You love your clients; or, at least, you want to. But let’s be honest, some people out in the real world are hard to love, and the same can be applied to the companies who hire us to work on a temporary basis for them. With most clients, it’s possible just to grin and bear their annoying aspects. Some, however, take these ‘annoying aspects’ to the extreme edge, and do things that hurt your morale, bottom line, and other clients. Below, we take a look at some examples of how your clients might be taking advantage of you.

 

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Working Towards Perfection

You’re good at what you do. You know that, and the people hire you know that too – it’s why they hired you in the first place. So it can seem a bit wrong for a company to ask for more and more once you’ve handed over your work. You’ll have been given them a quote for your services, and if you’ve delivered those services, then all the agreements have been met. Of course, you want your clients to be happy, but if they’re asking for repeated edits and so on – perfection, basically – then they’re not living up to their side of the agreement.

 

Troubles Getting Paid

You’ll find that some companies are quick to reply to your messages when you’re in the process of doing the work for them. But when it comes to getting paid? Then, they can go mysteriously quiet. If you’re having difficulty getting the money you’re owed from a company, take action. You can send reminders, and add penalty charges (or at least threaten to) if it’s not received by a set date. In some cases, it might be necessary to call a business lawyer, and examine your legal options for getting your money back. There’s no room for being shy in cases like this: you’re the only one losing out by not demanding your payment.

 

Disrespecting Boundaries

You’re not an employee of the company you’re working with. And in fact, even if you were, that doesn’t mean you have to be there for them at all moments. If you’re working for a client who insists on calling you multiple times a day, or, worse, once you’ve left the office, then it’s time to set boundaries. There’s a reason why you decided to go your own way in your career, and that’s so you had the freedom to work without interruption or someone hounding you.

 

They Don’t Value Your Work

A good client will value the work that you’ve done for them, so don’t settle for negative remarks (unless they’re justified, of course). If you know the work you’ve done is sound and meets their rubric, then they’re probably just trying to drive down your rates. Work with people who appreciate what you do!

 

What To Do

Ultimately, not all clients can be great. If you get a bad one, then save yourself a headache, and drop them (after you’ve been paid for your services, of course!).