by Rachel Smith
29 July 2015
Is there anywhere confidential one can report on an employer who is less than ideal, so other folks get a heads up not to work with them, or to be forewarned at least? I’m coming out of situation where I’ve been paid way under award wage ($25/hour) and an expectation that I’ll work 3 hours for every paid one ‘for the cause’. There’s also no adherence to the Code of Ethics at all and a terrible management style. A bad gig can be hard to turn down or let go of if the alternative is NO gig… but letting others know what they might be in for is also important if it can be done without the bad editor knowing who’s spoken up. Anon
As far as I know there’s no editor or company blacklist where you can name and shame ‘bad’ employers, even though there are many in the industry who’d kill for one. I chatted to Fran Molloy about your question – she’s one of the moderators at Freeline, a fantastic online freelancer forum where journos from all areas discuss freelance and industry topics. She mentioned that the National Union of Journalists in the UK does a publisher list where you can report employers, but there’s nothing like it here.
Freeline also used to have a ‘Good Editor’ and ‘Good Corporate Editor’ award, and they may start it up again soon (so says Fran!) but there’s no ‘Bad Editor’ award (defamation concerns, ick). However, being a closed group it’s a great one to follow on Facebook if you want to to discuss a freelance issue privately with other members, or give them a head’s up about a bad industry experience you’ve had.
The other thing you could do is check out the Tumblr site Hey Pay Up, where you can leave an anonymous tip about poor word rates or hourly rates. It was quiet for a while but is being updated again now I think. The Tumblr site Pay The Writers also started a campaign for better pay and conditions, but hasn’t been updated in 10 months – the Pay The Writers Facebook group is more active so that could be a place to raise the issue.
Have you posted to Hey Pay Up or let other freelancers know about a bad employer? We’d love to hear your stories in the comments.
There’s a Facebook group called “Stop Working For Free” that names and shames a lot of dodgy offenders. https://www.facebook.com/groups/263804607094399/?fref=ts
Thanks for sharing that, Caroline! I didn’t know about that group; have joined.