A new study has revealed that one of the primary motivating factors for Brits starting careers as contractors is dissatisfaction with their current job.
Nearly everyone’s had a bad job or two in their careers; it’s almost a given that somewhere along the line you’re going to be trapped in a position somewhere that is so horrid you would rather put your eyes out than go into work one more day. For me, it was nine excruciating months at a call centre, where miserable bastards would ring me up at all hours of the day just to take the piss out of me – it was mind-numbing and soul-crushing, and I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
Well, that universal experience is translating to Brits leaving permanent employment in droves to become freelancers, umbrella contractors, or any other self-employed worker, according to new university research. Nearly two decades of data collected from tens of thousands of people discovered that – surprise, surprise – people made miserable by their jobs tend to leave for positions that are less stressful, and that includes striking out on your own as a contract worker.
Switching to interim work is seen as a fantastic alternative to the stress and anxiety of a permanent billing. In fact, the survey found that an overwhelming 76 per cent of those who switch to flexible self-employment were absolute nervous wrecks at their old job when it comes to anxiety, and a still-noteworthy four out of every ten were likely to be suffering from a serious psychological disturbance – all because working a dead-end job is absolutely the worst thing ever.
Honestly I don’t know why this research study was even undertaken in the first place – everyone knows how destructive it is, working a job that you hate but can’t afford to quit. It’s a special kind of hell getting up every day before the sun, rushing through breakfast so you can fight the crowds on public transport to get to your job so you can be verbally abused by bosses and customers alike, then rush home and wolf down a bland, tasteless meal so you can get up and do it all again the next day; why in the world would anyone even think for a moment that working as a freelancer wouldn’t be shedloads better than that?
Not that contract work doesn’t have its own stresses, but let’s be honest: if you’re a contractor, you could easily never get up before sunrise again and still have a very successful business.
