Working at Visual Data Media

They treat their freelancers like garbage. Work is sparse, but there's very little notice before a project comes in. Sometimes you can be on call for hours expecting something that never comes. Your handlers are located overseas, so don't expect any responses to your emails after a certain time. The pay rates haven't changed at all in the decade I've been working there. They charge you for direct deposit or PayPal so that you can only be paid by physical check. If that check gets lost in the mail, they charge you to stop payment and reissue a new check. They make changes to how invoices and payments are handled but only inform you after you submit invoices the same way you always have. They implement new workflows and systems that require unpaid training.

This used to be an easy way to earn additional income, and once upon a time you could eke a living out of the work, but a lot has changed since COVID. This company was always incredibly stingy with the way it paid its freelancers, but it's only gotten worse. Considering how most of the staff seems to be based overseas, it's safe to assume that locally based salaried employees aren't treated much better.

Learn how to treat your talent. Freelancers understand that they're at the bottom of the food chain, but at the very least don't make them jump through hoops just to get paid peanuts. It's insulting.

Below average. The rates haven't changed in the decade I've been freelancing for them even though some workflow changes required more time spent on each project. They've implemented new workflows on an in-house system that require hours of unpaid training to get the hang of.