In the new year, we’re reevaluating our goals, creating new ones, and focusing our efforts towards what really matters. WorkGenius is all about the future of the digital workforce and that stems from talented freelancers, who we call our Geniuses. So this year we’re starting an honest conversation and we’re getting real. In this series, we’re going to share with you the truth about freelancing, how to keep up in a dynamic gig economy, and why remote work will disrupt the industry.

For today’s topic, we want to dig into the sentiment behind freelancing. Is it as revolutionary as it sounds? We asked our diverse group of Geniuses to shed some light on their experience with freelancing- the good, the bad, and the ugly. Here are the pros and cons of freelancing broken down.

The pros

Flexibility in work schedule: You’ve just been promoted as your own boss. What’s great about freelancing, is your ability to create your own schedule and choose your own hours. One of our Geniuses, Gene V says he enjoys freelancing because he has the flexibility to work during off-peak hours, like nights and weekends. In fact, it’s one of the most attractive perks for Millennials in the workforce. According to Deloitte, although good pay draws in a younger generation of workers, flexibility is an important element to keep them happy. Happy employees mean less turnover and more retention.

“It’s nice to work from anywhere! I completed projects for WorkGenius while I lived in the UK, and I’ve also done big translation projects from Helsinki and Ljubljana. That’s why I like being a freelancer!”
-Verónica Manzanares Alberola

Remote work: If you could work anywhere where would you go? Your favorite coffee shop? Go ahead. Your comfy bed? We’re jealous but sure. University dorm? Power to you. With freelancing, you have the luxury to work in any location which gives you more time to focus on your work. Believe it or not, remote work can actually boost productivity levels, drive efficiency, decrease stress and increase motivation. When you don’t have to worry about catching an hour train to work, sitting in an uncomfortable chair for 8+ hours, or office distractions, it makes work enjoyable.

Curate Work to your Interests: Whether it’s content creation, graphic design, translation, or writing, you can customize the projects you take on to your liking. In a traditional job, you may find yourself stuck working on a project you dislike because your interests weren’t valued. You’ll never have to worry about that with freelancing. You have the power to decide for yourself what projects are worth your time and choose those that look interesting to you. Our Genius, Daphne who is a writer says, “it’s especially rewarding to create work you’re proud of and might even enjoy reading.”

Huge Earning Potential: Forget the days of semi-monthly checks and payroll problems. With freelancing, you get paid almost immediately for finished projects. There’s also an incredible opportunity to tap into revenue when you’re working on multiple projects or supplementing your full-time job with freelancing.

Notable Mention-Turning the Gender Gap Upside Down: Let’s not forget the flexibility that freelancing provides to women! Freelance females that have families can focus on their careers without the stress of a disadvantaged income. Our platform consists of 58% female freelancers that make 1.3x as much as men. There’s never any work discrimination so you’ll only ever be judged on performance and not your appearance, ethnicity, gender, or age.

The cons

hat is freedom worth to you?

Always looking for the next gig: Being your own boss isn’t always the best job in the world. Freelancers are always looking for their next gig and it becomes problematic when they can’t find a job and it begins to impact their quality of life. If you’re a freelancer, you have to be proactive in your hunt for projects and new clients to build a relationship with. That is an enormous amount of responsibility but not impossible to tackle. Genius Verónica says, “if you are willing to grow as a professional and discover new opportunities, you should give it a try! Rome wasn’t built in one day, but if you stay in your comfort zone, you will never progress.”

Lack of consistency: When everything is always changing around them, freelancers may struggle with stability in their work lives. Hours are almost never like a standard 9-5 job, rates vary from job to job, and working for an array of clients can lead to different standards. While some people find constant change stressful, others actually find themselves thriving and in control. Our Genius, Christine says, “As a creative, even when I’m very organized I get frustrated to work in a rigid schedule. I can easily work for 14+ hours in a row, but love to have control of my agenda.”

Lack of Benefits: Without a doubt, if you’re working freelance full time, the lack of company sponsored benefits is a negative. While some countries offer universal health care, the United States is unfortunately not one of them. Benefits like health care, retirement plans, paid time off, and other perks are not luxuries that freelancers often have. However, there has been a recent push in the freelance industry to find solutions for this and organizations like the Freelancers Union have stepped up to help out. WorkGenius also recently opened up a benefits marketplace that’s in its beginning stages for our Geniuses.

Isolation from Company: Some freelancers might feel disconnected from a company when they’re working remotely and may even desire to work with others on a team. Human connection is important for morale and when you don’t have that it can be hard to stay motivated. That disconnect can also become an issue when there’s a lack of understanding or communication between a client and a freelancer. Daphne says, “Freelancing could become a better experience for me and others if expectations and communication are clear from the get-go. Freelancers and clients should know what they need from each other, and how much time they have to work on a project. So much of freelance work is remote, it’s important to be transparent.”

“We attract the best freelance talents out there because we protect them from discrimination and we effectively increase their hourly rate by decreasing their administration overhead which can count up to 30% of a freelancer’s time.”
-Founder and CEO; Marlon Litz-Rosenzweig

Our solution:

The leap to freelancing can be a scary one if you’re looking to become one full time. Leaving the safety blanket of a typical 9-5 job means you’re taking full command of your career and that can be overwhelming. At WorkGenius we’ve created a solution to not only alleviate the constraints of traditional staffing but make freelancing as effortless as possible. Instead of worrying about your next gig and source of income, we provide you with all the resources you need to reach your goals. Our AI automatically matches the right freelancer with a project in minutes, saving freelancers valuable time that would otherwise be spent on finding projects, writing proposals, and negotiating contracts. We take care of all of that for you.

With the considerable amount of projects available and the efficiency our platform drives, our Geniuses are able to make more money and expend fewer resources to do so. Also know, that you’re never alone in this. Our Geniuses are part of an expert team made up of hundreds of freelancers that collectively work together to produce meaningful work for our clients. We even make sure you have the option to reach out to the client if you have any questions or need to request an extension.

Freelancing is the future of a digital workforce and we hope you’ll join us. Sign up here: www.workgenius.com