The report by the Centre for Research on Self-Employment (CRSE), which has been published to coincide with National Freelancers Day, calls for a series of “targeted, effective policies” that will improve the wellbeing of the growing number of people in the UK who are now self-employed.
In particular, it recommends creating a more “appreciative culture” where business failures are seen as a normal part of entrepreneurial life, and not just as personal tragedies.
It also calls on the Government to improve access to mentoring for self-employed people starting out to reduce stress and improve confidence.
The report also recommends building more co-working spaces to combat the sense of isolation that many people who are self-employed experience.
“With self-employment on the rise across the UK, it’s more important than ever to understand the impact it’s having not just on our economy, but on the lives of real people,” said CRSE Director Suneeta Johal.
“It’s clear from this report that at the moment it’s a distinctly mixed picture, and it’s time for policymakers and business leaders to step up and do more to improve the life satisfaction of the self-employed. Not with broad-brush, heavy-handed policies, but with targeted, effective policies – like the ones recommended in this report – that work for all different self-employed groups.
“Because actually, when you improve the subjective wellbeing of the self-employed, it’s not just them who benefit – it’s businesses across the country and our whole economy. Government and other policymakers must take heed of this report’s recommendations and make sure self-employment stays a positive way of working for all.”
The Chief Executive of Association of Independent Professionals (IPSE), Chris Bryce, commented: “This timely report shows why we at IPSE are working day-in, day-out to support self-employment and open it up to more people. Being your own boss, picking your own projects and choosing how and when you work can clearly improve wellbeing for millions of people across the UK.“As this report shows though, it’s not a completely even picture. There are still some areas of self-employment where policymakers and business leaders need to do more to improve wellbeing. That’s what this year’s National Freelancers Day is all about, and we hope policymakers will take note of both the day and the recommendations in this excellent report to start making self-employment work for everyone.”
The full report can be read on the CRSE website.
In this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.
We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.
