As an independent contractor, one of the most essential ingredients to successful collaboration is a clear, predictable workflow. When deadlines are respected and approvals are timely, work flows efficiently and expectations are met on both sides.
But what happens when the client disregards that structure—and instead creates a chaotic environment where new tasks override previously agreed-upon priorities?
This is exactly what happened during my engagement with Verdant Strategies.
The Constant Redirection
Throughout the engagement, Verdant Strategies routinely assigned new, “urgent” tasks on a near-daily basis. These surprise assignments came without warning and often contradicted previously established priorities and timelines.
I had content fully developed, scheduled, and ready to publish—content that had already been discussed, revised, and approved in principle. Yet, those efforts were continually set aside in favor of last-minute requests and shifting goals.
What might have been an occasional exception quickly became the norm. This constant redirection not only disrupted my workflow, but made it increasingly difficult to fulfill the deliverables outlined in our contract. And more importantly, it obstructed my ability to operate with the independence guaranteed to me as an independent contractor.
Undermining Efficiency and Contractual Duties
In any client relationship, agility is important—but not at the expense of stability. When a client continuously resets expectations without honoring the structure that was agreed to, it stops being agile and starts being dysfunctional.
In my case, this dysfunction undermined my ability to meet the agreed-upon scope of work. I was pulled away from executing already-approved deliverables, delaying content that should have gone live, and creating a loop of inefficiency that I did not create—but was held accountable for.
Worse still, this pattern of shifting demands later became a basis for unfair accusations that I had failed to perform—despite the fact that I was actively being blocked from doing so.
A Warning to Other Contractors
If you’re working with a client who constantly overrides priorities and reroutes your efforts without clear communication or documented change requests, it’s more than a productivity issue—it may be a contract risk.
Contractors like myself are not employees. We are not on call to absorb chaos. We are independent professionals hired to deliver a defined scope of work on agreed-upon terms. When those terms are ignored, and the client refuses to honor their side of the agreement, the contractor has every right to call it what it is: breach.
Final Thoughts
My experience with Verdant Strategies serves as a cautionary tale. If you’re a freelancer or contractor, document everything. Be clear about deliverables. And if the client’s internal disorganization starts to interfere with your ability to perform, raise the issue early—on record.
For those managing contractors, let this be a reminder: urgent doesn’t mean unplanned. And when your shifting demands prevent the people you’ve hired from doing their jobs, it’s not the contractor who’s failed—it’s the system you’ve created.
—
For more real-world stories from the intersection of contract law, freelance work, and small business management, subscribe to my blog or follow me on LinkedIn.
