Powerling executive reflects on lessons learned after roller-coaster year: “Freelancers are the backbone of our organization”.
Powerling's takeover of WCS's entities did not go without a hitch. Powerling’s COO Europe Valentine Antoine looks back on a roller-coaster year. "In retrospect, we should have contacted freelancers sooner and shown more understanding. This has been a valuable lesson, and we are sincerely sorry for all interpreters, translators and translation agencies who have been adversely affected."
It will not have escaped anyone's notice that Powerling was strongly criticized by numerous freelancers who saw agreements made by WCS not being fulfilled. Powerling recently round up a series of conversations with the board of the VViN, which of course focused on the developments surrounding the takeover of the various entities and Powerling’s handling of the situation. It ended with an official warning from the VViN that the company is taking very seriously. Valentine Antoine, Partner & COO Europe comments on the outcome of these conversations:
“We are grateful to the board of VViN to be given the opportunity to share our view and to respond to the criticism. The importance of collaboration between agencies and freelancers and between agencies themselves has never been so clear to us. The speed of the acquisition of the entities has been at the expense of the care of our communications, especially with the group that is so important to us: the freelancers. Without a doubt, we should have done better. In retrospect, we should have contacted people sooner and shown more understanding. This has been a valuable lesson. They are the backbone of our organization. We look forward to continuing to grow in a way that benefits to the people we work with, now and in the future. Pleasant and close collaboration with freelancers is a greater priority than ever. We are sincerely sorry for all interpreters, translators and translation agencies who have been adversely affected.”
