Cornered Office
with Mir Kamin
I'm a freelance writer and mother of two working from home, which theoretically means I can set my own schedule so as to best accommodate my family. In reality, "flexible hours" often equals "working too much." Yes, I'm my own boss; no, that doesn't mean life is easy. It's hard to leave the office when you live there. But I love what I do and feel very lucky. And not just because I get paid to work in my pajamas.
To learn more about Mir, check out her profile on Work It, Mom! or visit her blog at http://www.wouldashoulda.com/
I don’t know about you, but my patience for this recession is really starting to wane.
I mean, sure, I talk a good game about how great it is to be a freelancer in times of economic downturn; we’re relatively secure, job-wise, because a single layoff isn’t going to render us completely unemployed… plus we tend to be less expensive than salaried employees, so we’re less likely to be laid off in the first place (and, indeed, may even find ourselves being hired as a direct result of a “regular” employee’s termination. That’s all true, and it’s all good, but I am tired of The Speech.
The Speech starts like this: “Mir, we really love the work you’re doing for us. We wish we could afford to keep you.” It goes downhill from there.
Yes, I still have work. Yes, I will be fine. Yes, it’s immensely flattering that the last three times I’ve had work rescinded it has been prefaced with a long explanation of the changing economy and how much they value me and my expertise and how they wish things were different. I shouldn’t take it personally. I don’t, really. But I’m tired of being laid off.
The worst part for me is not the actual lost jobs. The worst part for me is what happens afterward—as I try to figure out how to change my game plan to make sure I have the work I need.
The worst part is that with money tight I’m being offered gigs for ridiculously low rates, and I’m turning them down, but I’m wondering if that’s a mistake. (I don’t really think it’s a mistake. But there’s principles and then there’s being able to buy groceries, and sometimes I worry that I’m so married to my principles that I may find myself in serious trouble, financially, because I was too busy focusing on the forest to see the trees.)
I’m in a much better position than a lot of other folks. I know I am. But I miss the days when I had plenty of work and not many worries.
Hmmmm. Maybe I don’t miss the pre-recession job market—maybe I just miss being a kid. Heh.
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Maybe we need some discussions on here about what we can / should do about all of this. There’s not much worse than a feeling of powerlessness. I know we’ve talked a lot about cutting costs, but are there other opportunities to make the best of a bad situation?
SKL | June 16th, 2009 at 9:23 am
That’s a really great point, SKL. I know part of what I’ve done with my newly-free time is take on some personal projects I felt like I didn’t have time for, before. On the one hand, they’re not making me any money (yet), but on the other hand, it’s something I wouldn’t be doing, otherwise. It’s the best I can do, right now, but I need to remind myself that it’s a good thing, too.
Mir | June 16th, 2009 at 10:52 am
I work for state government and we now take one unpaid day each month. As tempting as it is to just take the day off and relax, especially since the kids are at school, I made the decision to do something to improve my home. Obviously not something expensive since we are losing a day of pay each month, but something that I can do myself to keep my home’s value up. Maybe it doesn’t really matter, but it makes me feel better that if we were suddenly faced with selling our home, I’m doing little things that contribute to my home’s value such as freshly painted walls, neat and tidy landscaping, newly grouted bathroom tile and other things that I otherwise wouldn’t have time to do.
Sharon | June 17th, 2009 at 7:45 am
The saying in the teachers’ lounge (as we come running in and growling out) is “Doing more with less, doing more with less.” Budget cuts affect us all with an increasing workload, and worst of all, this affects the children.
I deal with the recession stress by saying No to excess workload when I can, even though I catch flak for it. I’ve become an expert on the contract, to the dismay of a few childless coworkers. Then, after a negative staff meeting or a difficult parent-teacher conference, I sit down and work on referrals and lesson plans. It helps me remember the real focus of my work: the students.
Daisy | June 18th, 2009 at 8:48 pm