What more depressing a way to start a Monday than to read Penny Baxter’s one-sided, generalised letter regarding the (seemingly non-existent) merits of freelances (DW 9 February).
As a freelance, my own approach (and no doubt that of many others) is that a good relationship with the people I work with is paramount. Adding to the ‘team spirit’ is what leads to repeat bookings, opportunities to build relationships with clients, and, in some cases, the chance to find out where their future lies.
To suggest that freelances don’t have exposure to running real-life projects seems a surprising assumption. Most, by the nature of their work, spend time working for other people, managing their own time and, often, managing their own clients, sticky or otherwise.
I might also suggest that Baxter hasn’t yet found the right freelances, and, when she does, maybe she could give them a chance to feel valued, as an extension of her full-time team, rather than a dispensable commodity. It’s amazing what she might get in return – and I don’t just mean milk.
Kate Benjamin, Freelance, Brighton
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