What is "Auto Check-ins"?

RAFSUN S · ‎09-12-2020

I have seen this for the first time.

Today I had contracted with a new client and the contract is a fixed price contract. After accepting the offer, I can see this notice in my message. Would be helpful, if an expert could share a little more details about this "Auto Check-ins" in the fixed price contract. Thanks in advance.

Virginia F · ‎09-12-2020

Rafsun S wrote:
I have seen this for the first time.
Today I had contracted with a new client and the contract is a fixed price contract. After accepting the offer, I can see this notice in my message. Would be helpful, if an expert could share a little more details about this "Auto Check-ins" in the fixed price contract. Thanks in advance.

OMG. What will you work on next week? Really? Well I guess we'll all have to get out our crystal balls and shine them up, in order to see into the future.

Ramy H · ‎12-15-2020

@Virginia F OMG! This made me laugh out loud. hahahaha. You made my day! I've just started a new contract and the client has sent me that so I wanted to look it up and your comment is my first lol

Thank you!

Wes C · ‎09-12-2020

Oh, please, no, Upwork. We do not need robot babysitters. We're perfectly capable of communicating appropriate status to our clients on our own. This is absurd.

Christine A · ‎09-12-2020

Seriously? I'm quite capable of communicating with my clients without any prompting - I don't need or want a babysitter.

Phyllis G · ‎09-12-2020

Oh, H E double-toothpicks, no!

Valeria K · ‎09-12-2020

Hi All,

Auto Check-ins is a feature we're testing. While I won't be able to share a lot of details about the test while it's ongoing, it'd like to confirm that this is something some clients can turn on or choose not to. It is not enabled automatically. If turned on by the client, freelancers will get e-mails and messages like the one Rafsun shared. I appreciate your feedback and will be glad to pass your comments on to the team.

~ Valeria

Christine A · ‎09-12-2020

Valeria K wrote:
Hi All,

Auto Check-ins is a feature we're testing. While I won't be able to share a lot of details about the test while it's ongoing, it'd like to confirm that this is something some clients can turn on or choose not to. It is not enabled automatically. If turned on by the client, freelancers will get e-mails and messages like the one Rafsun shared. I appreciate your feedback and will be glad to pass your comments on to the team.

This doesn't make any sense. If a client wants to know the status of their project, why not just ask the freelancer? This degree of hand-holding is ridiculous.

I'm sure that some clients do complain that their freelancer is unresponsive or missing deadlines or whatever, and Upwork is trying to address this. But I don't think that sending email prompts will suddenly make unprofessional freelancers behave more professionally.

John K · ‎09-12-2020

Rafsun and anyone else testing this, feel free to use these answers.

Requested tasks.
Requested tasks.
Equipment, bodily, or societal malfunction

__________________________________________________
"No good deed goes unpunished." -- Clare Boothe Luce

Tonya P · ‎09-12-2020

Christine A wrote:
Valeria K wrote:
Hi All,

Auto Check-ins is a feature we're testing. While I won't be able to share a lot of details about the test while it's ongoing, it'd like to confirm that this is something some clients can turn on or choose not to. It is not enabled automatically. If turned on by the client, freelancers will get e-mails and messages like the one Rafsun shared. I appreciate your feedback and will be glad to pass your comments on to the team.
This doesn't make any sense. If a client wants to know the status of their project, why not just ask the freelancer? This degree of hand-holding is ridiculous.

I'm sure that some clients do complain that their freelancer is unresponsive or missing deadlines or whatever, and Upwork is trying to address this. But I don't think that sending email prompts will suddenly make unprofessional freelancers behave more professionally.

Lots of task management apps automate these types of processes. Team members might be prompted to add a text each week or one person's assignment is triggered when another marks their complete. This is another example of Upwork trying to be everything to everyone to prevent them from using their existing, much better solutions. And, as usual, Upwork got it wrong. Someone in Product must spend all day looking at the landing page of other people's apps and telling their developers "Make us this!"

Petra R · ‎09-12-2020

Valeria K wrote:
I appreciate your feedback and will be glad to pass your comments on to the team.

No. Just No.

No No No No No No No!

I would likely fire any client who uses it.

Tonya P · ‎09-12-2020

Petra R wrote:
Valeria K wrote:
I appreciate your feedback and will be glad to pass your comments on to the team.
No. Just No.
No No No No No No No!

I would likely fire any client who uses it.

Same. I might give them one chance to turn the thing off. Even if I weren't offended by the concept, it's a fixed-price contract--this adds an extra task that wasn't negotiated.

Andrea T · ‎10-02-2020

Exactly! We have milestones after all, and even if we don't, all requirements are communicated up front. If I need to deliver a first version of a logo by Monday, my client knows on what I work and will be working. Either way, it's a bit offensive and makes no sense.

Tonya P · ‎09-12-2020

Valeria K wrote:
Hi All,

Auto Check-ins is a feature we're testing. While I won't be able to share a lot of details about the test while it's ongoing, it'd like to confirm that this is something some clients can turn on or choose not to. It is not enabled automatically. If turned on by the client, freelancers will get e-mails and messages like the one Rafsun shared. I appreciate your feedback and will be glad to pass your comments on to the team.

Did y'all run this by corporate counsel? It may be fine for the client to automate the sending of a series of questions to their freelancer, but I'd take that "we" language out right away. Is Upwork now a co-employer?

RAFSUN S · ‎09-13-2020

Hi Valeria,

Sounds like a ridiculous Friday is coming!

This is the first time, the client is hiring someone. Yes, he enabled this "Auto Check-Ins" option.

He just contacted me for the first time in Upwork yesterday. So what is "What did you work on this week?"

The task should be finished within tomorrow. I am not getting what does it mean by "What will you work on next week?"

There is no chance to delay if I am alive.

We can discuss everything in the messages

What this program actually is? Who will be benefited? What is your purpose actually?

Phyllis G · ‎09-13-2020

An individual or organization that pays half my FICA, contributes to the cost of my health insurance coverage and keeps my W-2 on file is entitled to ask me those questions. To anybody else, including clients who have contracted me on a freelance basis, my answer is, "None of your beeswax." And frankly, I can't imagine it would ever occur to my clients to ask unless UW creates a default mechanism they have to opt out of, or even an opt-in that creates th impression it's something they should do.

So, one more thing to remember to discuss with new clients when contracting for the first time, to be sure they have appropriate expectations about how we will work together. It's becoming increasingly tricky (not to mention aggravating) to orient new clients to the ways of UW while not making UW sound like the Keystone Kops of freelance platforms.

Valeria K · ‎09-16-2020

Valeria K wrote:

Hi All,

Auto Check-ins is a feature we're testing. While I won't be able to share a lot of details about the test while it's ongoing, it'd like to confirm that this is something some clients can turn on or choose not to. It is not enabled automatically. If turned on by the client, freelancers will get e-mails and messages like the one Rafsun shared. I appreciate your feedback and will be glad to pass your comments on to the team.

What is wrong with this company? The last six months have been **Edited for Community Guidelines**.

Virginia F · ‎09-16-2020

Steven E. L wrote:
Valeria K wrote:
Hi All,

Auto Check-ins is a feature we're testing. While I won't be able to share a lot of details about the test while it's ongoing, it'd like to confirm that this is something some clients can turn on or choose not to. It is not enabled automatically. If turned on by the client, freelancers will get e-mails and messages like the one Rafsun shared. I appreciate your feedback and will be glad to pass your comments on to the team.
What is wrong with this company? The last six months have been **Edited for Community Guidelines**.

Wholeheartedly agree. (I see what you wrote/was edited in my email).

Sonia K · ‎09-18-2020

How can the client switch off if it is set by him? Please, share the steps.

Valeria K · ‎09-18-2020

Hi Sonia,

The client can manage and disable Auto Check-Ins via a link that shows right at the top in the Messages for the contract as seen on this screenshot. Alternatively, they can update it in the Contract room under Terms & Settings like this. In both cases they'll also see pop ups with more information about this option. Feel free to discuss with your client if you'd like it turned off.

~ Valeria

Jennifer M · ‎09-18-2020

Maybe I missed this but what happens if you just ignore these questions?

Lena E · ‎09-18-2020

Hi Jennifer, if you're asking if anything happens to your account or stats, then the answer is "no." But your client may, however, follow up with you if they would still like to receive answers to those questions.

The rationale behind this is for better communication. These prompts help to facilitate that, and are turned on by the client. If you decide not to respond that's on you, but if the client is expressing the need for more communication it would be in your benefit to either respond to the questions (which should only take a minute) or talk to your client about the questions/updates/expectations. As Valeria mentioned, this is easily turned on, and easily turned off. It is to be used as an added functionality and it may not be useful for some of you. Maybe you already set expectations and update your clients on a regular basis. If that's the case, and they have enabled it, discuss it with them. Understand that your expectations and how you communicate are not the same as every other person on Upwork, a feature beneficial for one, may not be beneficial for you. The bottom line is simply to talk to your clients.

Douglas Michael M · ‎09-18-2020

Lena E wrote:
The bottom line is simply to talk to your clients.

Thanks, Lena, for the endorsement to our objections.

Steve L · ‎09-18-2020

Lena E wrote:
The rationale behind this is for better communication. These prompts help to facilitate that ...

No. They do not. They are embarrassing, intrusive, rude, juvenile, and unprofessional.

I backpack, hike, and rock climb in my spare time. Normally, I'm only breathless on the way up to a summit. I've never been so breathlessly stunned going downhill as with the last six months being forced to tolerate Upwork's silly, misguided attempts at running a business.

Petra R · ‎09-18-2020

Lena E wrote:
The rationale behind this is for better communication. These prompts help to facilitate that,.

No. They do not "help"

I will fire any client on the spot who enables this and doesn't switch it off when asked.

Lena E wrote:
Understand that your expectations and how you communicate are not the same as every other person on Upwork

Whhhhoooooaaaaa. Now hang on a minute please. Nobody said anything of the sort.

But doesn't the fact that everyone who commented is absolutely horrified by this give you guys any pause for thought?

We're the ones actually working on Upwork as freelancers day-in-day-out.

So why are you dismissing our opinion in such a (sorry) quite heavy.handed way as the above?