What do freelancers really want from freelancing?
Lets not over-complicate things, shall we?
What do freelancers want from freelancing?
A job they can be proud of
Work that works with, not against, their other responsibilities in life (e.g. kids, health, disability, study, mental health management, etc)
Not to be stuck commuting all day, every day.
Safety from bullying, exclusion, racism, sexism, ageism, ableism, homophobia, etc
To work with people who are there for the good of the project
No more presenteeism
Fulfilment from the work
The chance to prove themselves and/or challenge themselves
Positive leadership and professional growth experiences
Proper respect for their efforts (financial or otherwise)
A smarter, more efficient way of working
Appropriate remuneration
Variety
Autonomy and trust
To give their all and have it mean something
Opportunities
Less time wasted on office politics
Feeling energised by productivity and proactivity
The question isn’t really why do freelancers freelance. The question is what is happening inside workplaces to make freelancing so damn appealing?
Image: What do freelancers really want from freelancing?
For me, every advantage of freelancing cast some kind of shadow. For example, I was free to manage my own time, but I never quite felt like my time was mine. I was my own boss, but I had to knuckle under the wants and wills of more types of bosses at once (each client). There was heaps of variety, but I wanted to say no to about 60% of the work I did (but I couldn't $$).
So in the end, what did I really want? All the things I got and none of them!