Appen Butler-Hill

271906

I don't think they liked me by the end either...

I only worked for them for 6 months and out of the blue one day received an email to say my contact would end later that day...

I didn't know they had a review process? I remember getting a few audits here and there, but never any kind of formal monitoring.

MallRat

271906 wrote: »

I don't think they liked me by the end either...

I only worked for them for 6 months and out of the blue one day received an email to say my contact would end later that day...

That sounds pretty disappointing.

271906 wrote: »

I didn't know they had a review process? I remember getting a few audits here and there, but never any kind of formal monitoring.

When I first started with them you used to get a monthly star rating between 1 and 5. If you only got a 1, it was an instant dismissal, I think.. They eventually dispensed with that system though, and you then just got occasional assessments of some of your work on a few of the more "important" tasks. And obviously I did badly in one of those, which led them to remove me from rating. Remember feeling surprised at the time, probably cos it wasn't something that happened too often, unlike at ABH of course!

271906

MallRat wrote: »

When I first started with them you used to get a monthly star rating between 1 and 5. If you only got a 1, it was an instant dismissal, I think.. They eventually dispensed with that system though, and you then just got occasional assessments of some of your work on a few of the more "important" tasks.

Ahh, okay, I see.

I never really understood how they measured performance, and certainly think it'd have been nice to get some feedback (although not Appen style!).

I really liked the way that with Lionbridge it was 10-20 hours to be done at any point during the week.

It was far more adaptable to life... I know there were times when there was no work for a week or so, but overall the level of flexibility was excellent.

The other thing with Appen right now is declining pay... the £ is growing in strength so essentially pay per hour is steadily falling by the time it is converted to GBP...

Maktina

I also got terminated. I sent a wall of text explaining what I thought of their metric system. It was worded nicely but succinct as can be. I heard so many good things about Appen over Leapforce in the past (Much better company etc) but at the end of the day I think they are a LOT worse. The work is awful and the metrics demoralizing. We're just a bunch of replaceable machine parts to them. If this wasn't the Internet, and we weren't independent contractors, this would be grounds for further legal proceedings (i.e unfair dismissal). But, it's the Internet, and we're represented as just pixels on a screen. Just a bunch of faceless workers.

And so the wheel turns.

271906

Maktina wrote: »

I also got terminated. I sent a wall of text explaining what I thought of their metric system. It was worded nicely but succinct as can be. I heard so many good things about Appen over Leapforce in the past (Much better company etc) but at the end of the day I think they are a LOT worse. The work is awful and the metrics demoralizing. We're just a bunch of replaceable machine parts to them. If this wasn't the Internet, and we weren't independent contractors, this would be grounds for further legal proceedings (i.e unfair dismissal). But, it's the Internet, and we're represented as just pixels on a screen. Just a bunch of faceless workers.

And so the wheel turns.

Sorry to hear this Maktina - I agree with every word you say.

Looking at the roster they'll soon be lucky to have anyone left. You'd have thought that the constant dismissals might tell them something about the metrics...obviously not.

Did you get terminated after a SLR, or out of the blue?

MallRat

Maktina wrote: »

I also got terminated. I sent a wall of text explaining what I thought of their metric system. It was worded nicely but succinct as can be. I heard so many good things about Appen over Leapforce in the past (Much better company etc) but at the end of the day I think they are a LOT worse. The work is awful and the metrics demoralizing. We're just a bunch of replaceable machine parts to them. If this wasn't the Internet, and we weren't independent contractors, this would be grounds for further legal proceedings (i.e unfair dismissal). But, it's the Internet, and we're represented as just pixels on a screen. Just a bunch of faceless workers.

And so the wheel turns.

Hi. Suspected you were in trouble when you posted on the LB thread. Crap, isn't it? Not sure if there's a metrics/assessment problem unique to the UK market, but it definitely seems easier to do the job on a longer term basis in the US, at least..

For me, the work itself was also a big problem, though. The task is SO boring and repetitive. That combined with the RPH requirement meant that I didn't finish till 7 or 8pm most days. And on rare days that I HAD to leave the house, I would have to report as absent, because after getting back I could never motivate myself to then do the full 4 hours as well. As 271906 said, it might have been slightly more bearable if you could've spread the hours over 7 days, but obviously that wasn't an option.

I'm still left with the crowdsourcing, but in many ways that is even worse. Confusing instructions.. Qualification tests for most tasks that are practically impossible to pass.. Technical issues that never seem to get fixed, even after you've reported them.. Only task currently available on there I can do pays 1 cent per hit. Oh, and it's also in French. Cos naturally, I failed the test for the English version three times, and therefore got blocked.. :cool:

Catwoman1975

Sorry to hear of the contract terminations. I got on with LF pretty much straight away, but not much work about, no where near as much as I got with ABH.

CreditCrunchie

Well I didn't get in after all that. There were 3 parts to my qualification set and the third part had 3 different things within it that all had to be rated. Passed the first parts on intent and image/non image but failed the last (the bit with 3 parts). They sent me a second set but I failed that too. It was practically impossible considering they seemed to contradict their own guidelines! Not too bothered though as looking at all of your posts it seems the work certainly isn't any more logical.

271906

Officially back in.. but I wonder for how long?

If I manage 2 weeks I'll feel grateful...

271906

CreditCrunchie wrote: »

Well I didn't get in after all that. There were 3 parts to my qualification set and the third part had 3 different things within it that all had to be rated. Passed the first parts on intent and image/non image but failed the last (the bit with 3 parts). They sent me a second set but I failed that too. It was practically impossible considering they seemed to contradict their own guidelines! Not too bothered though as looking at all of your posts it seems the work certainly isn't any more logical.

Sorry to hear you weren't offered a position. I imagine going through the ordeal of the qualification and to not gain reimbursement is really frustrating.

As you rightly say though, the work isn't logical, and sadly passing the qualification process doesn't mean you won't be forced to consistently retake the test as a result of the metrics process, which is in my view fatally flawed.

Good luck in wherever you go from here