It’s been an interesting month to be a freelancer. With the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) coming into effect today, it presents challenges to freelancers and many businesses are struggling to come to terms with what’s required of them.
Meeting the GDPR as a Freelancer
I’ve had to upgrade my billing and support system to come into line with the new rules and allow people to export or delete their accounts. I’ve also had to update my WordPress website software to allow for technical aspects of ensuring people contacting me to agree to my privacy policy, and for people to opt-out of Google Analytics cookies.
Reading up on the new rules, updates to my privacy/cookie policy and sending out one last Mailchimp newsletter (about GDPR..) and then deleting my Mailchimp list have all taken time away from paid work. Thinking through all the systems I use and what data I have stored has led to a good clean out on the project management system and backup system.
Dealing With Client Enquiries Around GDPR
Alongside all the work to make my own business compliant, there has been a surge of enquiries from clients about making their own website GDPR compliant. These are difficult to deal with as I’m not a lawyer and don’t want to take on liability for advising people about the GDPR laws. In many instances it’s been a case of asking them to read up on the rules to make sure they understand how it affects their wider business processes and updating their privacy policies. I’ve then been making small changes to their websites, installing SSL certificates and updating software.
Some clients are looking to outsource the whole GDPR thing and when I’ve not taken that on, they have gone elsewhere. I’ve seen local freelancers and agencies offering to write privacy policies etc which sets off alarm bells in my head. If the clients don’t understand the GDPR enough to get involved, they could be in trouble down the line. The freelancers and agencies are sailing close to the wind as well as they could be liable for any challenges made to their clients.
I’ve also seen some enterprising individuals selling “GDPR compliance toolkits” for a few hundred quid, who knows what they actually contain and how legally accurate they are…
This has been a test of my resolve to only offer what I’m qualified and comfortable in offering as a freelancer. Saying ‘No’ is difficult but it’s important to me to focus on what I’m good at and to not get involved in tricky legal related issues that could have serious implications for me and the client both.
Other freelance challenges this month
I’ve had a dose of Imposter Syndrome this month about my design skills, which has made producing new design work tricky. By feeding the creative part of my brain and looking at lots of inspiration I’ve got back on track – as well as benefiting from some advice that said “Have a f*cking concept”.
Being asked to do free work and people wanting things RIGHT NOW keeps cropping up, and while I can push back to protect my time and focus on scheduled work this often leaves me feeling drained and negative. Some NLP coaching from Joe at Prometheus has helped with this.
I’ve also heard from a friend who has started working from home and that’s given me an idea for a blog about the social aspects of freelancing or home-working. Keeping regular social contact is important and co-working can help with that, as well as stopping us going feral and sitting around in our pyjamas all day.