#quitmyjob was trending everywhere. The Great Resignation was hitting the job market — a record 4.4 million people quit in September 2021 alone, following 4.3 million in August. Not encouraging news for organisations reopening after a prolonged period of hybrid work.
Over the past 18 months of the pandemic, the workplace dynamic has changed. Initially grateful for having a job through the pandemic, being stuck at home has forced people to reevaluate their priorities and values, while also realizing the benefits of flexible working life. What was once a luxury in the busy office life has now become daily life – family, workouts, newly acquired hobbies (cooking, painting, gardening, etc). When it is time to go back to the office routine (which in an Asian context, is NEVER a 9-to-5), many chose the obvious option of quitting. And many did so, without a backup plan.
This time it’s not about the money, or the next appraisal and the next promotion. It’s about reclaiming the self and one’s identity that has been consumed by work identity.
Over 18 months of the pandemic, stuck at home, people had been forced to reevaluate their priorities. What was once a luxury — family time, flexible hours, newly acquired hobbies — had become daily life. When it was time to return to the office routine, many chose the obvious option. They quit. Many did so without a backup plan.
This time it wasn’t about money or the next promotion. It was about reclaiming an identity that work had consumed.
“One of the worst things about working in a corporation is the sense that they feel they own you. They would rather own something unproductive than have something productive they can’t control.”
Creative agencies were struggling to retain people and struggling to hire new ones. The younger generation increasingly preferred to do their own thing over being employed at a junior level — “doing meaningless social media posts, or becoming operators for people up the chain.”
Welcome to the gig economy.
Running a creative business with zero full-time employment — relying entirely on collaborators and other studios — is more possible than most people assume. But it requires being selective. Bad freelancer experiences are common. The instinct is to hire full-time to get control. But control isn’t really what’s missing. Alignment is.
I generally avoid three types of freelancers.
Box Tickers. Those who open the first conversation by wanting to define scope and money. While time and money matter, I’m concerned that the person isn’t first interested in the problem we’re trying to solve — together. They’ll be on a mission to tick boxes and complete the pre-defined job, without asking whether there are better ways to achieve the same objectives.
Approval Seekers. Those who want constant feedback, decisions, and approvals at every step. “This version or that version? #C0C0C0 or #C1C1C1? Semibold or italics?” This becomes a burden. I’m not hiring a full-time junior who dumps every decision at the boss. I’m engaging someone to work with me to solve a client’s problem — together.
Defensive Egos. Those who know it all and assume clients are always wrong. Or those with the artistic temperament — jumping straight into execution, expecting the output to be accepted as is, leaving no room for discussion. I prefer people who organise a project into milestones — where ideas can be debated and refined, joint decisions made before moving to the next phase. Good arguments to make better work — together.
Notice the word “together”? It’s a collaboration. A process of finding the best ways to work. Not client vs supplier. Not me vs you.
Edward Ong put it well:
“A freelancer is technically a business owner.”
A freelancer is technically a business owner.”
When a freelancer behaves like a business entity, many of the common problems disappear. The one-off Uber driver might annoy you by constantly asking for directions despite having GPS, or become defensive when you comment on his driving. But Uber — the business entity — is not supposed to represent that.
I use Uber hoping every driver represents what Uber stands for. The same goes for every freelancer I engage.
#quitmyjob on Instagram, and on Twitter.
Agony and Ecstasy in the Gig Economy: Cultivating Holding Environments for Precarious and Personalized Work Identities. Study by SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University.
Who Is Driving the Great Resignation? – Harvard Business Review
Thriving in the Gig Economy – Harvard Business Review
Written with inputs from Kavan Antani, and Anushka Sani. Thanks.
