I can't thank the company enough.

Sadly recent updates are NOT working for freelancers. Specially on the Creative&Design areas. If you read the forums you'll find only discouraged and scared people looking for alternatives since they can not longer get enough jobs when months before they were doing just fine. Now we are spending our own money in desperate attempts of getting a new projects where the site will still take %20 of the profit.

I hope this issue is of the companies knowledge and you guys are doing everything in your power to stand by your original values and work ethic.

I owe a lot to this company and I am truly heartbroken on how it seems to be turning agains the people that helped create it in a greedy search for profit.

I hope this reaches the right person and somehow makes a difference.

Sincerely

Sebastian.

sebadraw · ‎09-17-2019

As most creative freelancers here I have seen my income though this website severely redused since the last updates.

My theory is that is more redituable for Upwork to charge thousands of freelancers for connects than to take the %20 commision on their projects. Probably some guy in a suit realized this and now we are all being milked to make them a bit more money. I am already looking for alternatives outide this site. It would be nice to find a way around this but I can´t thing of any.
Any good freelancer sites to recommend? I would hate to start again somewere else but I dont see any other choise.

luce-neidert · ‎09-17-2019

The other platform I use is not that good - and it doesn't have a forum! The forum being what I really enjoy about Upwork.

sebadraw · ‎09-17-2019

Glad you stil enjoy it Luce

I enjoy getting work 😛 Sadly is not happening any more.

petra_r · ‎09-17-2019

Cold, hard fact: There are way too many freelancers on Upwork.

Losing a quarter, if not conswiderably more, is not an issue for the platform, in fact it is likely part of the purpose.

Less freelancers means more work for those left, so those who dig in their heels and weather the storm will benefit in the long term.

The Germans call this "Gesundschrumpfen" - to shrink to get healthier.

It had to happen, and short of simply closing down the accounts of the bottom third of freelancers based on JSS this is one method to reduce the excess.

Sebastian C wrote:
Hi Rene.
Upwork has twelve million registered freelancers...

Of the 12 Million, over 11 Million opened an account and never earned a Cent.

The number of freelancers who earned any money last year was well under 400 k

Sebastian C wrote:
Hi Rene.
Upwork has twelve million registered freelancers...
Two months ago they start charging them. I already payed USD$30 this month for Connects.
Dosn´t it looks profitable to you?

A significant percentage of those less-than-400k freelancers will spend no or negligible money on Connects.

dataextract · ‎09-17-2019

Distance lends enchantment to the view

versailles · ‎09-17-2019

Sebastian C wrote:
As most creative freelancers here I have seen my income though this website severely redused since the last updates.
My theory is that is more redituable for Upwork to charge thousands of freelancers for connects than to take the %20 commision on their projects.

Sure. Earning 90 cents from 6 connects is better than 20% from a paid project. This community needs more of your theories.

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"Where darkness shines like dazzling light" —William Ashbless

sebadraw · ‎09-17-2019

Hi Rene.
Upwork has twelve million registered freelancers...
Two months ago they start charging them. I already payed USD$30 this month for Connects.

Dosn´t it looks profitable to you?

versailles · ‎09-17-2019

Sebastian C wrote:
I already payed USD$30 this month for Connects.

I paid more that that in fees.

You won't help Upwork by earning them $30 per month. You need to earn them way more and the only way to do this is to bill clients. You need to buy less connects and win more jobs.

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"Where darkness shines like dazzling light" —William Ashbless

hoyle_editing · ‎09-17-2019

I actually think there is a valid point.....

Sure, on a higher paying job the money made from connects probably fades into insignificance compared to the project fees.

However,

There are thousands (or even 10's of thousands?)that are either low paid (not earning upwork much in fees) or reasonably paid that get 20 or even 50+ proposals and often never end up hiring anyone - and even if they do, the cost of connects from all those freelancers IS going to be a significant revenue for Upwork.

I'm not actually against the paid system, though i do think it has some issues that should be sorted. But if you think Upwork are not gaining anything considerable from the extra revenue then i think you are somewhat dilusional!

petra_r · ‎09-17-2019

Jonathan H wrote:

Sure, on a higher paying job the money made from connects probably fades into insignificance compared to the project fees.

However,

There are thousands (or even 10's of thousands?)that are either low paid (not earning upwork much in fees)

... and those are the contracts Upwork would rather not have.

Jonathan H wrote:
But if you think Upwork are not gaining anything considerable from the extra revenue then i think you are somewhat dilusional!

We'll see in the next filing, won't we? The earnings from paid connects will be in there.

hoyle_editing · ‎09-17-2019

Petra R wrote:
... and those are the contracts Upwork would rather not have.

Well, you say that - but if its really the contracts they dont want all they have to do is put a minimum job price for clients.

Also, it still doesnt change the fact that there are gawd knows how many unhired jobs that all have a significant number of connects earning Upwork money - (good business for them i must say, all those wasted jobs Upwork earned nothing from before, now they earn from every single one if it has had proposals submitted)

Petra R wrote:
We'll see in the next filing, won't we? The earnings from paid connects will be in there.

I guess so, when and where can that be seen?

versailles · ‎09-17-2019

Jonathan H wrote:
Petra R wrote:
We'll see in the next filing, won't we? The earnings from paid connects will be in there.
I guess so, when and where can that be seen?

https://investors.upwork.com/

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"Where darkness shines like dazzling light" —William Ashbless

datasciencewonk · ‎09-17-2019

Rene K wrote:
Jonathan H wrote:
Petra R wrote:
We'll see in the next filing, won't we? The earnings from paid connects will be in there.
I guess so, when and where can that be seen?

https://investors.upwork.com/

I always get a chuckle out of the non-GAAP reportings.

sebadraw · ‎09-18-2019

Exactly.

There are 12 million freelancers in Upwork.. all of them paying now to apply. I guess this is Upwork trying to survive after their massive drop on the stock market.

But what do I know.. I am just tired of this new system and scared because my income halfed in the last months.

petra_r · ‎09-18-2019

Sebastian C wrote:
Exactly.
There are 12 million freelancers in Upwork.. all of them paying now to apply.

Complete nonsense.

There ~~are~~ may be 12 million profiles, most dead, abandoned, never used, last used years ago.

Last year, well under 400 k freelancers made any money and many of those likely never buy a single connect.

sebadraw · ‎09-18-2019

"You need to buy less connects and win more jobs."

Easyer said than done. I was earning USD$500+ montly through this website and since the last updates I bearly got jobs in the last months.

I am just tired and frustrated. But well, may be is time to move on to something else.

versailles · ‎09-18-2019

Sebastian C wrote:
"You need to buy less connects and win more jobs."
Easyer said than done. I was earning USD$500+ montly through this website and since the last updates I bearly got jobs in the last months.

I feel you, it sucks big deal. But I think it's the new paid plans for clients that are hurting many because invites are becoming very rare and many clients may have left.

Also, what the paid connects might do is that now each job post receives less junk and more good fits. Which is good for the clients, but people who used to stand out before may not stand out anymore. IDK.

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"Where darkness shines like dazzling light" —William Ashbless

hoyle_editing · ‎09-18-2019

Yes, i think thats an interesting point!

If that is the case then maybe in time it will encourage clients back to the platform if they can see they are getting professional responses to posted jobs!

dataextract · ‎09-17-2019

I really dont understand your point.

20% commission is there from June 2016 onwards I think.

If you are not getting jobs here because of Upwork's new connects charging policy, then wondering how it affects the clients to award the projects?

hoyle_editing · ‎09-17-2019

In my short time here i have found the changes to be a bit up and down, but overall i think its certainly made things harder and as such i have ventured onto other platforms to try and diversify my job aquisition. However, i dont really find the alternatives as user friendly as upwork and dont really like using them.

Upwork has a lot of great things going for it, but also alot of things pulling it back. I will continue to try my best to pursue a rewarding career on upwork but will not 'have all my eggs in one basket' anymore so use the other alternatives when i feel i need to - which is probably a good way to be (even if i dont like the alternatives)

kochubei_valeria · ‎09-17-2019

Hi Sebastian,

Thanks for your feedback and sorry to hear you've been experiencing a slow down with getting jobs. I would like to share this video where our Head of Product explains why we made changes to our Connects system. Feel free to also review announcement threads here and here where we received various feedback from users. Please, also note that I merged your posts about the same topic into one thread.

~ Valeria

mtngigi · ‎09-17-2019

Hayden's video doesn't explain anything. Paid connects don't make anyone stand out if their bid comes in behind 20 unqualified FLs, nor does it ensure *fewer proposals. Between 1 and 6 connects … really? Where does she get that intel from? I have never seen a 1-connect job.

*I've seen no evidence of this. If fact clients complain (still) about being inundated with bids, both on the site and by clueless freelancers bugging them off-site. Does Upwork get rid of those unproffessionals? Get rid of the robo-bidders, get rid of the riff-raff, step up the approval process and stop letting everyone and anyone on the platform.

Why are some so obvious fixes never considered? Up the minimum budget to something that doesn't sound like it comes from F__ver, and I bet we'll see a better class of clients willing to hire. What is the point of allowing $5 jobs? Clients who file refund requests for a measly $10 (without embarrassment) … who needs that? Clients who are looking for experts but don't want to pay for expertise. A simple change to the minimum budget could/would probably do, wonders. Not only are those clients cheap, they are invariably the most demanding and difficult clients to work with. Upwork, you have a lot of great freelancers, how about doing something to improve and build the client pool?

The invite restrictions, making clients pay for what you used to give them for free ... do what you will with us hapless freelancers, but please stop making clients jump through hoops that were never there before. Allowing only three invites - who thought that was a good idea?

ETA: I realize my rant may be a bit off-topic ... clicking on Valeria's link to that video triggered it. Apologies.

wendy_writes · ‎09-17-2019

Virginia, you just ranted for me as well.

"The invite restrictions, making clients pay for what you used to give them for free ... do what you will with us hapless freelancers, but please stop making clients jump through hoops that were never there before. Allowing only three invites - who thought that was a good idea?"

THANK YOU!

chasb · ‎09-18-2019

Freelancers are not being hired these last months because quality clients with reasonable budgets have walked off the platform.

Expecting a minimum $50/month to enjoy the basic features previously free of charge was understandably an excess too far for them.

chasb · ‎09-18-2019

And incidentally, the real answers behind the new policies and also future direction can be found online using "Upwork Q2 Earnings Call" - essential reading if you're concerned, and about a 15-minute read.

purplepony · ‎09-18-2019

IMO:

Is Upwork perfect? No, not just no but H _ _ _ no!

Is Upwork the best platform of it's type? Yes!