Should freelancers work on or offsite?

The last time I worked onsite was for a big London design agency.

Like, really big. Big, big, silly big massive.

We’re talking something like 350-400 employees in one London office.

Having filled out the form in reception (along with two other freelancers who were being squeezed in on the same day), I was ushered onto the creative floor and given what was obviously the standard speech. “Kitchen, toilets, water cooler, you’ll be sitting here, I’ll get ‘Doris’, she’ll brief you.”

Soulless, cold, military-efficient. Scary as hell.

I sat on my perch at a long bench half the length of a room that was the size of a Viking longhouse. There had to be at least 70-80 people in there. All chained to iMacs, heads plugged in, or yapping loudly in mini huddles.

I was briefed in about 10 minutes flat for some on-pack copy for a very famous international drinks brand. Cool.

I got a glass of water. Looked around. Everyone was engrossed in their own little thing. Not exactly deathly quiet, but deathly weird. There was various shades of headphone spillage battling with communal music that was playing at a just-enough-to-be-annoying level, to keep some sedated, but force most into their little head bubbles.

Nothing like the old-style of agency, where you could sit quietly in your own office if you wanted to, or mingle with people who actually had time for you.

It was like sticking all the farm animals in one barn. The geese clung to the geese. The sheep hung with the sheep. And every now and then there was a bleat-honk meeting of wool and feathers. People wandered past discussing Debbie’s fallen arches, or the latest season of Stranger Things, or ‘D’ya want something from Pret’.

You know that scene in X-Men, where Professor X freezes time in the museum, so that only the mutants could walk around, while the normals stood mid-cough/sip/sneeze/shout/belch… Well, I was beginning to feel suspiciously like the only mutant in town, but kind of in reverse. Maybe it was all a dream.

Nope.

I could feel my soul being sucked through my sweat glands. I didn’t like it. But hey, I wasn’t here for fun, I was here to get the job done. So I started picking back through the brief, underlining interesting phrases, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YA, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YA, HAPPY B…

What the!

Stevie Wonder was blasting from the overhead speakers at infinity decibels. A huddle of 20 or 30 people surrounded some poor sod and sang along. Gave the poor sod a little present. Stood awkwardly around the poor sod for about 5 minutes. Gradually dispersed, leaving the poor sod with a card and a cake. And then everyone snapped their headphones back on, assuming the ‘I’m a designer, do not disturb’ position.

Was it some kind of flash mob, You’ve Been Framed kind of thing?

Nope.

It happened again a couple of hours later.

I stared at my blank note pad. It stared back. I made it as far as 1.30. I wasn’t thinking about on-pack copy, I was planning my escape route. Eventually I plucked up courage.

Doris was in a meeting, so I had to wait for another hour. I was a thirsty sailor surrounded by acrid seawater. All these designery folk and I couldn’t even get eye contact, never mind have a quick chat to dilute the weirdness.

Eventually Doris showed up. I asked if it was okay if I worked in a nearby café, as I couldn’t concentrate in this living Hieronymus Bosch painting. She understood, so I disappeared for the rest of the day and repeated the same thing for two more days, submitted my work, which no one really had time to review, and ran.

I’d spent roughly 6 hours in the agency, 15 in the café and 12 commuting.

Of course, not all agencies are like this. But this experience was so horrible and unproductive and horrible and horrible. I’ve been scarred for life.

So, what do other freelancers think? And what do people who commission freelancers think?

I asked a few of the writers and agency folk I know, and this is what they told me:

Temporary schlepping

On-site can be…amusing. You get to compare the decor and coffee provision, watch life’s little dramas play out as you people watch; you get to know front of house coz that’s where all the good info and goss is. But unlike permanently ‘living’ with a work ‘family’ you get to go home knowing that the ballache of schlepping in is temporary 😎.

Pro – doing the school run consistently. You’ll NEVER get that time or opportunity with your child again when they grow up. – Gary Lewis, Freelance Copywriter

Free and wild

Remember when, not too long ago, we all went to work in our offices?
Every day, up early to travel to the same place, behind the same desk, in the same chair?
Not for me that old lark. I like to work free and wild…. and in some very strange places.

AND:

Having run an agency for a few years, the thought of someone ‘working from home’ was a bit foreign. Seen as a cop-out. The fear that work would be done that wasn’t right, that we needed to be in sight, in reach. The misplaced belief that the ‘culture’ of the agency relied on people being in, having a laugh, the banter, the friendships etc….that this was the ‘be all and end all’.

I know things have changed globally, and I also appreciate that age has a big part to play in this – but I see through this now.

I see that you can trust people to do their jobs….if they’re the right people, and if you’re clear on what you expect from them.

I see that you need to have a connection, and variety and energy, but that can mean different things to different folk.

I see that spending money and time to get somewhere physically doesn’t mean you get there mentally.

I am a contradiction personally because I miss those days of being all together in a room – laughing, chatting, music on. Getting through things together. But I also know I’d never, ever sign up for that enforced in-house role ever again.

I have seen a change in those around me, who seek connection, seek company – and choose to reach out, to co-work, to collaborate as a preference. It’s far nicer. – Helen Banyard, Co-owner of The Good Stuff Group

What kind of vegetable would you be?

Health stuff makes offsite infinitely easier for me (and makes onsite virtually impossible at times). But putting all that aside and thinking back to my office-based days…

Being onsite was wonderful for feeding my brain, getting to know people and digging into the meat of a project with others. All about input into my brain.

But you’d get no output from me until everyone else had left the building and there were no more shiny things i could get curious about. I’m a lot more productive at home, where there’s nobody I can derail with important questions like what kind of vegetable they’d be (if they were indeed a vegetable) and why. – Megan Rose Douglas, Freelance Copywriter

Building relationships

Pros and cons of freelancer’s working on site?
One of the biggest challenges with a mostly remote team is creating genuine camaraderie and the conditions for a culture to form. Having freelancers working in the same physical location, even just for portions of a project, can really help strengthen the bonds between us all, which I feel encourages more natural collaboration and as a result, the work.

There are moments in creative projects where being in the same room trying to solve creative problems leads to sparks that just wouldn’t occur with us all working remotely. That being said, that togetherness can also become a distraction, and with too many of us in the studio, it can make focusing and deep work harder to do. The balance between social connection and work concentration can be hard to get right.

Pros and cons of freelancer’s working off site?
From an agency perspective, I think the biggest advantage to having freelancers (or any team members) not being tied to a location is the amount of potential talent it opens you up to. Our geography does not limit who we’re able to work with, and this has allowed us to build teams exclusively focused on the needs of the project and the balance between the people working on it.

Also then, the reverse answers to those given above. It can be harder to build relationships between one another – although not impossible – when you’re all working remotely. But as a freelancer you have much more autonomy to focus when you want to focus and chat when you want to chat. Luke Kelly, Creative Director of Airborne Studio

Head down writing

I’m very much a head down person who needs silence to work. Plus I love my studio A LOT and feel super creative here.

That said, I’ve recently started a project with a Creative Director, which has involved creating a campaign from scratch. We’ve spent hours on Zoom calls working through ideas, and I sort of wish we’d been in an office together to hash it out with pens, paper and post-its.

I also lost my internet a couple of weeks ago, so ventured down to my nearest co-working space. The view was gorgeous, and I hadn’t realised one of my clients has their office there, so I got to meet everyone properly.

So for me personally, I think for head down writing, I need to be alone, but for strategy and social interactions, working on-site may be better. – Alice Hollis, Freelance Copywriter

Collaborate or concentrate

I only work on-site for collaboration sessions, which I love. The rest of the time, I’m able to concentrate on my work and walk my son to and from school. Some clients have cool stuff going on, like annual festivals, and I’m always happy to be invited to those, too. – Vicky Zaremba, Freelance Copywriter

Forging working relationships

Pros and cons of freelancer’s working on site?
I personally get a lot more out of having a freelancer on site – ability to connect and understand how they work best is helpful when being able to forge a great working relationship. But also important to be able to have the small conversations / discussions / disagreements / agreements live in person, and be able to be part of crafting work together rather than waiting for check ins. It feels more like a partnership.

Pros and cons of freelancer’s working off site?
Deeply impersonal – a big reason of being in the industry I am, is because of the people and enjoyment of working on great projects, together. Losing this connection and dealing only over emails/slack/teams creates a barrier and feels more like we’re just churning out work. In a world of AI I don’t want to be losing any more actual face time with colleagues, whether permanent or freelance.

And talking of AI…
Be very careful when using AI note takers, they will join the call when the first person does. We had a client join ten minutes early to catch up with a colleague and continued to have a real b*tch about work, managers and colleagues . The full transcript was shared with all attendees after the call, ouch. A new danger of online meetings! – Sebastian Deering, Client Services Director

The non-negotiables

Love going on-site for the kick-off stuff (nothing beats seeing how a product actually works or grilling a team in IRL).

But then I like to do the writing part from home. Those (essential) moments when you stare into space thinking of ideas or need to go for a walk to mull something over are much nicer without a client wondering WTF you’re doing.

(Oh, and the morning school run is a non-negotiable for me. Those days are nearly over, and I’ll really miss them.) – Laura Barritt, Freelance Copywriter

Depends on the project/brief and agency culture

Some jobs demand buzzy, collaborative, exchange of ideas, and thought showers (ha) interspersed with quiet focus. Others demand being locked in a room with a quiet brain and the occasional video call catch-up.

In terms of my work happiness, I think a mix of both is the sweet spot. I definitely value feeling integrated into a project team and being part of the collective thinking… working in isolation leaves a lot open to interpretation – especially around how agency people work and behave. – Kendra Futcher, Freelance Copywriter

Remote only

Remote camp here. I get sooo much more done too so it’s a win-win for me/agency. – Christie Davis, Freelance Copywriter

My own mixed up beat

Working on-site can be fun. You get to see and sit with and chat to people about work and this and that. Slack or email or LinkedIn can’t replicate that.

But there’s an expectation that your time should be spent physically doing, or at least looking like you’re doing. You’re not there to sit and think like you would at home—like you need to at home. So you default to an employer-employee arrangement, where you want to please. You don’t want to get up and wander around or make endless cups of tea or mindlessly doodle. That’d be slacking. Even if the client is fine with it, it doesn’t feel right. Then, there’s the ol’ scope creep: “Can you just have a look at this [unrelated thing]?” It’s not always easy to say no in person.

So, I’m happier at home, where I still aim to keep clients happy and deliver good work, but in my own way, to my own mixed up beat. I think the freedom to not force it shows in the end. 

Pros and cons of being a remote freelancer?
Pros: The freedom—to work when it’s happening and break when it’s not. To work from the library or the garden when it’s hot. To sit chewing pen lids or nip out to pick up the kids. To get the work done in whatever way works best for me.

Cons: Not being around people. I work well in solitude, distracting myself when I want to. But teammates are (mostly, not always) funny and interesting and full of stories that spark ideas. Being around them is (mostly, not always) enjoyable. It’s good to find a balance. Even if that’s just working from a coffee shop for small talk and people watching, or joining online co-work groups (not tried that one personally).

Another con: Not being able to get what you need when you need it, an answer, a resource, a sign off. Always make it clear what you need and when for. Set time penalties (you’ve written about this). If you don’t have what you need, when you need it, move on and reschedule for whenever it works for you.     

Pros and cons of working in the agency?
Pros: Teammates, faster access to resources, access to resources you might not otherwise have (certain tools, books, magazines, events). And if we’re talking working for an agency, there’s the obvious holiday pay, sick pay, pension and company benefits.

Cons: Distractions, rigid routine, micro-managing, falling into employee mode. – Gareth Hancock, Freelance Copywriter

Only remote

Remote only. I need a quiet workspace. – Sandra Cremer, Freelance Copywriter

Cut of the jib

Might be stating a few of the obvious points, but here goes:
– possibly the only COVID silver lining is the shift to hybrid working and that it’s now much more possible/socially acceptable to WFH.
– freelance-client relationships are much easier when you meet IRL and get the cut of someone’s jib – or just chat in person. If you’re gonna meet, do it early. That said I have a client of four years who I’m yet to actually meet other than on Teams. And we get on just fine.
– it’s nice to get a bit of balance between home and office, but I reckon I’ve only ventured into clients’ workplaces for about a month over the course of the last four years. There’s not much that I can’t do remotely.
– like many freelancers, I don’t work normal hours which isn’t very compatible with commuting to work and traditional core hours of work in offices. We ain’t no nine-to-fivers!
– remote work… the clue’s in the name. This year I made a conscious effort to engage more with communities like You Are The Media, Writers Against the Algorithm, Alt Marketing School, The Marketing Meetup – it helps get you out of your own head, space, and headspace 😳 – Glenn Sturgess, Freelance Copywriter

Laundry folding is thinking

I love visiting clients for meetings and brainstorming chats. But I much prefer to get the actual work done at home. I often find it easier to puzzle out fitting, say, a lot of detail into a product description in a natural and engaging way if I have the freedom to fold a bit of laundry while I think about it.

Plus, office air con is never the right temperature, the tea there is no good, and the snacks are worse. – Laura Ansbro, Freelance Copywriter

Escaping the 9 to 5

In 25 years of freelance life I can count the number of times I’ve done in-house agency work on one hand.

Okay – it’s twice.

In-house work isn’t for me. One of my favourite things about being a freelance business owner is having the power to decide how I run my day.

I’d far rather be in complete control of my time – getting my head down writing in the mornings, building in time for daily exercise and taking calls in the afternoons.

Being a remote freelancer is just more ME.

So many of us become freelancers to escape the 9 to 5, and to work in a way that works for them – and their clients.

As a remote freelancer, your clients don’t care what hours you work, as long as you produce copy they love – that gets the results they wanted – on time and on budget.

That’s what I’m here for. And I do it best on my terms. – Sarah Townsend, Freelance Copywriter and author of Survival Skills for Freelancers

Creative rhythm

I’ve only ever worked remotely since going independent.

And since I started living nomadically last Aug it’s not really been up for discussion.

Deffo happier working off-site in general. I’m more productive and I find it easier to fit the day around my creative rhythms and domestic duties.

I also have a chronic illness, so tend to see inflexibility on place of work as a pretty big red flag. – Joel Stein, Chief Weird Officer @ Common Miracles

The world has changed

When I was in my 30s and 40s, I preferred working onsite at an agency. I learned so much more by being at the frontline and seeing the inner workings of the department. It toughened me up, made my writing more consistent, gave me some fresh perspectives and I even discovered the joys of House Music.

Back then, agency people were very much my people and I loved to be right there in the thick of it. In fact, a lot of the full-time jobs I gained came about from freelancing on-site.

Today, the joys of working on-site have disappeared to the point that I will now turn work down if I’m expected to go to an office to do it. There is nothing that is going to entice me back. And I don’t say this for dramatic effect or to bleat on about the old days being better. The world has changed and frankly so have I. – John Fountain, Freelance Copywriter

Too cold, too loud or too quiet

I don’t typically work on-site, because as a business rule in general, I’m a remote-first human. I’m not miserable working on-site, because I go in for fun stuff, so it’s a bit skewed.

I’m on-site for client workshops, research calls, or sometimes I’m in for a bit longer if it’s a really, really monster project.

Pros of working off-site: The flexibility is amazing, but I also get to choose what my office looks like. And the constant access to a fridge is both a pro and a con. When I previously worked in agencies, the pros were you got to bounce creative ideas off other folks. But it was always too cold, too loud or too quiet – never a happy medium. – Eloise Leeson-Smith, Linguist and Speaker

Write where you do your best stuff

I’m happiest when I have the choice to work either on or off-site. The flexibility of choosing where and when you work best is something I honestly never thought I’d see as a copywriter, and so it feels greedy for me to say I think it needs to go further. Everyone has different needs and preferences, but the idea of having to be in certain place on a certain day simply because I need to be ‘seen’ feels increasingly unrelated to the business of producing big ideas and effective writing. Let people do what delivers the best product, in the happiest way (and the two are absolutely related) and I honestly don’t think anyone, other than landlords, would have much to complain about.

Pros and cons of being a remote freelancer
One big pro that overrides all the possible cons – you get to write in the conditions that help you write your best stuff. Being in a place I haven’t chosen to be simply because it’s my so-called place of work is a compromise, creatively speaking. Remote work is freedom from that kind of compromise.

Pros and cons of working in the agency
I’m just about self-aware enough to detect the stink of my own hypocrisy in all of this, because I spent the first decade of my creative life very happily caged up in one studio or another. I made some of the best friends in my life, learned a ton and, most importantly, had many laughs. If I’d skipped that stage and gone straight to the life of creative solitude I lead now I think I’d be rubbish, and the wrong kind of weird. It’d be rich of me to say all young copywriters should start by spending as much time in the studio as they can, so all I’ll say is that there are valuable things you can only learn from sharing a roof, a kettle and an unreliable printer with a set of lunatics just like you.

I once got made redundant from a company who were spending an eye-watering (honestly, vast) monthly sum on renting an office that I never saw more than 10 people in at any one time. But do tell me again how an office helps build a healthy culture. – Andrew Boulton, Senior Copywriter & Author of ‘Copywriting Is… 30 or so thoughts on thinking like a copywriter’

Two sides to the same coin

Everyone knows a true Copywriter doesn’t like real, human company. Add to the torment the sound of breathing, the hum of office ceiling lights, whispers by the window, cackles by the kettle, and it’s enough to make a Creative’s blood boil. But then I remember who pays the bills and quickly get over myself.

Pros and cons of being a remote freelancer?
Pros: Work where you want, save on travel costs, avoid the morning rush, flexibility for school runs and generally being around more.

Cons: Fridge raiding, door sales evading. Noticing how much work needs doing to the house, and missing out on little things like corridor conversation (which could be the origins of a great idea).

Pros and cons of working in the agency?
Pros: Free coffee, running ideas by colleagues, having conversations without the use of emojis.

Cons: More distractions, wasting time on travel, suffering an atmosphere dictated by the mood of your boss.

And now that I run dollop, the boot’s on the other foot, as I’m the one hiring the freelancers.

Pros and cons of freelancer’s working on site?
Pros: Creativity is contagious, you’ve got someone to sense check your work, multiple minds can take ideas from cooor to phwoooar (the dollop video featured on our website was born from a creative session between myself and Jonathan Wilcock).

Cons: More distraction means less output, potential conflict with preferred ways of working, some freelancers might be less inclined to share their brilliant ideas in the presence of real humans.

Pros and cons of freelancer’s working off site?
Pros: Freelancers are working in an environment more familiar to them (which might result in better work), there’s a biblical amount of responsibility involved which might fuel a freelancer’s creative cylinders. More coffee for everyone else.

Cons: You might feel out of the loop, it can be harder to monitor progress, there’s a lot of trust involved (which doesn’t come easy if you’ve never worked with the freelancer before). – Tom Davies, chief creative dolloper at dollop

They can’t steal your biscuits

The pros of freelancers working off-site:
You have no option but to write the tightest of all the briefs. (This should be a prerequisite of any brief, of course. But it’s hard to police.)

You can’t distract them easily, so whilst you’re outsourcing the work you get focus as an extra.

The pool of talent is so much bigger when you don’t require them to travel in. Geography, innit.

They’re probably more comfortable in their known habitat, which usually benefits the work.

They can’t steal your biscuits.

And the cons:
You lose the magic which happens when creatives and silly-sods sit in the same room for long enough. Ideas, both good or bad, are often birthed. It’s the strangest yet often the most exciting reproductive system known to humankind.

You inevitably have to have at least one more Teams/Zoom call in your schedule. Disgusting.

It’s hard to monitor progress; important when you’re working with different teams on one output.

They steal your biscuits.

We had a chap turn up wearing a paisley Marks & Spencers dressing down he’d bought on the walk up to our office. I won’t name him, but he wrote a brilliant book called ‘Copywriting Is…’ and is sadly no relation to Michael. – Giles Edwards, Co-founder of …Gasp! | Call to Action® host

Getting the dopamine flowing

Delivering training in person is always a treat – and an increasingly rare one since COVID. It’s so much easier to sense the mood in the room, and see who’s engaged and who needs more help. But even for everyday consultancy and writing, I find having people around helps me to stay motivated and on task. It might be a neurotype thing.

On the other hand, remote freelancing makes it easier to work when the dopamine is flowing. And I can use different spaces and venues to nudge my brain towards certain kinds of thinking. Some days you’ll find me in a university library, other times a co-working space. Plus, of course, I get to live and work here in Cornwall, which speaks for itself. And even when you do go into an office, it’s often pretty empty – with people working from home.

So ultimately, I appreciate the freedom to have a mix. As a freelancer, a little in-office work goes a long way. The clients I’ve worked alongside in person – even for a day or two – are often the ones who’ve become friends, and the ones I’m most likely to give the benefit of the doubt if shit meets fan. – David McGuire, Copywriting and Creativity Trainer, Advisor, and Speaker.

Un-bitchy resting face

I am happiest working remotely, mainly because I live £100 away from London (where most of my clients are). That said, I do love the odd in-person sesh during a project kickoff. Nothing beats having the right people in a room together at the start.

Pros and cons of being a remote freelancer?
Pros: No travel fees, can choose where I work from (home, café, co-working space), minimal school pickup faff
Cons: No office banter, no free pens, no people-watching in the big city, no popping to Pret

Pros and cons of working in the agency or with the client?
Pro’s: Trains are fun, people are fun, you get to the solutions quicker than on calls or Slack, can pop to Pret
Cons: Trains can be un-fun, office atmosphere can be distracting, exhausting faking an un-bitchy resting face

A couple of on-site stories for you:

1. The synergy was so good during one IRL working session a couple of years ago that, when I returned from a quick bathroom break, they’d conferred and offered me a permanent role on the spot. I wasn’t looking for a perm role at the time, so the previously buoyant vibe took a slight turn – like a corporate version of being proposed to too soon. It may not have been a forever thing, but it was still a fun and fruitful fling.

2. I once spent a couple of days on-site at a children’s publisher. One of those days happened to be their internal World Book Day celebration – everyone came dressed as characters from their own books. They’d gone all out, with ambitiously crafted DIY costumes, and a party/awards ceremony for best outfit happening in the next room. Meanwhile, I cracked on solo in a room of empty desks, looking like a total party pooper to anyone passing by (though quietly grateful for the peace to wrangle words in my Google Doc.) – Gemma Strang, Copy and Creative Specialist

– – – – – – – – –

Pros and cons a-plenty (thank you all)

Sounds like we’re all, for the most part, on the same page-ish.

Bumping heads in the real world from time to time can help strengthen bonds and spark new ideas. Especially when it comes to the briefing process. I for one am particularly keen on running workshops in the flesh. Eye-to-eye, toe-to-toe, heart-to-heart.

But if you’re in the business of writing copy, peace and quiet (or at least getting to choose your own ambient soundtrack) is key. Being in an office, surrounded by distractions, is a huge obstacle to the creative process.

For that reason, I can’t see myself ever particularly wanting to do the writingy-thinkingy bit onsite again.

However, if you’re a junior creative, I reckon a nurturing environment, full of supportive old-timers is a must. College barely prepares you for the real world. Workplace mentors, buddies and confidantes are as vital to a growing creative bod as your 5 a day. So, it really is ‘orses f’ courses.

But what about when I used to hire freelancers?

To round it all off and flip the script of my intro piece; when I was running a creative agency, we’d often have freelancers in. All of them lovely in their own way.

But, there was one. Quite senior, pretty darned talented. A chatty chap. A VERY chatty chap. Too chatty. He managed to grind the whole creative department down to a stand still for hours at a time.

Banter Boy!

When he presented his work, he also talked us to death. So much build-up, by the time we got to see the work we were nodding off.

Really lovely bloke. Extremely talented. He just didn’t know how to read the room. He did one week-long stint with us and we never had him back in again.

But that was a good 12 years ago. And post-Covid, things have moved on. Most agencies accept that us grown up creatives can work remotely. We can get the job done on time. And if we have access to meaningful exchanges, via online meetings and email exchanges, even the odd phone call; the work can be just as good (if not better) than when we’re all herded into an open plan creative warehouse.

So, if the agency insists you have to work in-house, and it’s not your bag, send ’em to this blog post.

Love and patience.

Jonathan x

Jonathan Wilcock (that’s me) is a Senior Freelance Copywriter.
You can drop me a line here, or email jonathan@sowhatif.co.uk