New data launched this month reveals 8/10 millennials say they are no longer interested in working in an office when it comes to choosing their career and 67% of Brits are thinking about quitting their jobs to go freelance.
The UK’s ‘Generation Flex’ cite flexible hours (74%), ‘being my own boss’ (64%) and ‘working wherever I want’ (58%) as the top reasons given by those who want to work for themselves.
However, despite the growing trend towards freelancing as a full-time career in the UK half of businesses (56%) are currently missing out on the benefits of freelancers with only a fifth (21%) saying they are ‘definitely’ open to using them”.
Andrew Wray, UK Country Head at Fiverr, said:
“According to IPSE, the freelance market contributes £100bn annually to the UK economy. Our data sheds light on a new generation of workers who are either already benefiting from, or considering, the freedom and autonomy that freelancing presents. However, it’s clear that there’s more to be done to educate businesses of all sizes about the benefits of harnessing digital freelancers.
The status quo for years was for companies to hire permanent employees. However, the benefits of working with digital freelancers are numerous – from the immediate exposure to top tier talent – which means experienced freelancers waste no time to hit the ground running on work – flexible hours, and crucially, cost saving”
To celebrate the rising trend of freelancing, Fiverr has created a workspace on the London Eye for freelancers. The sky-high workspace was created by TV interior designer Sophie Robinson – a judge on BBC’s The Great Interior Design Challenge, currently on Netflix and Amazon Prime – as the ultimate creative space with tropical plants, collaborative areas, and fabulous views across the London skyline.
Sophie Robinson, Interior Designer explains:
“My goal here was to design the ultimate creative space and think about how we plan our office spaces is quickly changing, parallel with the way we work. Through Fiverr’s space, I have demonstrated the latest thinking in office design, biophilia and how to unleash your creativity and productivity by the way you design and organise your work space.”
So is flexible working all it’s cracked up to be? Freelance SEO and Digital Marketing expert Lisa Baker quit her job last year to run Need to See IT publishing and digital marketing agency. She says:
“I’m not a millenial and my decision to work for myself was lifestyle based. I have arthritis and seizures, so having more flexibility has enabled me to get a better grip on my health, taking rests when I need to.
“However, while I enjoy the freedom to work in my PJs, self-employment certainly isn’t ‘easy’, I work far more hours and far harder than I did when working for someone else. However, on the plus side, I manage my own time (so can work until midnight if I have a deadline to meet) and I’m working with some amazing people. It does have other perks too – last summer, I was boiling hot in a stifling office, working from home means this Summer, I have put a shelter up in the garden and work on my laptop outdoors with my pets at my feet.
“Self-employment isn’t for everyone, but it definitely works for me.”