The Future of Work
When we were recording the podcast episode for Roles and Responsibilities, we went on a tangent about the future of work — specifically how freelancing and contractor work (aka anything requiring a W9) is on the rise. Of course, I took this bone like a hungry dog and ran with it. I have always believed in the power of contracting work. It may not always be the best fit or the best option, but when it does make sense and you commit to the potential roadblocks, it can produce some highly creative and collaborative results —and generally speaking, a simpler work dynamic.
First, I want to say it’s important to recognize that there are some parts of being an individual contractor that can lead to a few more difficult paths —namely getting your own insurance, making your own retirement plan, and paying 100 percent of your own taxes. Those things can be a burden. Or they can be your freedom, depending on how you look at it and what type of person you are. But the reality is that contracting work is on the rise across the job board, from delivery services to web development. As someone who has been using the contracting model for about 10 years now, I have seen how this can benefit both the workforce as a whole, and business owners personally.
When we first started WOTW, we used the contracting model to help us stay nimble in a highly unpredictable economical market and subsequent lockdowns. The last few years have been an absolute shit show, making it really difficult to nail down anything in the moment, as well as what may come in the future. We hire out only when we need the additional help, and scale back when we need to cover our own butts. In order to make this work for all parties, we are in regular contact with our contractors regarding workload and other general availability. We also have a pretty advanced spreadsheet helping us track things for accounting purposes. We do a hefty amount of capacity forecasting. It can get complicated, but it is worth the extra work when things are unpredictable.
But while we were able to stay nimble, the contractor model also helped us establish a number of intangibles that we had considered as outcomes, but exceeded our expectations. First, we instituted a semi-non-hierarchical system that allowed our project collaborators to have more skin in the game. This looks like folks joining in at the same level and leading their own areas of expertise. Instead of feeling limited by what the higher-ups would expect, our team members came more freely to the table with game-changing ideas. It was a true collaborative environment. This non-hierarchical system helped usher in the second intangible, which was a much more creative environment. When people feel less held back it encourages more freedom. We found our current projects were vastly outpacing and out-designing sites from years prior when it was just Kelsey and me. Our collective work was better for it.
What I would love to see for the future of my kind of work is more of this: more freedom, more space, more collaboration. If you can foster an open and generous environment by incorporating caring into what you do everyday, people work better. Being seen and appreciated are basic human needs. It allows people to shine. Kelsey and I want that for our workplace. I want that for a lot of workplaces. And it seems like that could be, hopefully, where we are heading.