The Causey Consulting Podcast

Do you understand the difference between someone who freelances or works on a 1099 basis as an independent contractor versus an employee? If you're rolling your eyes like, "Well, yeah, duh. It seems self-evident," I get it. Yet you might be surprised how many people don't actually understand the difference.

Key topics:

✔️ Someone who works freelance or as an independent contractor is not an employee of your company. Periodt. Expecting them to function as an employee even though they cover their own benefits and taxes is dirty pool.
✔️ If you are an HR professional, it is important to explain to your hiring managers that someone freelancing for your company is not an internal, W2 employee. The onus is on you to educate the team.
✔️ If you are freelancing and find that you are attracting clients who expect you take their equipment, camp out on Slack channels, be butt in seat from 8 to 5, and that is not what you want, you have to speak up for yourself. You are not obligated to function as an employee when you freelance!
✔️ Your time is valuable as a freelancer and you have every right to run your desk as you see fit. It's OK to acknowledge that some companies don't deserve your skills.
✔️ I would humbly suggest that if you feel that you need someone to "plug in" and "integrate into the team" on a temporary basis, find a temporary employee through a staffing agency. You will probably have to pay a mark-up, but you may have a better chance of finding someone who is willing to give you the temporary employee experience.


Links I discuss in this episode:

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/freelancer.asp

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/independent-contractor.asp

https://www.findlaw.com/employment/hiring-process/part-time-temporary-and-seasonal-employees.html#:~:text=Temporary%20employees%2C%20sometimes%20referred%20to,gaps%20in%20a%20company's%20workforce.

https://mattwilliamscreative.medium.com/warning-signs-of-sucky-clients-part-i-acb9259c5b7f

https://mattwilliamscreative.medium.com/how-to-avoid-sucky-clients-part-ii-98ecfc5f85b6

Need more? Email me: https://causeyconsultingllc.com/contact-causey/

In this bonus episode, I'll answer viewer mail I received from Debbie. (Not her real name.) Debbie escaped Corporate America and utilized a freelancing site that she now wants to eliminate. And with good reason. But... how do we do that?

Key topics:

✔️ Not every potential client on a freelancing site is garbage just as not every potential client who enters your funnel some other way is pure gold. But it definitely seems like freelancing sites are the Wild West of 1099 work and are rife with bad behavior. Everything from ghosting to terrible pay to biased scoring systems.
✔️ As with Debbie's situation, companies pushing employees to "come on back to the office now" are facing quite a bit of backlash. If you are considering a way out, getting some fast cash and proof of concept from a freelancing site is not a terrible idea. It just may not be the way to build your business for the long term.
✔️ I advocate for planning your exit strategy in advance rather than ripping off the band-aid. You may decide to keep a presence on a site as an "in case of emergency, break glass" plan. Or you may decide to transition away from those sites over the course of six months. If you are risk averse, do not delete all of your profiles at once and then regret it five minutes later.

Links I discuss in this episode:

https://doubleyourfreelancing.com/escaping_upwork/

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1125110/9087607

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1125110/9237063


Need more? Email me: https://causeyconsultingllc.com/contact-causey/

Are you still cyberstalking your prospects? Sending out 10,000 follow up emails? Recording cheesy "personalized" videos for people? If you hate doing these things and you aren't making enough money, it's time to stop using outdated techniques.

Key topics:

✔️ The number 1 thing on my list is anything involving a bait and switch or fraud. Don't, just don't.
✔️ Creating a "personalized" video for someone does not have the cool factor it did several years ago. In fact, it feels like you are intruding on my time and trying to give me one more task on my to-do list for the day. So how likely am I to watch your video? 0.
✔️ It's important to understand your Customer Acquisition Cost. Doing a lot of high touch, major time-suck activities = you staying broke. Likewise, sending 1000 follow up emails to someone who is not interested = you staying broke.
✔️ Things like newsletters, blogs, and yes, even podcasts, are not the right avenues for everyone. If you hate blogging or you've been podcasting and the only people listening are your mom & dad and grandma at the nursing home, is that really worth your time?


Links I discuss in this episode:

https://www.cmswire.com/digital-marketing/5-marketing-techniques-to-dump/

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/336544

https://corktreecreative.com/376-leave-these-marketing-strategies-in-the-past/


Need more? Email me: https://causeyconsultingllc.com/contact-causey/

Last April, I recorded an episode called Ghosting, Reconsidered where I asked the question: is ghosting always a negative thing?  As you know, I'm not afraid of making bold statements or bold predictions. And for my money, I'd rather hear nothing than receive an email that's rude, weird, or cringe.

✔️ Several years ago, job seekers were very vocal about, "Tell us anything, even if it's just a form letter. But for the love of all that's good and holy, don't ghost us." Is that still accurate now in the midst of The Great Resignation? 🤔 People get so many emails and calls from recruiters and an active job seeker will probably have applied to dozens if not hundreds  of roles so... is that form letter still necessary?
✔️ A rude, tacky response will alienate good candidates. And probably show up on social media for everyone to lampoon.
✔️ Just as some people like to play games in romantic relationships, some people want to play games in the business world, too. That doesn't mean we need to participate.
✔️ A boilerplate email like this:
"Thank you for your interest in X. While your skills and background impressed us, we have decided to proceed with other applicants who more closely fit our needs at this time. We appreciate your time and effort. We encourage you to apply for other positions at X in the future."

seems out-of-date, impersonal, and silly to me. Again, maybe it's just me, but I'd honestly rather hear nothing than receive something I find condescending. 


Links I discuss in this episode:

https://medium.com/the-dot-non-fiction/in-defense-of-ghosting-when-no-response-is-the-right-response-f426e8114972

https://thedipp.com/relationships/id-rather-be-ghosted-than-receive-this-text

https://breezy.hr/blog/job-rejection-email

Need more? Email me: https://causeyconsultingllc.com/contact-causey/

In Part III of my take on The Great Resignation, I want to explore the question of what's become of the people who said, "Take this job and shove it!"

Key topics:

✔️ Are the quitters still living off a $1200 stimulus check from 2020 and hanging out on the couch in grandma's basement? No. Are they all crypto millionaires? Also no.
✔️ I remember in my early days in staffing & recruiting, hiring managers were so geeked up on longevity. "Don't send us anyone who can't prove they'll stay for at least 5 years." 🙄 If you're still hiring like it's 1985, you're doing it wrong. (For that matter, if you're still hiring like it's 2015, you're doing it wrong.)
✔️ Your interview process, onboarding process, and new hire orientation should not suck. If they do, the odds go up exponentially that candidates will drop out of your hiring funnel and move on to a better option. You may not like that reality, but that's where we're at. Likewise, you should create both an exit interview process that doesn't suck and an employee retention process that actually works. People often give a secondary or tertiary answer about why they are resigning, but may not feel comfortable divulging the REAL reason why. You have to cultivate an environment of transparency and honest communication.
✔️ Please stahp shoving your "perks" down everyone's throats. We're not living in the 1990s Dot Com Boom. I was there, I remember it, and that time has gone. Advertising that you have a slide instead of a staircase in the office or a foosball table or Margarita Machine Mondays = NO ONE CARES. These so-called perks will not paper over a crappy culture, awful management, and subpar pay. 

Special intro music: "My Generation" by The Who.


Links I discuss in this episode:

Logical Finance videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waIsIZrrKtM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdrww--SWR4


Need more? Email me: https://causeyconsultingllc.com/contact-causey/

Recently I watched Sundance's series "Ministry of Evil: The Twisted Cult of Tony Alamo" and it was quite disturbing. Not only because of how insane the behaviors of Tony and Susan Alamo were, but also because some of the same tactics are used to manipulate people in Corporate America.

Trigger warning: this episode will cover some pretty dark and disturbing subject matter.

Key topics:

✔️ When we see absolutely outrageous actions-- keeping a dead body in the house, proclaiming yourself to be God's mouthpiece, marrying child brides-- it's easy to say, "Oh well, yeah, that's a cult." Yet many of the same techniques used by cultists are also used in Corporate America. Be careful of "outrageous overshadowing."
✔️ As with the NXIVM cult, members of the Alamo organization were made to work long hours and had to engage in high arousal activities. Doing this keeps you in survival mode and prevents you from stepping back to really ask the question, "WTH are we doing here?!?"
✔️ Tony told his acolytes that he needed surveillance tools in order to protect himself from outsiders. In reality, he was also watching all of the organization's members to be sure they were complying with his wishes. Sound familiar? Sure sounds like the Digital Panopticon to me.
✔️ Some people are incredibly talented manipulators. They have already sized you up and figured out exactly what you'd like to hear the minute you walk in the door. In an interview situation, for example, if it seems like you are getting love-bombed and everything is super intense, be careful.

Links I discuss in this episode:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/ministry-of-evil-the-twisted-cult-of-tony-alamo-review-hell-on-earth-11550785714

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1993-04-26-1993116210-story.html

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1125110/6785926


Need more? Email me: https://causeyconsultingllc.com/contact-causey/

Introverts, ambiverts, and extroverts who actually hate forced socialization and fakey-fake team building activities make up more of the population than people who want to mandate togetherness and silly kindergarten style party games. So why are we still allowing those types to create job descriptions?

Key topics:

✔️ If your job description is getting little or no traction out in the marketplace, you need to take an honest appraisal of why that is. Rather than blaming the entire workforce, the economy, and/or whole generations of people, look inward.
✔️ Why on earth would you require your staff to be filmed on Zoom every single day? WHY?!?!
✔️ If a company feels the need to drive a pin with a sledgehammer on togetherness and how "tight knit" they all are, ask yourself, "Does this sound like cult-speak in Corporate America to me?" 


Need more? Email me: https://causeyconsultingllc.com/contact-causey/

"We're not just a company... we're like a family here!"

😱

Do you hear words like that and immediately feel tempted to run away? If so, I don't blame you. Is your employer your family? Nope. It seems like "we're a family" is a very popular form of corporate cult-speak.

Key topics:

✔️ Be careful of companies that operate like the mafia. No, your boss is not your parent and your coworkers are not your siblings. Give me a break.
✔️ Loyalty is a two-way street. So often the companies that preach about how tight knit everyone supposedly is are the most toxic and deceitful!
✔️ In The Firm, Mitch is plied with lots of money, perks, and benefits. LOTS of money. It turns out that it was hush money as well as "we own your a$$ now" money. The more dependent you are on Corporate America, the more they own you.
✔️ There are companies who tell employees, "You will post the official narrative or there's the door." So can you trust shiny-happy-people-holding-hands social media posts? I don't recommend it.
✔️ If the company asks you illegal questions during the hiring process, please, please do not ignore that huge red flag. No matter how much money they offer you, please be careful.

Special intro music: "Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring.

Links I discuss in this episode:

Dr. Phil & Rick Alan Ross on cults:

https://www.drphilintheblanks.com/podcast-episodes/episode/2f8e2e4f/the-dangers-and-warning-signs-of-cults-part-1

https://www.drphilintheblanks.com/podcast-episodes/episode/3d9fcdc5/the-dangers-and-warning-signs-of-cults-part-2

If you want to buy the books for yourself:

https://www.amazon.com/Firm-Novel-John-Grisham-ebook/dp/B003B02O0K/

https://www.amazon.com/Devils-Advocate-Andrew-Neiderman-ebook/dp/B0067M00T6/


Need more? Email me: https://causeyconsultingllc.com/contact-causey/

Subtitled: Like I needed yet another reason to detest Zoom. 😒

I'm a bit late on this, but I couldn't not  record an episode about the bizarre mass firing that took place via, what else, a frickin' Zoom call back in December.

Key topics:

✔️ I understand that during the pandemic, no one is going to fly in George Clooney à la Up in the Air to sit down with people in person and blow a bunch of smoke. But a mass firing via video call? Really?  Seems pretty raw.
✔️ The tone seemed monotone to me. I'm not sure that someone shedding crocodile tears would have been any better, but the whole mise en scène struck me as a robotic.
✔️ Be leery of any company that still relies on outdated sales metrics. They will set you up to fail and then blame you when their outmoded tactics do not work. Phone time is a great example.
✔️ Worrying about what kind of food and beverage is in each office while referring to your own employees as "dumb dolphins" is screwed the hell up.

Special intro music: "Better Now" by Post Malone.

Links I discuss in this episode:

https://nypost.com/2021/12/06/better-com-ceo-fires-900-employees-on-zoom-call/


Need more? Email me: https://causeyconsultingllc.com/contact-causey/

Over the past month, LinkedIn has posted several articles questioning how working from home impacts everything from developing a company culture to making new "friends" at work to whether a right to disconnect will ever come to the US.

Key topics:

✔️ If the only way in your life to potentially meet new people and make some new pals is by being butt-in-seat at an office, you need to take a hard look at why that is. I understand that Covid has impaired the ability for people to go out and about; with that said, there are still a plethora of ways to connect with new people that don't involve forcing social activities on your colleagues.
✔️ Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's. If you're working, then work. And after work, step away from the laptop. Turn off that Slack channel. Do not tell clients that you're available 24/7.
✔️Who are the people pushing so hard for a return to the office? Who are the ones bleating the loudest that the company won't have a culture anymore if everyone stays remote? Well, typically, it's micromanagers and lonely extroverts who want to corral everyone back to the office whether it's actually safe to do so or not.


Need more? Email me: https://causeyconsultingllc.com/contact-causey/