Have you ever dealt with unpaid work as a freelancer?

Please share your experiences regarding unpaid work or late payments in the comment section below! We’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Did you know that 1 in 11 UK jobs is a creative job, in which 47% of creative workers are freelancers or are self-employed? Unpaid work and late payments are two headaches almost every freelancer has experienced. As a result, a UK freelancer loses an average £5,394 per year by working for free and loses 20 days annually chasing late payments. This is something that shouldn’t happen to any freelancer, as your time is better spent doing what you love than dealing with rogue clients.

The problem of unpaid work is getting worse as the UK’s army of freelancers continues to grow. Many freelancers don’t retaliate against large clients out of fear of backlash that would affect their reputation and subsequently their career, according to Independent. Freelancers often have little choice but to lose opportunities in order to protect their work and creativity. This is why co-founders Lavena, James and Hubert are working towards building a platform to help creatives feel secure and confident in their projects.

The benefits of being a community-based freelancer platform are that the actions you personally take, whether it’d be by reporting or accurately reviewing others you’ve worked with, directly affect the experiences of thousands of others on Wishu in a massive web of feedback. One of our aims is to bring about change by providing a simple yet robust sourcing and booking system in which both the freelancer and client can complete projects with little hassle.

On Wishu, you’ll no longer need to request upfront payments to feel protected and secure while working on projects. By setting the price of your offer, a client will secure the full amount into the system, which is held until the client confirms the job has been finished, to which the funds are then released. The freelancer, or the client, can cancel anytime during the project. However, if cancellation is unwarranted, either may submit a dispute and we at support will take action against users that violate our terms, typically with a permanent ban. In addition to our action against such fraudulent users, you can block and report that user.

You can proceed with your freelancer career with integrity intact and head held high, knowing that we’re looking out for you, and that the actions of the entire community of freelancers has also got your back.