Support forum missing and new profile feedback option

[#1]

Am I late to the party?

Has anyone noticed that the support forum is missing and replaced by a profile feedback option?

The resources page with helpful articles is also missing. No it has been relegated to the bottom of the page with other website links. 

[#2]

Interesting observation David, especially given Upwork states it's AI is trained on marketplace data.

[#3]

The freelancers do a great job of answering questions and helping freelancers and clients. We have more experience and knowledge than many of the moderators, through no fault of their own.

Upwork CEO/management wants to show a profit, so they continue to fire people. If the CEO's salary went to people who do their job, there would be no need to fire anyone, except the CEO and much of the bloated management.

You can research what an active community forum is worth to Upwork. It literally is giving them money. On the other hand, if freelancers don't help others, there is no accurate help.

[#4]

21% workforce reduction?

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/If-you-think-there-s-no-support-now-just-wait/m-p/171867...

[#5]

Seems like the layoffs have already been done.

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

[#6]

It's already happened. Two days ago, employees posted on this thread about being informed they were let go and their profiles were locked in 6 hours flat.

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

[#7]

Oh my! This is a Titanic move by Upwork. Iceberg right ahead.

Sincerest sympathy to all staff and families affected.

Upwork has gone way way beyond the beyond, and continously being very tight lipped on changes and obvious problems in the marketplace.

What was all that about transparency in the fall update, jeepers macaroni.

[#8]

The problem is the management is still firing people just to show a profit.

[#9]

Yeah it's pretty bad Jeanne. Not a good sign at all.

[#10]

I've started a tread related to this I'd love yee all to have a gander at:

"No-connect-vember: Solidarity with UW staff, struggling Freelancers, and Genuine Clients."

https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/No-connect-vember-Solidarity-with-UW-staff-struggling/m-...

[#11]

There is also LI.

[#12]

It's actually interesting to see the changes in this community don't you think? No mods, lots of unanswered questions, I'm really eager to see what it will become.

I don't mean it will be destroyed or anything, although that possibility exists.

So, if you're a stock player, would you buy UPWK now? 😗

I only invest in what’s most likely called "mutual funds" in English (the ones that are almost guaranteed to stick on the positive side). I don’t invest in stocks. But, I do understand (more or less) how stock people think, and I believe some of them might think like I do, that now might be the time to invest in Upwork.

[#13]

Investors might throw a little money at Upwork if current leadership is replaced and new leaders present a feasible plan of action.

I, however, would not buy Upwork stock--even with new leadership. I don't think the freelancing operations model is great for the long-term. I doubt Upwork would have ever turned a profit without the changes made since the pandemic—the same changes that have led to its decline.

[#14]

Hi Clark, I wrote earlier, maybe you've read it, or not, but I'll write it again so people reading can see where my idea was coming from.

What if Upwork really managed to "convert" into:

• Top provider of cheap & low level workers  for enterprises? Because high level / high access ones are not too interesting and risky if they're freelancers from abroad.
  
  
• While also a Connects Provider; "Perception of Opportunity" seller
  
  
• While also still running a little part of the regular "high quality freeelance marketplace". Some people are still working normally here I think.
  
  

Regular/usual freelancers who used to be happy here will no longer be happy, at least most of them, but the business itself will thrive, I guess.

Yes we're not talking about regular "freelancing operations model" here.

[#15]

Radia, so you think only cheap jobs will survive here? What these businesses don't know is if you offer 3 dollars per hour to get a bilingual assistant (for example), it is not going to happen, you can't get bilingual people that REALLY speak English at that salary, it's a fantasy all these people have. I'm telling you this because years ago I trained and installed a customer service team to take care of customers in the USA and Canada for a big semiconductor company in the USA, and with that salary, you can't get any employees.  Maybe for a cheap call center, but as far as I know those are not businesses anymore, they are being replaced with AI. 

My experience is that if you hire cheap, you get low-quality results. 

[#16]

There are some clients that do not care about the quality. I have spoken with clients who want a job done, but literally don't care about the result. I have seen this in virtually every category. Just because a client wants a translation, doesn't mean they want it professionally done, because they do know what they are paying for.

If you don't believe clients will hire cheap, with full knowledge of the garbage result, just look at a few websites. Or, often worse, self-published books. I have been told by clients that they wanted high-level content, but they truly didn't care if it was correct—just get it done now, so they have something, and cheap.

[#17]

Yes Jeanne, I've written a few times that this "market" exists where I've even knew a client in the US who's an "expert" in this.

When they post a  $10 job, someone with years of experience and perfect sample of previous works, but provided a $15 proposal, will most likely still be skipped. They specifically look to pay low, not for any kind of 'high quality work' even if it's just for $5 more.

And they also knew how to "deal with freelancers on freelance marketplaces". When you meet a client being so careful, so susipicous, or even being irrational, then actually, that might be one of the expert clients.

[#18]

@Miriam, not "only cheap jobs". The "normals" would still exists, see Nick H here, he's been here for a few months and only experience goodness as far as I can see.

Right now I can also name a few veterans who still aren't affected or don't complain.

[#19]

"What if Upwork really managed to "convert" into:

• Top provider of cheap & low level workers  for enterprises? Because high level / high access ones are not too interesting and risky if they're freelancers from abroad.
  
  
• While also a Connects Provider; "Perception of Opportunity" seller
  
  
• While also still running a little part of the regular "high quality freeelance marketplace". Some people are still working normally here I think."

All your suggestions have already been implemented by Upwork and not working very well.

What else ya got? 

[#20]

@Lisa I'm just providing my views.

It's not working very well from freelancers, clients, and fired employees POV.

Not from Hayden's, top management's, and probably some investor's POV.

We're mad, because we're the one who got gamed. But these could keep going on forever and it might be good for _the business_.

I said "might", I'm just providing my views, I'm no stock investor nor good in projecting future finances (I can't even see the brightness of my own financial future 😪).

[#21]

Upwork apparently can continue with cheap jobs, as long as there are employees to fire.

[#22]

I wouldn't buy Upwork stock, for many reasons, but not because freelancing is going away. There are more opportunities to freelance than ever before, but freelancing doesn't mean using a platform. There are some great platforms that will continue for many years. Upwork was destroyed by greedy, inept, and unskilled people, concerned with their bank accounts. No investor I know would touch such a steaming  pile.

[#23]

---

 wrote:

It's actually interesting to see the changes in this community don't you think? No mods, lots of unanswered questions, I'm really eager to see what it will become.

---

Hopefully, this will empower people to search more and read the many ressources available to find an answer instead of creating an account and posting on the Community forum or complain about the chatbot to get answers they can easily get themselves.

[#24]

I would like to think so, but from the posts, and my private messages, I predict even more posts.

[#25]

What's funny is, the Support forum still exists--Upwork simply removed links to it and the two or three remaining moderators and community managers no longer engage with users.

[#26]

They rarely engaged with those who needed support. 

In the past, I've posted a few times and never received a response.  It's not really their fault -- I think the mods hired by Upwork aren't really trained to know all the answers.