Action for Freelancers (AfF) has published new guidance to minimise out-of-hours contact in television, with backing from broadcasters, studios, production companies and bodies across the industry.
Contact: A Guide to Work-Life Boundaries, published on Thursday 23rd July, sets out seven shared principles for commissioners, production companies, managers and freelancers working in both scripted and unscripted. The guidance has been endorsed by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, UKTV, BBC Studios, ITV Studios, Fremantle, Banijay UK, Bectu and CIISA.
Many organisations already have their own contact policies. This guidance does not replace them – it sets a shared standard, so freelancers know what to expect no matter where they work. Agreed common standards for freelancers are a key aim of AfF, and the project intends this first piece of work as a template for the standards that follow.
The principles were developed by AfF’s Working Conditions working group, which brings freelancers, broadcasters and production companies around the same table. They align with the CIISA standards and point production leaders to the Film and TV Charity’s Principles for Mentally Healthy Productions.
James Taylor-Tovey, Project Director of Action for Freelancers said: “As freelancers we’ve all had the production WhatsApp group pinging into the night, or emails landing over the weekend. It’s crept up on us – the same phone that holds your family photos now holds your work inbox. These deceptively simple guidelines could have a huge impact on setting boundaries between work and home life. I also know that when freelancers are relaxed, fully rested, and less stressed, they bring their best selves to work and do a better job.”
Richard Watsham, Chair of Action for Freelancers said: “AfF’s Contact Guidelines are the first of many crucial pieces of work from an initiative fast building momentum. They’re a vital recognition of the balance that needs to be struck between freelancers who are desperate to do a good job and employers under pressure in a challenging environment. It’s all too easy for things to get out of hand and it’s individuals who bear the brunt. Vital then that we get everyone engaging with and embedding these consistent standards. Every one of us has a part to play in making life in the British TV industry better.”
Kate Phillips, Chief Content Officer, BBC said: “These practical guidelines are invaluable to everyone involved in a production. We need to respect the boundaries between work and home life, and the downtime needed by all to help ensure long term health and happiness.”
Patrick Holland, Executive Chair & CEO, Banijay UK said: “Freelancers are the life blood of our industry and Banijay UK is delighted to support Action for Freelancers and the work it does to support, protect and enable these important roles. This guidance around out of hours contact is a great example of how the industry can come together to support healthy, happy and sustainable working practices.”
Amelia Brown, CEO, Fremantle UK says: “We’re proud to support this initiative and the shared commitment it represents across our industry. These principles are embedded in how we aim to work across all our productions, and it’s fantastic to see the industry coming together around a shared set of expectations. By aligning on best practice, we can all help create a more consistent, respectful, and supportive environment for everyone.”
Tim Carter, Managing Director, ITV Studios UK Unscripted said: “Our staff and freelancers are the lifeblood of our business and we want their experience working at our labels to be creatively and personally rewarding. Clear and shared expectations about work patterns and out of hours contact are what everyone can expect when they work at ITV Studios. We’re delighted to support AfF’s guidelines.”
Emma Hardy, Director of Commissioning Operations at Channel 4 said: “Our industry depends on the talent, expertise and commitment of freelancers, and Channel 4 fully supports the Action for Freelancers guidelines and the work achieved by this pan-industry group. We all have a responsibility to create working environments that support people’s wellbeing alongside creative excellence, so we hope these guidelines enable teams to work flexibly and reduce any unnecessary pressure.”
Hilary Rosen, Director of Commissioning, UKTV: “UKTV is proud to support these pan-industry guidelines, which provide practical steps to help set clearer expectations around how we better support our freelance community. We rely on their commitment and dedication to their work and by adopting a shared approach, we hope to reduce unnecessary pressure, support wellbeing, and create more sustainable ways of working.”
The seven principles are summarised as:
- Leaders must model the behaviour – senior figures set the tone, and reassurance that not responding out of hours carries no penalty must be repeated throughout a production
- Set contact windows, rotate on-call responsibility, or time-shift – including at least 11 hours free of messages between wrap and next call, in line with Working Time Regulations
- Agree what counts as a real emergency – before production starts, and document it at induction
- Use the right channel for the right level of urgency – WhatsApp and direct messages for genuinely time-sensitive issues only
- Use delay-send, add clear labels to emails and messages – so a flexible working pattern never becomes implied urgency for the receiver
- Make it safe to raise concerns – including anonymously, in line with CIISA Standards (Open and Accountable Reporting Mechanisms)
- Support flexible working – no individual’s working pattern should ever create an obligation, spoken or unspoken, for someone else to match it
Jon Creamer
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