An Open Letter to People Per Hour: Please Comment Below on Payments
Dear People Per Hour,
I wanted to let you know just how much havoc, chaos and panic you have caused in my life since you announced your decision to subject us to the new payment clearance process and times. If you are a freelancer reading this, please comment below so we can try to support each other and so that we can let PPH know what damage this is causing us and that we, as freelancers, are not only the lifeblood of the platform but also real people with real lives and families to support.
I am a freelancer, but I am also a single parent to two young children. We have all lived through a year and a half of the most disruptive time in any of our lives due to the pandemic. I am sure it hasn’t escaped PPH’s attention that freelancers have had a rough ride during this time. I am mainly referring to the UK here as that is where I am from, but I am sure these problems are global for freelancers. As freelancers, we did not enjoy the benefits of furlough, of the Job Retention Scheme and many of us were not eligible for government grants or benefits. As we start to move out of the pandemic, many of us are reeling from the effects and have now been served a huge blow by PPH-a platform that is supposed to support us as freelancers and make our lives easier-by making us wait up to 18 days to receive money we have earned and worked hard for.
I don’t know about other freelancers, but my family relies solely on the money I earn from PPH and we live from invoice payment to invoice payment. We don’t live beyond our means, there is only me earning money and I work very hard.
On Friday, I came to the realisation that due to the new payment clearing processes, we did not have enough food to last us the weekend, let alone 18 more days. My rent was due on Friday, and I have not been able to pay that. So, we are hungry and on top of that I am now really anxious about not paying my rent. I earnt enough money this month to pay my rent and buy us food and everything on top, but it is sitting in my PPH account, and I cannot access it. This morning, my son’s school had to arrange a delivery from our local food bank. I have never, ever had to ask for anything like this before, but we had no choice.
I have not heard anything from PPH that makes me understand why they are doing what they are doing. I simply do not believe that in the world of instant payments, high tech and on-demand services why they need to hang on to our money for 18 days. It just won’t work for me in the long term, but at the moment, I am wondering what we will do in four days’ time when the food runs out, when I can’t pay my internet bill leading me not being able to work at all and when the stress of this will just be too much to bear.
I hope people don’t think I am being overdramatic, for some freelancers this will just be a frustrating experience, but for some of us, this is having real life, damaging effects on our lives and the lives of the people we love- and I am sure I am not alone.
Please comment below and tell PPH how this is affecting your life if you can.
Yours Sincerely,
Meri Williams
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@ Meri
Sure. Add me to your list, although I'm on the Revolution, not Reform, Side. You might also highlight my name so it flashes so bright that it blinds whoever is going to read our letter.
Mohamed T.
Content Strategist, Academic Writer & Translator
Joined PPH: November 2019
CERT Level 4
Please Meri make my name so clear and in as big letters as you can. I want it to be as challenging and as proactive as possible to whoever is going to read our letter. This is the spirit I want my signature to be in:
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Thanks Mohamed- I have added your name on the seperate document I am compiling to send as an email/letter, but in the mean time can you also add your name to the actual letter here:https://support.peopleperhour.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/4403610452625-Add-your-names-to-an-open-letter-of-complaint-on-new-payment-processing-times
But just your name and details, please don't turn that thread into anything else. Thanks!
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Haha, I did enjoy that.
@mohamed you just have to add it here: https://support.peopleperhour.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/4403610452625-Add-your-names-to-an-open-letter-of-complaint-on-new-payment-processing-times
It needs to come from you, but if you also want to add a picture, that's fine.
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@Meri, Rachel
This is what a Revolutionary says and how he acts. You, Reformers, are more on "dove" side. But, as I share in one very long (as usual) recent post here, I used to be a dove like you but experiences have taught me that Revolution, Spartan-style, is all that it takes. I'm even wondering why PPH CEO is not even responding to my so many messages on his blog. I understand he is Cypriot. Now I have studied and practiced intercultural communication in depth but PPH CEO, Cypriot as he is, leaves me really clueless, although Cyprus is not very far from where I'm based, Egypt. Anyone with psychology background here at least to tell us why people at PPH are acting the way they do? I'm starting to get worried really that too much automation has accelerated the power of robots and now robots and bots are now in full charge of PPH whose staff are now either dead or have gone astray.
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@Meri
Your language is conformant. Like all peace-seeking people who do not want to come in contact The System, you just do not want to make anybody angry, even if The System is making you angry - and frustrated - every single moment. Of course, everyone wants to live in peace and do the ordinary things everyone does or should do. But if you cannot really do what you're supposed to do, would you still believe in The System?
Even Great Britain, with all its great tradition of democracy, had moments in its history (The Interregnum, 1649-1660, Oliver Cromwell), where The System proved to be in inherently corrupt. So, what would you expect from a corrupt system? Reform? Look across the Channel and you've an answer in what The French did when centuries of "reform" only paved the way to The Revolution. You've already been through many stages of Reform yourself and now it's Revolution time.
Whoever agrees on what I say, raise your hand please. This is not populism but realism.
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Mohamed, with all due respect, your point has very much been made. It's clear that the majority of people on this thread would like to proceed in a certain way, and that isn't through revolt.
Can I suggest that if you want to continue your revolution, you can take it to a new thread? I respect that you believe yours is the correct way to proceed, but by repeat posting you are diluting Meri's original message, and it's clear that her's is the message we align to.
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@ Rachel
I'm not "diluting" anything. I'm just bringing more "traffic" to this thread. Meri's letter is so touching but, alone, is not enough to capture the attention of as many freelancers as possible. So, as a content strategist, I'm doing what I'm supposed to do: as in using visuals and text, what is lost in Reform ("text") is made clearer in Revolution ("visuals").
You see my point?
You, Reformers, take care of text and let me, The Revolutionary, handle visuals.
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@Marcus. Thank you
@ All Signatories. How about others? Are you okay if I send our open letter to PPH CEO on his blog?
Just a heads up: my language is a bit inflammatory, as you can see here, so I'll show you an intro to Meri's open letter an intro @Rachel which is not going to "dilute" anything.
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I'm fine with you sending the open letter. I'm not fine with an intro of yours being added to it - firstly, I don't think it's necessary, I think Meri stated everything clearly and in a measured tone. Secondly, some of what you've said on this thread is libel, and I don't want to be associated with that in anyway. The open letter represents anyone who has voluntarily signed it, they have not signed off on an intro from you.
I also think the open letter may be best sent from someone who isn't you - you have already attempted to make contact, and whilst I haven't seen what you have written to him, I can imagine that it is, as you say, inflammatory. If he has read these communications and chosen to ignore (although I actually don't think he checks his blog regularly), then he would probably be reluctant to acknowledge anything further from you.
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This is what I intend to send as a message including Meri's open letter to PPH CEO, Xenios Thrasyvoulou, on his blog:
"Dear Xenios,
There is so much water running beneath your feet (just look). As I write to you, a growing body of PPH freelance community members is sharing so many appalling stories, some really extremely tragic, about how PPH new payment arrangements, unclear and confusing as are, are causing all sorts of frustration, stress and pain to everyone. I cannot find something more expressive of what is going on and what actions PPH community, freelancers and buyers, is likely to do or say as an open letter by Meri W (Joined 2013, Business Plan Writer, Top Cert Level). Your empathy with and attention to Meri's open (and extremely honest) letter, as business owner and a professional, are much needed to act as a responsible entrepreneur would - or should.
There is also a (very) big, and sometimes (extremely) heated, conversation on PPH recent payment policy and many more issues a majority of PPH freelancers are not happy about: An Open Letter to People Per Hour: Please Comment Below on Payments.
So far, PPH has been keeping mum and not a single comment or post is shared on PPH or elsewhere to explain to freelancers what is going on. This is creating a snowball which is growing rapidly and negatively, not daily, but, as in PeoplePerHour label, on a hourly basis, changing what has once been an asset (freelancers, i.e. People) into a liability.
Your attention is much needed.
Regards,
Mohamed T.
Joined November 2019
Content Strategist, Academic Writer & Translator
CERT Level 4"
@ALL. Let me know if you're all okay with my intro. If so, I'll send a message to PPH CEO right after I get your okay.
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Ok, let's try with another Open Letter. Maybe pushing this mess on this way will finally touch some sensitive and rational chord of the staff. I wonder if such a beautiful letter like Mari's didn't had any response or consideration a new one will do it. It's a very delicate situation because I understand that a lot of people care about their status and doubt about moving to other work sites will bring n¡better results. This should be en extreme solution but we are not at the end of the way and don't want to abandon this site either, am I right? The best way could be the PPH re-consideration of this absurd decision because nowhere in the net, no other freelance site is abusing with such a real "freezing" of the artists, workers etc founds under a doubtful "fraud protection" excuse. This is totally fake, no doubt, there are simply monetary interests behind this unfortunate measure and they must re-consider their bad decision.
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@ Rachel, ALL. I agree with you Rachel. I'm a badass. So, I lack decency and credibility to get any message through to PPH CEO. So, you can just use my own message (not actually an intro) and send it yourself, or maybe someone would send it, to PPH CEO.
That said, let all liability and indecency stay here and let's leave our dear CEO's blog clean.
(Is it not just ironic that libel is not allowed on a personal blog, according to Rachels's logic, but is okay here on a platform supposed to be for work?)
I am okay to be associated with anything or anyone, Rachel. Maybe the real reason @Rachel wants to stay away from me is COVID-19 (a social distancing thing, you know), not libel. (I'm COVID-19 free, Rachel. So, stay assured you're not going to contract anything from me, at least until you and I meet in person, something, given the state of Delta variant now spreading in the UK, makes the UK, a great country as it is, not an option (for now) to me for a meetup. You're good.
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@Florin. Meri's letter is perfect and it's not about the letter. It's about people who are supposed to read Meri's letter or anything else we write here. Why do you @Florin, like so many people here, think begging PPH would make them change their mind? Cannot you see there is already so much activity going on in this thread and elsewhere enough to draw even someone sleeping soundly?
Our posts and messages are read but IGNORED. It's as simple as that. So, what else freelancers should do, you think?
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Mohamed, let's send him the letter without any intro and unfortunately I agree with Rachel- I don't think it should come from you. We need to be professional about this. I would also like to wait a few more days until we have more signatures on it to make more of an impact.
I don't want to offend you Mohamed and you have been very entertaining, but I think the time for entertaining is over. We are already disagreeing amongst ourselves which is never a good look for a group that wants to present a united front. Please feel free to keep messaging whoever you want at PPH, but please don't use the Open Letter as we want to send it when it has enough signatures and we want it to be professional.
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@Marcus. Thank you! I think people here are okaying my message to the CEO. It's just Rachel. I need to buy her in as well. Or do you guys think it's okay to overlook her?
It's just out of respect for Meri that I'm asking everyone's permission her to send a message to PPH CEO. Where it not for me, I'd have sent the message right away but I do not want to waste Meri's efforts or dash her "hopes." I just want to spread her word - in my own way, you know.
So, @Rachel. You still mind I send that message to PPH CEO? I know. I know. I lack credibility (at least after my posts here) but do you want to do this yourself or anyone would like to do so?
I'm fine with everything. (It's just Rachel, you know.)
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@Meri. Sure. I'm not going to send your letter to anyone unless I get your permission. No worries. Also, I'm not offended at all. I'm already indecent (and proud). Plus, I'm happy that @Meri is entertained because of my posts. Well, if everybody is sharing the same sentiment, I can keep entertaining you all. I'm fine. And I do not find any contradiction between having fun and sharing complaints. You can do both. Right?
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