Freelance 101:
Chronicles for the Self-Employed

by Leanne Rollins, Membership Manager

Location, location, location

One of the best benefits of freelancing is the ability to work from home—in your pajamas. Why then, did I accept an onsite longterm contract? Apparently, I saw dollar signs.

The Counting Crows recently sang “you don’t know what you got till it’s gone” and who knew they would be so insightful? For months now, I’ve been completely spoiled—working in my pyjamas until noon, running at whatever time of day I chose, doing errands whenever needed. In other words, I work hard when I need to, but I also play hard in between. See, I told you I was spoiled. Problem is, I didn’t realize how spoiled until I accepted an onsite contract.

With clients from as far away as New York and Germany, I began to think that I would never accept onsite work. But then a really great four-month contract opportunity came my way, and it totally blurred my common sense. I thought the work would be really interesting (and it is), I’d have an office (with a door!), and I could come and go as needed to fulfill my taxi duty requirements. It all sounded great.

The guilt factor

The reality is somewhat different. I can’t work in my jammies; I have to compete with my husband each morning for the shower; and I actually have to DRIVE to work! Whew! Even though the client is very understanding about my need to come and go (taxiing kids to school each afternoon), I feel an extreme sense of guilt when I’m away from the office, which I never feel when I take an offsite contract. I guess I feel like a full-time employee, even though I am billing hourly. It’s nothing the client has imposed upon me – it’s my own work ethic making things difficult!

Negotiating the contract terms

So, this begs the question: if a client insists the work is performed onsite, can you negotiate the terms?

Here are a few ideas if you find yourself in this situation:

Increase your hourly rate

Working onsite at a client location limits your ability to search for other work, take on other work, and perform the administrative tasks necessary to run your business. In essence, you are a dedicated resource, and your fee structure should reflect this. I’ve learned to increase my hourly rate by 10-15% if the contract terms dictate onsite work.

I should note that some onsite work is required for any contract—I’m referring to the situation where 100% of the contract work is performed at the client location.
Question why!

There are some very good reasons for the client to insist upon onsite work:
- The subject matter is very sensitive or highly secretive. Some government projects fall into this category, but a high tech company releasing ground-breaking technology may also prefer onsite work.
- Access to software. If the software requires an operating system (OS) or a specialized box that you don’t have in your home office, and you cannot support it from your home office, you’re looking at onsite work. That said, research must be performed onsite, but you could still negotiate to perform the writing offsite.
- Access to information. If the project is brand-new with absolutely no specification, you’ll probably need to pull the information directly from Subject Matter Expert (SME) or Product Management brains. Access to people is a very good reason to perform research onsite. Again, try to negotiate your writing time offsite.
- Mentor other writers. Clients typically hire freelancers because they are experts in their field. A large portion of my current contract could be performed offsite, except for the management factor. A junior writer is in desperate need of some guidance, and all other senior writing resources at the company are dedicated heads-down to a very important project. My client prefers that I am physically available to this junior writer to provide any guidance required.
There are also some red-flag situations to watch out for:
- Comfort-level of the client. If you are the first contractor the client has hired, beware and be prepared. They may not trust that you will perform the work to quality level needed and in the timeframe required. Try to get a sense of the level of scrutiny you might fall under, and ask yourself if you can live with it. Will the client constantly check up on what you are doing (keeping in mind that the client has every right to do so – especially if you like getting paid)? You can be proactive. For example, you can provide weekly or even twice-weekly status reports or submit drafts more often than normal. If you get a sense that the client is simply not comfortable with a contract situation, it might be better to walk away and let someone else be the first guinea-pig contractor.
- No defined project scope. NEVER accept a contract if the scope is unclear. There will always be those little additional tasks that a client throws at you. (I typically end up doing logo design or web design for my small clients when they find out about my graphics skills), but if the contract does not clearly list the required documents you need to produce, don’t sign! You are likely to find yourself working onsite as the unofficial photocopier, editor, note-taker, and performer of any other duties that are required. That’s fine if you just want the money, but it’s horrible if you are onsite expecting to write documentation.
- The contract term is longer than six months. Freelancers love tax write-offs: home office, utilities, supplies, mileage, and the list goes on. But, the government will not be happy if you appear to be a dedicated employee for what they consider to be a long period of time. My husband, a tax accountant, advises me not to accept any contract that runs full-time for a period of more than six months. Less than full-time—say 25 to 30 hours a week that is dedicated to a particular client—is acceptable. Full-time—40 hours, onsite, for six months—is not. You’ll lose those taxable benefits!
Establish the hours

One of the major benefits of freelancing is the ability to choose your work hours. Why give this up if you can negotiate the hours? My current onsite hours are 8:15-3:15, with an hour for lunch (too bad I can’t bill for lunch!). I’m not a full-time employee, so I don’t work the full-time hours that an employee must work. Keep in mind that you do not get paid vacation, sick time, or benefits. Your rate should reflect this, but you should also ensure that the hours you need to be onsite reflect your individual needs.

Remember—everything is negotiable. Just take the time to negotiate with the client BEFORE you sign anything. Be frank and clear about your needs. If you are the right contractor for the job, and you provide superlative references, the client will agree to almost anything!

Once again, let me know if there is any topic in particular you’d like to me to cover next month. Email me at leanne@leannerollins.com with your input.

About Leanne Rollins

Leanne recently became a self-employed contractor, escaping management roles for the first time in years. This newfound freedom has allowed Leanne to take on extra-curricular activities such as a more active role in the STC. When not writing or playing with her kids, Leanne enjoys running and soccer.