Hey, who wants to read a story about @Upwork fucking over freelancers in order to upsell their clients on unnecessary services the clients don't want and can't afford? Strap in!

So after my marketing agency closed I started freelancing again. A marketing company that wanted to work with me only hires freelance writers through @Upwork. So I signed up. I wasn't thrilled about it, but that's who they contract with and it's their marketing company.

I've been receiving regular assignments from this company, thru @Upwork, for over a month now. I've written dozens of articles for them. My work has been exemplary. I've been handling repeated rush jobs and delivering. The client was and is very happy. That's coming from them.

While I was wrapping up several assignments this week I was contacted by the marketing company. They asked if I had taken a new full-time job and wasn't available anymore. It seems @Upwork's talent group told them I was no longer available to take assignments.

I was very surprised. Nothing had changed on my end. I still needed the freelance work very much. I told them so. So the marketing company pressed @Upwork and were told there were "compliance" issues that were preventing the marketing company from giving me any more work.

The marketing company, as confused as I was, pressed @Upwork further. @Upwork would NOT tell them, refused to tell them what those supposed compliance issues were. In the meantime, I received ZERO notification about ANY of this. NONE OF IT.

The ONLY reason I found out any of this was happening, that money I need to live was being arbitrarily taken off the table by @Upwork, was that I have a friend at the marketing company I go back with two decades. That's how I got the hook up.

If I hadn't known this guy, I would have simply stopped receiving assignments without ever knowing why. Despite the fact the marketing company WANTS TO HIRE ME. @Upwork is preventing them from doing so.

I've spent all day today trying to unravel the mystery of my compliance with @Upwork's extremely polite but completely oblivious and inept "talent group." I finally got in touch with someone who was willing to talk about the issues of that compliance. Are you ready?

The reason the marketing company can no longer hire me thru @Upwork is because @Upwork's algorithm has determined I am "eligible for employment," i.e. to be an employee at this company.

So for the marketing company to continue assigning me work, they have to enroll in @Upwork's "payroll service" to do it. Otherwise @Upwork will not allow them to give me work via the platform. Are you seeing the scam yet?

So @Upwork is insisting the marketing company make me an employee...VIA A FUCKING FREELANCE SERVICE. The whole goddamn point of their bullshit platform is to connect FREELANCERS with CLIENTS.

You can follow @MattFnWallace.

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