We did a story over at the Rules of Work blog (where I’m editor) on the latest change – which is acknowledging that the “Rules of Work” have changed”. It’s a great validation of the Free Agent Source model, so here’s a summary of some of the consensus rules the article extracts from the conversation:
Our favorite: “To be successful, you have to be a freelancer.” OK, that writer probably didn’t mean only a freelancer, but we think the implication is pretty neat. Whether it’s a free agent, a contract worker, an entrepreneur, or whatever, she’s saying the new rules of work involve holding your own iron in the fire, possibly a couple of irons. Gotta love that validation!- Don’t count on health care or retirement through standard employment. Spot on! Why do you think we offer those things to free agents? You see, people are really starting to get it now – this change that’s been here for a while, has been coming for a lot longer, and is ongoing. It’s becoming clearer.
- You are the talent and skill you bring. The new work atmosphere will favor adaptable people, including the people who have adapted and lived through this change – people who focus on bringing value. The work relationships will all be different. That’s what FAS is about – simplifying what was before a complex and so economically vulnerable arrangement. What’s left on the table then is the value you bring, and the rate or price you ask for that value. Work, separated from the culture of “jobs”, becomes crystal clear.
- Your story is currency, and social media is your venue for telling it. Steve Pruneau said in a recent episode of FAS-TV that Linkedin is an example of the future for independent professionals to network, find jobs, and showcase their talent, and certainly is already a thriving venue for independent recruiters to locate and place that talent. That’s one reason we’re partnering with independent recruiters who want in on the Free Agent Source model to give them access to place the new kind of professionals – independent ones – free agents. And our own role in social media is partly to serve as a point of contact to bring these distinct interests together.
You couldn’t get more spot on than what everyone is now saying, seemingly since the President’s speech yesterday. It came from the mouth of the ‘leader of the free world’ – the rules of work are different now – and the implication, increasingly grasped by interpreters of cultural change, is that free agency is our future. At Free Agent Source, we think it’s high time this happened; we haven’t been sitting around waiting for the talk to reach this level – we’ve been building the solution.
We don’t sell ourselves in our blog much – it’s not our style – we’re ‘new media’ – but if you’d like to know more about what we’re doing, I encourage you to watch the 10min webinar. It might be the best 10min you’ve spent since you got your most recent pay stub. If you’d like to go ahead and look at getting involved with Free Agent Source, either as a free agent (independent professional), an employer (looking to put people to work without standard employment), or an independent recruiter (looking to expand your business with the wave that’s coming), let’s set up a telephone consultation and talk. No pressure, but we’d like to know your thoughts, and answer questions you may have.
