Don't quit your day job - Freelance Writer audiential Employee Review

Remote work option was great. My first supervisor was very helpful, but she quit. Then any pros disappeared.

New leadership is focused mostly on profit. They demanded I tear up my contract with them and sign a new one with 60% pay cut. I said no because I'm not stupid. :) That's when harrassment started. I hate calling it that, because it sounds so melodramatic. But I went from their best writer to their worst in 2 weeks for some really sketchy stuff. For example, they threatened to fire me because I hadn't followed directions on assignments. That was weird because I did. Next week, I took a screenshot of the directions at the start, then compared it to the same directions after submitting my work. They were changing assignments after I submitted work and punishing me for it. They apologized after I showed the screenshots, but still sketchy. Later, I talked to another writer hired around the same time as me. He said they were doing similar shenanigans with him, and that they demaned he take a pay cut as well. Sketchier and sketchier. A week before they fired me for not following directions (again), they posted my position online. Sure enough, they were paying 60% less. Avoid this company if you can. They might have changed in the past year, but how likely is that?

The work started out straightforward, although I definitely noticed what another reviewer mentioned about assignments changing in the system after I’d started or submitted finished product. My schedule was pretty flexible at first too but eventually that changed as well.

Assignments are poorly written and missing crucial details so writers are expected to spend extra, unpaid time emailing management for the correct information. Feedback is vague and not helpful. For example, one week I was one of their top writers and they even used my content as training examples for new writers. A few weeks later, my work wasn’t up to standards and I was being reprimanded even though nothing had really changed. I connected with a few more writers and this happened to them as well. It seems like they do this to eliminate current writers and bring on people they can pay less. Other red flags: lengthy passive aggressive emails meant to address one or two problematic workers, rather than provide direct feedback; we were told to plan better for emergencies and that illness or a family emergency was no excuse for being late with assignments; rude messages sent in the early morning hours; basically this place used to be compassionate and supportive but something shifted about a year ago(maybe due to the pandemic? Or personal issues) and things went downhill. Several talented, hardworking writers have left on bad terms during this time. If you’re considering taking a gig here, look elsewhere.