Vacation mode, and cert level should remain same
Hello :)
Hope you all are well :)
The thing is I am a student freelancer and I am in my final year (doing software engineering) so I get really really busy with my university stuff and my final year project, so I am unable to focus on freelancing properly for few months, I couldn't work for few weeks because I had my defense presentation and then my mid exams!! but I completed projects on time which I got and have talked to the customers about my exams and they all were OKAY with this and said they can wait till after my exams, this is not fair that cert levels drop after some break on work because we freelancers have life too and can not work all the time, please change this rule because there are other freelancing sites where level remains same even if you are out of sight for months and there are options of activating vacation mode because they understand that freelancers can also get busy with their life.
There are many student freelancers here also that I know who can not work as there are exams and other stuff that come so please make this cert thing better with less strictness, and also I wanted to bring this matter to your attention that there are buyers which buy hourlies and after delivering them they do not accept our invoices, they do not ask for modification or something else, they do like what we deliver them but do not want to pay, and we can do nothing even if we have completed our job, and PPH returns their money after a month or so.. this thing is also unfair...
Looking forward to hear from you.
Regards
Anisa
-
I agree - CERT should not negatively reflect a comparative drop in earnings over time.
One of the main reasons I work as a freelancer and not for someone else is that it gives me flexibility. Some months I may work full time, others I choose to book in fewer hours to fit in around my other commitments. This has no bearing on the quality of service I provide, or my professionalism. If I choose to earn less money in a particular month, that should be my concern, and not something that reflects negatively on my PPH ranking. PPH is based around freelance working, so penalising the very nature of freelancing – ie. its flexibility – makes no sense.
I also believe that if you asked most buyers on PPH what they want to see from a seller, they would say a fair rate, a strong portfolio and a professional proposal. They are unlikely to be concerned that a freelancer had earned less in one period than another, as long as that freelancer can deliver a good service now.
-
I've been inactive for over a month on PPH due to securing higher paid work through other sites, but my CERT level hasn't dropped at all. Could somebody please tell me if it's likely to do so when I'm active again in some way (e.g. by starting a new job or getting paid?)
Either way, I'd like to see an answer to the above questions, but what it really comes down to is money. Peopleperhour isn't a public service for freelancers, it's a business, so they need to do whatever they can to keep freelancers working through this site as regularly and exclusively as possible. While I can understand that perspective, threatening freelancers with sanctions like downgraded CERT could be more alienating than anything else. As you say Emily the whole appeal of being a freelancer is the freedom, and if that's being stripped away by a service like PPH then people are going to start looking elsewhere.
-
I agreed with the comments above. PPH cannot force freelancers to work without a break through their website. CERT levels should reflect an individuals professional ability to deliver quality work and not his/her ability to invite more friends, get more business to PPH by bringing outside clients to PPh etc.
My CERT level was downgraded may be because I did'nt send out proposals for jobs for a while, although i was actively working on one job. PPH does'nt even send a detailed message as to why my CERT level was downgraded. This is ridiculous and will only push away freelancers to other job sites that treat freelancers better.
-
This is a very valid thread and Emily is quite right when she says it makes no sense to penalise the flexible nature of freelancing. It is important to take breaks.
I went to Australia earlier in the year and found my level had dropped when I returned. I hadn't changed; in fact I had been working in consultancy (an even higher level of freelance work) but suddenly I was back to a Cert 4. If people have proved themselves to be reliable, professional etc. then PPH should take that into consideration. I do hope you will think about amending this policy please.
-
I have the same problem. I would like to be inactive for a while. But the site keeps sending me annoying proposal invitations and I can't even switch it off... I know it will force me to delete myself from the site at the end. Entirely... but the delete account button is very invisible. Haha! I've found https://www.peopleperhour.com/settings/availability off days. I will delete myself later :D
-
Agree with these comments. I have seen my Cert level drop despite being busy, invoicing and having five star feedback?! I had one client who continually delayed confirming details of a project and I'm penalised for it??
Someone's got the Algorythm calculation wrong.... May be time for PPH to start investing in systems to support the people who actually keep it in business.. the freelancers!
-
I agree - my cert level dropped from 5 to 4 - because I was fully booked with regular clients (outside PPH) and therefore wasn't available to take on new work, and therefore wasn't sending proposals or inviting friends. I know PPH encourages us to move clients on to their platform - but that's up to them, not us!
There is also the issue of getting hundreds of emails from PPH, even when the setting is on 'essential emails only' - when I have no availability for work and don't want to get 'bid now on this job' emails... support requests on this assure me that "the developer team is working on it..."
-
I took an extended break from PPH and have a 2 rating despite having 95% positive feedback. One of issues raised was to 'lower my disputes' of which there was one- a student requesting I do her assignment which I flagged with PPH and non-payment from a client which somehow seems to be attributed to me according to my CERT level. There was one other issue in which I was absent for a while, as noted on my account and my paused hourlies but a person somehow bought an hourlie and had to get a refund - which she was happy about as she went to another supplier. These 'disputes' were all resolved and indeed the one that can be classified as a dispute had me out of pocket yet I am being penalised. System really needs revision as is unfair.
-
Hi PPH,
I think it maybe could be more complimentary to Freelancers if the monitoring and decision making for Cert Level was extended so it was not so immediate. Freelancers can not always control the number of bids that are accepted, for some of us with unique skills, there are not always jobs to bid on and that reflects very badly on the current immediacy of Cert Levels. Also when working on longer jobs, Cert Levels drop and that is not necessarily reflective of the Freelancers intention to be active and successful on the site.
-
Hi.
This is a great idea, I plan to go into industry to learn more about my craft and update my skills to Industry standard. While working for a company I am worried that my Cert Level will go down, as I plan to return to freelancing at some point.
The more people that vote this thread the more likely that it will be taken into account by the PPH team.
I will make sure they are aware of it too as it is a great idea. -
I Agree with Anisa!
"this is not fair that cert levels drop after some break on work because we freelancers have life too and can not work all the time, please change this rule because there are other freelancing sites where level remains same even if you are out of sight for months and there are options of activating vacation mode because they understand that freelancers can also get busy with their life."
-
Agreed. While it's important to keep PPH active, legitimate away settings/vacation mode should not impact a seller's ranking. Otherwise, you get people hurriedly agreeing to work they're not prepared for - no fun for either party. The availability settings are useful, but tucked away in a corner of your settings. It's not explicit to buyers who is available, and when they're best suited to perform work/answer questions.
-
Hi PPH I am sure you are listening to all these comments.
So maybe PPH could permit 'X' Break-days per year [vacation, sick leave + statutory days], as employers do.
We all need time out but it took me 6 months to regain CERT5 after a short break in 2014: It was not rewarding.
If PPH were cap a maximum number of permissible Break-Days per year for freelancers to book Breaks, as they would if in employment, and as long as the permitted Break-days were not exceeded the CERT would be unaffected, we would all reap the benefits and another discussion would be bought to a satisfactory close.
Could this be a solution maybe? All the best, Jan
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
20 comments