This week's Perspectives is an interview with freelance content writer Hsing Tseng. Hsing and I met a few years ago when we both worked at the same content marketing agnecy. We’ve been on a similar freelance path since leaving corporate life. Hsing has had several "get the f*ck out" (GTFO) moments in her career, so I asked if she'd be willing to share her experiences.
In addition to her client work, Hsing also writes the blog command + create. Hsing and I have also collaborated on a few resources for fellow freelancers: a client proposal and contract template and a free checklist you can use. You can check them out here.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Anna Burgess Yang: Tell me about the first time you knew you had to GTFO of your job.
HT: I was working part-time as a digital content producer, which meant I was updating content for two sister news stations. Working in a newsroom is very high-volume, covering breaking news events. There's a certain skillset in being that kind of news reporter.
The company made me work full-time hours for a week while other people took time off. I worked overtime, and at the end of the week, I thought I should have a full-time role. I was already doing the work and there was a full-time position open. My supervisor — a really good mentor to me — actually said, "If they don't hire you, you should GTFO. There's no reason you shouldn't be promoted to the full-time role."
I had to beg to even be given an interview. The role was given to someone who was completely unqualified and had never done the type of work the job required. It was ridiculous. I had done the work, worked more than full-time, and demonstrated my commitment to the company.
I got the f*ck out so hard. I went to Korea.
ABY: What prompted you to move to Korea? Were you trying to get into a different field, or how did you end up making that decision?
HT: I went to Korea to teach English. I had never studied abroad while I was in college (for financial reasons). And I had recently learned about programs where you're paid to teach abroad. And I thought that would be awesome. I was a double major in Asian Studies and Journalism Studies. I'd always wanted to live in Korea, or Japan, or Thailand for a while. When I didn't get the job, I saw it as a sign that I needed to go.
It was one of the best experiences of my life. I spent over two years there teaching English, traveling, and immersing myself in another culture.
ABY: What was your second GTFO experience?
HT: When I returned to the U.S., eventually, I was headhunted and hired as a writer at a tech company. I didn't know anything about SaaS or business intelligence (the category I was writing in). But within eight months, I'd proven myself to be extremely competent. I was promoted to a content editor position and given my own team.
The way teams were strucuted, each team had an editor and a team of writers. The editor was responsible for the batch of work, and each writer was responsible for a quota. Eventually, the writers' quota was raised, which put a lot of stress on them. Also, when I started, the writers were all in-house. But eventually, the company outsourced all of the writing. And the work wasn't up to par with my standards. So I spent a lot of time rewriting and coaching and helping the writers become better.
I was very invested, which meant my team's production was lower than other teams. Other editors didn't care and would just push content through as long as it had no glaring errors. Because I took my job seriously, it penalized me and everyone under me. When I raised concerns, they were dismissed.
ABY: When did you know you needed to GTFO?
HT: Two people wrote Glassdoor reviews bashing the company. Everything written was true. But very soon after that, two writers were laid off — the two writers who had been the most vocal about the quota system. It felt very suspicious. And here's the kicker: for them to get severance, there was a non-disparagement clause that they couldn’t say anything bad about the company. And leadership told them that in order for them to get severance, the Glassdoor reviews had to come down. And the writers who were laid off were not the people who wrote the Glassdoor reviews.
In our group chat, the writers begged the people who wrote the reviews to take them down. It was a moral dilemma, because it was right to leave them up. But our friends couldn't get severance if they weren't taken down. The actual writers of the reviews took them down to help our friends out.
The company threatened to subpoena the reviews from Glassdoor to find out who wrote them. It was a pretty serious situation, where people felt like they would get fired for speaking their minds. I started to look for a new job after that.
ABY: What about your next job?
HT: I went to a content marketing agency. And the head of operations implemented a revolving three-month quota. If you did not maintain an average quota, you could not take any paid time off. My average was too low. There were a lot of reasons writers couldn't meet quotas — not all of which were the writers' fault. For example, my main client wasn't approving ideas, so there wasn't enough for me to write to meet the quota. I tried to pick up extra work from other clients, but it was often snatched up because all writers were trying to meet the same quota.
Then, three people on the editing team were unceremoniously laid off. It was a huge detriment to employee morale, especially the main copy editor. And then writers were responsible for their own copyediting and told that was just part of our job now.
I was trying my best. I was really burned out but suffered through it because I couldn't take PTO. It all came to a head in November of that year after months of trying to fight through my burnout.
ABY: What happened?
HT: I was put on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). I talked to my manager, and he said it wasn't his decision. We weren't being evaluated qualitatively; we were being evaluated quantitatively. And because no one could take PTO, everyone was burning to crisps.
The PIP said I had to deliver three articles for a high-stakes client. I worked above and beyond for my PIP month. I broke my back to meet deadlines, working nights and weekends. I even worked through Thanksgiving weekend. It exacerbated my already severe burnout.
I worked with a few other people, and we delivered 20 articles in 30 days for this client. And when we hit all of the goals, the recognition we got was "Great teamwork." Nothing about how we had handled a poorly scoped, unsustainable project. We were given a pat on the back as if that's what we were expected to do.
The burnout was killing me. I finished the PIP and turned in my resignation letter the same day.
ABY: Did the company react at all when you quit?
HT: The CEO and the head of operations wanted to meet with me. In the meeting, they were incredibly dismissive and talked down to me. They said I deserved to be PIP'd and that all of the problems I pointed out weren't true. They were trying to gaslight me into saying that everything was fine and that it was a "me" problem. It definitely wasn't. It was systemic. People had been leaving in droves for months. I knew it was time for me as well.
ABY: After three GTFO situations, now you're a freelancer. What led you to that decision?
HT: I had been interviewing for months, but nothing had panned out. It was a tough job market. I looked at the patterns and wondered if I was the problem. Not in a negative way. But maybe I am not suited for the rat race. Maybe I am not meant to work for a company, to work for KPIs, and to be quantified.
I took a good two-and-a-half months to recover from burnout before I did anything. Then I was like, "You know what? I'm going to start freelancing and figure it out." I pulled myself up by my britches, and it's been great. There is no boss like yourself. Being responsible for my own things. And people love my work.
I wasn't the problem. It was the environment.
ABY: In any situation, how do people know it's time to GTFO?
HT: When your values no longer align with the company you're working for. When you're not being valued, when your opinion is not being heard, and when there's no accountability. How much are you willing to sacrifice of your own well-being and your own values to keep working at a company?
I've seen so many people get burned out or get tossed out (laid off). The values I thought these companies had when I joined proved not to be the case. When your eyes open, you can't unsee things.
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