Most professionals wait one to two weeks to receive regular paychecks. In self employment, the wait may be much longer...even infinite. Are you working for free?
The risk of self employment never changes, and for some it proves strong enough to prevent being self employed: working for free. This actually happens all the time to professionals who work for themselves, and sometimes it become unavoidable. Working for free may not be ideal, but it is an issue that comes with being self employed.
The Risk of Self Employment
Before committing to a contract, many clients and employers may want to see samples of work. They may even want completely new materials and projects - work which will not be compensated, of course. Working for free to get a gig is a risk of self employment, but the problem actually goes much deeper than professionals who must prove themselves to land a job. Sometimes, the self employed end up working for free when they never intended to do so. The real risk of self employment is simply not getting paid for work that should be compensated…and it does happen even to the best.
Working for Free
A work at home, self employed professional responds to an ad for employment in their chosen field. The employer replies and begins to offer work. The self employed professional completes this work on time and to a high degree of quality - the employer loves the materials! The work gets used and displayed publicly, perhaps on a Web site or through some other medium.
But then, no check arrives in the mail (virtual or otherwise). No compensation comes forth. The professional attempts to contact the employer - to no avail. This is what happens to those who are victims of working for free…and sometimes, there’s absolutely no way to prevent this horror story. The work gets done but remains unpaid, and often the only choice is to write off that employer and remember to never, ever do work for them again.
An Ounce of Prevention
Is there a way to avoid working for free, to minimize the risk of self employment? Talk to other self employed professionals in the same field. Though those who work at home are often a solitary lot, sharing information about shady employers is beneficial to all. Make use of Web site discussion boards and forums geared to self employed professionals, and sound out a warning when coming across an employer who doesn’t come through.
Some may choose to bring legal action against those who refuse to offer compensation, but in many cases the legal fees and personal cost will amount to much more than the amount owed. In principle, some self employed professionals may opt for this route even at their own expense. While this may create a pleasant feeling of justice, it does little to help prevent a similar happening in the future. Remember to spread the word about employers who don’t pay. It’s a good idea to go back to Web sites where their ads are posted and flag these entries, or add comments so that others can be aware of how this employer does business.
Sometimes, there is no way to avoid working for free. By working together, self employed professionals can make it much harder for these employers to find the help they need without offering the compensation they owe.
