I think I've been "ghost-fired"

26 Comments

1. AnonymousOctober 13,2023 at 2:05PM UTC

   The lack of response from the company does seem poor. I would suggest you expand your effort to working with other companies at this point if you have not already started doing this.

2. AnonymousOctober 13,2023 at 2:12PM UTC

   They may have financial struggles despite what they are showing to the public. They don't want to burn bridges with you, which is a good thing.

3. AnonymousOctober 13,2023 at 2:58PM UTC

   You may have been replaced by chatGPT, or someone cheaper. It doesn’t reflect on you or your skills, but I would look for other clients and possibly other sources of income.

4. AnonymousOctober 13,2023 at 3:43PM UTC

   Could be change in management and decision makers. Move on. That's a harsh way that they are not communicating with you but you need to continue to move forward.

5. AnonymousOctober 13,2023 at 4:51PM UTC

   Do you have them under contract?

6. Katherine Metres Akbar, Interview Coach & Resume ExpertOctober 14,2023 at 1:41PM UTC

   Technically a freelancer can't be fired, so legally they are under no obligation to end an open-ended contract, but I agree with you that sudden radio silence seems rude. If you have only contacted one person at the company, you might want to follow up with someone else to gently inquire as to whether their needs or estimation of your work have changed. Maybe someone left the company suddenly? In any case, I could use a new resume writer/editor who can help out with rushes and regular work with one- to three-day turnarounds, so please let me know if this would be of interest.

7. AnonymousOctober 14,2023 at 4:38PM UTC

   I've never heard of ghost-firing until today. Thanks for sharing your story and I'm sorry this happened/is happening to you.

   I sincerely hope you see this experience as a redirection to something better for you! It's difficult because you weren't given the the closure you needed, then again, I have no idea if your contract has an "at will clause" in it.

   Meaning, they aren't obligated to tell you why but they should have at the very least communicated that your services were no longer going to be needed (with an appropriate severance, if that was part of y'alls agreement).

   Again, I'm sorry this happened to you and I hope you end up crossing paths with right employer that aligns with your work expectations.

8. AnonymousOctober 14,2023 at 8:33PM UTC

   If you've freelance writing I hate to say it but your role has likely been replaced by AI. Many media outlets have drastically cut down their staffing to the bare bones and use AI to generate the majority of their content.

   Add this to the fact that many media corps (especially in the publications realm) are struggling financially and you have your most likely answer.

9. AnonymousOctober 15,2023 at 2:23AM UTC

   Are you getting regular paychecks

10. Shelby COctober 15,2023 at 3:28PM UTC

    Freelance work, by definition, implies someone is paid by the hour or day. So, no she's not being paid.

11. BethBOctober 15,2023 at 1:25PM UTC

    It does seem rude, except remember that you may have worked for them for 10 years, the powers that be may not either have been with the company that long or they don’t value vendor loyalty. They may be the kind of people who don’t like to have difficult convos (hey, I hired my little sister or we are using AI or we hired a staff person, etc).

12. AnonymousOctober 15,2023 at 1:36PM UTC

    Check LinkedIn to confirm your key contacts are still there. Maybe they left and whomever replaced them doesn’t know about your work.

13. AnonymousOctober 15,2023 at 3:33PM UTC

    It is rather rude that they didn't say something to you but you are a contractor and they may have grown big enough to hire an in house person to do your work.

14. AnonymousOctober 15,2023 at 3:50PM UTC

    If you'd like confirmation, as I would, that an enjoyable job & source of income has ended, try once more to make contact. If there's no reply, arrive at their location one morning & ask to speak to any one of your contacts, which givesghem chance to fit you in.

    You'll soon know the way of things & if it is as you beleive, let them know how much you enjoyed your work & how you would have appreciated being told.

    If not, I hope all goes well.

15. AnonymousOctober 15,2023 at 4:21PM UTC

    I'm so sorry this has happened to you. Our culture has moved toward avoidance rather than providing feedback. I would suggest that you try reaching out to someone other than your regular contact in the organization to see what the situation is.

16. Tom ReulandOctober 15,2023 at 5:32PM UTC

    sorry it happened to you. Sadly Ghost-Firing is on the rise. Brush up your resume. Good luck.

17. AnonymousOctober 15,2023 at 5:41PM UTC

    This is my greatest fear about working remote

18. Liz MilneOctober 16,2023 at 2:24AM UTC

    As a freelancer they don't owe you an explanation (I'm a freelancer myself, I have clients go 'cold' on me from time to time...)

    All you can do is reach out and say hello, and let them know you are still available for writing work that they might need.

    Some of my clients drifted away to dip a toe into ChatGPT - and fortunately many of them have drifted back again, finding AI writing to be very bland and formulaic, so it might be that they're trying AI - getting in touch might make them realise that actually, they quite liked your human way of writing?

19. AnonymousOctober 16,2023 at 2:27AM UTC

    My company has had a steady exodus of top level executives after hiring a new CEO. The old model of sales has been replaced with a new “virtual” model. Leads and assignments have disappeared steadily year over year. It occurred to me that if a company doesn’t want you to work on the old in-person model they can strangle the pipeline of leads and force you to work for less, (hourly and less commission) sort of a ghosting but maybe more of a passive aggressive way of forcing a person into a less paying position out of desperation. With me being the desperate one…

20. Janet ParkhurstOctober 16,2023 at 4:10AM UTC

    Hi,

    First of all, I'm so sorry that happened to you. It happened to me, too, many years ago. The company--who found ME, by the way, gave me work--so much work that I felt like a full-time employee--until, suddenly, without warning or explanation...crickets.This happened, like your situation, about ten years after I'd started. My boss, whom I'd established a close work friendship with, suddenly stopped returning my calls. I kept reaching out and got nothing. I finally started calling her boss and then HIS boss. I just wanted an explanation--or a simple "am I or aren't I?" I'd worked for them at all hours of the day and night, once while sick in bed (I can still feel the warmth of the PC seeping through the layers of bedcovers over my lap between trips to the bathroom during a severe bout of the flu.)

    After two more weeks of silence, I got really angry and ripped off a letter to the CEO, lambasting him for running a company where principals were allowed to treat freelancers and probably other "contractors" like shit. I told him that if he every needed my help again, he would not get it, because of the unprofessional and, yes, rude, way in which his company "ghost fired" good workers like that. I immediately got a call from the jerk who originated the "ignore-her-and-she'll-go-away" strategy. He apologized profusely and, a couple of years later, when the company needed me again, I was able to help them out.

    I think the answer is to just let a company (or an individual) have it, and make it clear you are accustomed to being treated a certain way (professionally and respectfully), or you won't do business with them in the future.

    So... to answer your question, I think it's been the practice by certain companies for a while now. But that doesn't mean it's right. In hindsight, I wouldn't have accepted more work from them. I found out later they treated their employees abysmally, with unfair, indiscriminate firings of loyal workers--without notice, of course. My other takeaway? Don't get so comfy with one client that you fail to ALWAYS have other, equally wealthy customers who need your expertise, ready to rock 'n' roll NOW. Don't become a 1099 "employee."

    I hope this was helpful!

21. AnonymousOctober 16,2023 at 12:49PM UTC
    I have been a hiring manager for companies for 5+ years, using freelancers to complete the majority of client work. When the company decides to hire more salaried full-timers to save money or to improve the workflow (freelancers aren't always available and/or salaried individuals may have a deeper perceived capacity than freelancers), the company won't always communicate right away with the freelancer because it is understood that the company is not necessarily the freelancer's only client or source of income so there's only an implied commitment there.
    
    The company may also be going through an adjustment period where they still need to keep the freelancer as a reliable backup. For our writers and editors, I've tried giving them a heads up that we've hired more inhouse writers and editors now, and so that's why work is slowing. The company has also raised the freelancer's rate just to keep them available for a period of time through the adjustment period. Oftentimes, it was easier for the company to make the decision to hire internally because the freelancer's rate was so much steeper than what the total spend would be for a salaried inhouse role. This is determined by looking at the amount of money spent on this service yearly, for example.
    
    Another thing to consider as a writer might be that the company has multiple freelance writers and some are consistently better. I have worked with some writers who simply nail the assignment, do a very good job bringing out the client's voice, consistently return the work early (faster than everyone else), and our editor only needs to make very minimal edits. Naturally, the company would assign work to this freelancer as their first choice, then to the others if their first choice isn't available.
    
    You could try to get some very frank feedback (you'd need to be very frank and savvy when asking for this for them to be honest with you). You could also see if your rate has been a hindrance to new work (and offer a reduced rate). You could see if they've filled the role internally or if they are working with multiple writers and then figure out how that's working for them (are other freelancers cheaper, industry experts, do they have faster turnarounds, etc.).
    
    If you want a more structured agreement based on the company's forecasted workload, have a meeting with the right decision-maker and see what's possible. It's understandable if you are available, but not getting any new work from them, that you would want to revisit their needs. Like others have said, you're not really an employee so they don't really owe an explanation, but if you have a good relationship with them, you could possibly get some additional information that would help. I'd use LinkedIn and/or the company's website to see if your contact's role has changed and if there are others you can reach out to.
22. Bradford McCormickOctober 16,2023 at 3:45PM UTC

    Yes it sounds rude to me. I am sure somebody has already asked you if you've asked them about it? Shouldn't you ask, to show them your continued interest, telling them what you've written here about getting good reviews and genuinely liking to do it? But on the ohter side, even if they don't currently have work, if htey appreciated what you did for them, shouldn't they have kept in toudh with you? How can it hurt to ask expecially since it's not criticism of to say you are still interested?

23. CassieOctober 17,2023 at 11:21PM UTC

    Yes! I find there are many instances where people are judged and even fired, without anyone trying to talk w them, see if any issues can be resolved , particularly an issue between two people. Seems the younger world have bought into liberal and therapy protocol: listen without asking what you can try to do to fix it. They act like their gentle manners promote peace and harmony, when they actually hide misinformation and bullying. Important to ask for clarification, if not to penalize them for lack of functional communication.

24. AnonymousOctober 18,2023 at 10:51PM UTC

    You are so right, Cassie. I recently gave notice to a twenty-something-year-old boss with a half expectation that she might ask if there was any kind of discussion we could have or even an opportunity for renegotiation. (My letter of resignation was professional, polite and intentionally vague as to why I was quitting, but the real reason was, I was tired of her constant bullying.)

    But, no matter. Apparently she's fine with having to search for a replacement, arrange for someone to do my job until she does find a replacement, and then train that new person all over again.

    But I get it: we live in a throwaway society.

25. AnonymousOctober 17,2023 at 11:26PM UTC

    Maybe the people you used to deal with got suddenly laid off and the new ones don't know about you?

26. Mindy ClaggettOctober 18,2023 at 1:04PM UTC

    This was what I was going to say, too. I worked at a media company for 4 years, and they were notorious for laying people off with zero notice.