Timeforreformoffreelancedirectorreferences

Following the publication of a recent article — “When is a TV ‘chat’ not a chat?” — in Broadcast magazine, Directors UK CEO Andrew Chowns provides the following message for members:

Last week Broadcast carried a very pertinent article on the informality of “chats” between employers and freelancers. You can read it here, though please note a subscription is required.

The article chimed with me as it followed our recent open meeting on Bullying and Harassment in which several members raised concerns over a similar issue – the informality with which employers seek “references” from their colleagues about freelancers. It concerns me that directors may be especially vulnerable to this.

In the permanent employment world, you ask a candidate for two references which they provide – almost always in glowing terms. In the freelance world, employers think they have carte blanche to ring up their mates and ask for the dirt on a candidate. The result is that perfectly good candidates are blacklisted from working for an employer simply for falling out with someone, and this can easily spread out to other potential employers. Sadly our own caseload here has plenty of examples of this.

At the heart of it is the fact that freelance employment is dealt with by almost all companies in a way that is totally different from permanent employment. All of the formal, legally-regulated, documented and process-driven HR systems that are in place to cover permanent employment – stuff that protects both the company and the employee/candidates - seems to be absent or subverted when it comes to freelance employment and recruitment. The harm that results from this is helping to create the climate of fear and lack of confidence that allows bullying and harassment to flourish. 

This is highlighting for me the need to introduce a similarly level of formality and objectivity to freelance references.  For example, employers could be required to provide an official reference for a freelancer at the end of your engagement, and these official references are the only ones that can be used when further engagements are being considered by any other employer.

I think the time may have now come when we need to highlight this problem with employers and the wider industry. I would be very interested in hearing members’ experiences of this so that we can assemble some evidence to make our case for reform.

To share you experiences related to the above with Andrew Chowns, please email [email protected].