How transparency works

in Etcetera for freelancers

Before entering an agency many freelancers have doubts:

Will I have access to all the information about the projects?
Will I still see data about my earnings?

To answer these questions we decided to tell you today about one of the most important cultural values of our agency – transparency in Etcetera for freelancers.

Transparency in earnings in Etcetera for freelancers

Transparency starts even before a freelancer joins the agency. During hiring, we get the earnings structure, % that goes to Upwork and to the agency. We are not a regular agency, but a community of freelancers, that’s why everyone knows their rate and can choose project and client by the payment terms as well.

For each contract, freelancers receive information about the payment model and confirm every detail of future contract, so they know how much each job will bring. Transparency is encouraged on payday as well, if we have any questions, we can ask how the earnings were calculated and why.

Transparency in communication

The agency processes are set in such a way, that it’s actually easy, to be honest, and transparent in each step of the work. For example:

During All hands meetings every quarter we discuss even the smallest details and changes of the agency work. Unlike some other organizations, where professionals just do their job and have no idea of what is happening behind the scenes, Etcetera freelancers know and understand the inside processes of the agency.
Each team member has a separate chat that includes everyone involved in working with this freelancer. This chat is the place where you can find an answer or solution to any problem, that’s not directly connected with a particular project (each project has a separate chat for that). Is there a need to reorganize priorities and tasks across several projects because a force-major happened on one of them? Freelancers can do it easily in this chat because everyone concerned is already there. We always say that if you don’t know what to do – write in that chat 🙂 The same chat also received all notifications about events connected with the freelancer, so everyone immediately knows if a contract opens-closes or if any other event happened that requires immediate attention.
Every month we have 1 on 1 meeting with HR or the direct supervisor we freely talk about everything. This talk is not about projects. It’s a time when the team member can give their feedback about their plans for self-development, and how they think we can improve the agency work if they have any problems that require help. In their turn, HR can give cumulative feedback from the rest of the team relating to work. 1 on 1 allows us to understand if everyone is happy with the cooperation and if for some reason not – how to fix it.

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