In 2004 and 2009, those of us on the NUJ’s freelance council asked everyone in the sector about our working lives. We’re lay members of the union (not officials) doing this to try to make sure we are as well informed as we can be.
These surveys let us gather information about how we live from day-to-day and earn our livings, and the effect this has on our health and well-being.
Now, we’re repeating the exercise. Very importantly, by including the same questions and asking you to contribute as many narrative comments as you can, we will be able to compare like-with-like and identify what has changed over the last 10 years.
The results of those previous surveys significantly influenced union policy and work that has been carried out since. They have also been cited frequently.
So, to help us to continue to best represent freelances, we’re asking for the investment of a few minutes of your time to add more to this body of highly-valuable evidence.
Please answer as many questions as you can as fully as possible. The narrative comments you make are very important, so you don’t feel the need to be brief if you don’t want to be. (You can send longer contributions to freelanceoffice@nuj.org.uk with “wellbeing survey” in the subject line – before the February 14 closing date, please.)
The survey is totally anonymous. However, if you do give any information in an answer that can identify a client, for example, this will remain confidential and will not be published in the consequent report and analysis. (That will be published on the NUJ website in due course.)
Please go to fluidsurveys.com/surveys/fic/freelance-well-being-survey-2013 and answer the questions now.
The survey will close at 6pm (gmt) on Friday February 14 2014, so please don’t forget to use this chance to influence how the NUJ best represents us as freelance members