www.upwork.com Open in urlscan Pro
104.18.89.237  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

Read the full report



2021




IMPACT


REPORT




01
Upwork At a Glance
02
Our Work Marketplace
03
Our Purpose
04
Our Impact Strategy & Priorities
05
Customer Spotlights

Hayden Brown
President and CEO


LOOKING BACK AT WHAT WE ACCOMPLISHED IN 2021—FROM THE PROGRAMS WE BUILT TO
SUPPORT OUR DIVERSE WORKFORCE, TO THE POLICIES AND FEATURES WE DEVELOPED TO
CREATE A SAFE AND INCLUSIVE WORK MARKETPLACE—I COULDN’T BE PROUDER. OUR
CONTINUED PROGRESS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS, ALONG WITH OUR COMMITMENT TO WORKING
WITH INTEGRITY AND CONTRIBUTING TO A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE, ARE JUST THE
BEGINNING AS WE ACCELERATE THE WORK AWAKENING.

Read the full letter


UPWORK AT A GLANCE: 2021



Our Company
$503M
in revenue
$3.5B
gross services volume
771k+
active clients
$3.3B+
in talent earnings, surpassing $15B in lifetime talent earnings in 2021

Our People


50%

of Directors are women


38%

of Directors are from underrepresented communities
Leadership Team


39%

are women


25%

are from underrepresented communities
Remote - First



646

employees



1,759

members of our hybrid workforce (HWF)



700

cities across 90 countries where our team members are located



KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS


Upwork Community

75k+
professionals reached via 245 virtual community events and webinars

2.4k
received one-on-one coaching

2.5k
obtained certifications
Giving

$800k
granted by The Upwork Foundation

8
nonprofits provided with unrestricted grants

$172k+
donated to 61 nonprofits through matching gifts
Employee Engagement and Well-being

86%
response rate for Upwork’s employee experience surveys

89
score for “Employees find meaning in Upwork’s purpose”

85%
of Upwork’s hybrid workforce recommend Upwork as a client
Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIBs)

8
Upwork Belonging Communities (UBC)

371
employees participated in at least one Upwork UBC

Launched GlowUP to support our leaders of color
About Upwork


OUR WORK MARKETPLACE


WE ARE THE WORLD’S WORK MARKETPLACE, WHERE, EVERY DAY, BUSINESSES OF ALL SIZES
AND INDEPENDENT TALENT FROM AROUND THE WORLD MEET TO ACCOMPLISH INCREDIBLE
THINGS.



IN 2021 WE ENHANCED OUR WORK MARKETPLACE AND EXPANDED OUR SERVICE MODELS TO
INCLUDE OFFERINGS SUCH AS OUR ENTERPRISE SUITE™, PROJECT CATALOG™, AND TALENT
SCOUT™. WE LAUNCHED THE VIRTUAL TALENT BENCH™ TO AID IN COLLABORATION AND
STRENGTHEN CLIENT-TALENT RELATIONSHIPS.


Our expanded offerings help companies narrow their skill gaps, accelerate
agility and innovation, and prevent burnout as they scale their businesses and
workforces. Talent get greater control over when, how, and with whom they work
and save time and energy when finding new projects.

Read more about Upwork

Trusted by



OUR PURPOSE

Our vision


INDEPENDENT TALENT AT THE HEART OF EVERY BUSINESS.


Our mission


TO CREATE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES SO PEOPLE HAVE BETTER LIVES


WE BELIEVE THAT WORK IS CHANGING.


WE BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE ARE CHANGING.


WE BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN SHIFTING THE MARKET.


WE BELIEVE THAT OUR VALUES SHOULD GUIDE OUR GROWTH AS A COMPANY AND WILL LEAD US
TO ACHIEVING OUR MISSION.




OUR IMPACT STRATEGY


OUR IMPACT PRIORITIES

Considering which issues we have the greatest potential to positively affect,
and which are critical to our ability to maintain trust in the market, we
synthesized our ESG materiality assessment findings into the following
priorities:

Economic Opportunity
Health, Safety & Human Rights
Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
Environmental Sustainability
Business Integrity
Supplier Engagement





ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

We seek to help improve people’s lives by promoting work-life balance, enabling
flexibility, optimizing accessibility, and unlocking freelancers’ access to
clients and industries.

Key Stats



2.4K

freelancers received one-on-one coaching



2.5K

freelancers obtained skills certifications



75K+

participants reached via 245 virtual community events



$800K

donated through The Upwork Foundation in 2021



PEOPLE AND RELATIONSHIPS ARE THE CORNERSTONE OF UPWORK’S BUSINESS, AND OUR
COMMUNITY TEAM PLAYS THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF LISTENING TO AND FULFILLING THE NEEDS
OF THE TALENT ON OUR WORK MARKETPLACE.

EVENTS

Our webinars, interactive workshops, Expert Talks, and virtual community meetups
in 2021 covered industry- and/or region-specific strategies for building a
successful business on Upwork.

UPWORK ACADEMY

Over the past year, our Community Team began developing the Upwork Academy to
connect more talent with the support they need to excel on the work marketplace.


THE UPWORK FOUNDATION

In 2021, The Upwork Foundation gave a total of $800,000 to eight high-impact
nonprofits that provide critical workforce training, job placement, and
financial support to communities in need.


INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY


ANTI-BIAS INITIATIVE

The way information is processed and presented can often worsen underlying
inequities. At Upwork, we take a proactive approach to reducing systemic-level
biases. In 2020, we developed our “Inclusion by Design” principles to serve as a
guidepost for our team when developing any new offerings or services. These
principles, which were shared across the company in 2021, are as follows:

 * Upwork creates global solutions
 * Upwork is proactive in creating an inclusive platform experience
 * Fairness is a default setting

Learn more about Economic opportunity

WE ARE A TWO-SIDED MARKETPLACE. IT'S IMPORTANT FOR TALENT TO HAVE NEGOTIATING
POWER. THEY CAN SET THEIR RATES AND NEGOTIATE, AND IT’S IMPORTANT THAT WE
EMPOWER THAT SIDE OF THE MARKETPLACE.

Aurora Kaiser
VP, Associate General Counsel, Litigation


HEALTH, SAFETY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Key Stats


86

average response rate for our Employee Engagement Surveys



89

score for "Employees find meaning in Upwork's purpose"



85%

of Upwork's hybrid workforce said they'd recommend Upwork as a client
Upwork empowers people to connect and work with clients of their choosing on
their terms. Along with building a safe, diverse, inclusive, and equitable
workplace, we go above industry standards to ensure people have access to safe
work environments that prioritize human rights.




AT UPWORK, WE HAVE CHOSEN TO DEFINE OUR WORK BY OUR VISION, RATHER THAN BY THE
VIRUS.

We cannot deny the innumerable effects the COVID-19 pandemic had on the safety,
security, and wellbeing of many around the world. We are deeply thankful for the
frontline workers that continue to place our collective good above their own
wellbeing, and we acknowledge the sacrifices that every individual has made to
cope with the added responsibilities of life at home.

Our Freelancing and Flexibility study found that 50% of freelancers said they
were unable to work for a traditional employer due to personal circumstances,
such as health issues or childcare needs.
COVID-19 only exacerbated this issue. These statistics confirm our long-held
belief that traditional models of work are in need of change and reinforce our
commitment to shift market norms.



WORKFORCE PROGRAMS AND BENEFITS

In our commitment to shift the market, rather than react to it, we’re
continuously pushing ourselves to find better ways to care for our people. Along
with our child-care subsidy program, the launch of our Care.com partnership was
instrumental in helping caretakers find and secure quality home- and
center-based child and elderly care.

In 2021, we offered weekly stretching and meditation sessions hosted by a
freelancer on Upwork. Our partnership with Modern Health also covers free health
and wellness coaching in the form of virtual video or text therapy and guided
digital programs and meditations. See our full list of benefits.




DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING (DIBS)

Belonging is a feeling, inclusion is a practice, diversity is an outcome.



DIVERSITY BY NUMBERS

Board
50%
25%
13%
Women
Men
From underrepresented communities
LGBTQIA+
Leadership Team
38%
25%
Female
CEO
Women
Men
From underrepresented communities
Global Corporate Employees by Gender
52%
48%
Women
Men
Non-binary or not shared
US Employees by Race/Ethnic Group

57%
White
22%
Asian
7%
Black or African American
6%
Hispanic or Latinx
7%
Other
<1%
American Indian or Alaska Native
<1%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

GlowUP Program


GlowUP is Upwork’s enrichment program crafted by and for our leaders of color in
collaboration with Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. We completed
two modules of the program in 2021 that consisted of 60-90 minute sessions.

Read more about GlowUP



UPWORK BELONGING COMMUNITIES

UBCs serve a critical role in forging relationships and creating a sense of
connection and belonging within our growing hybrid workforce.

With the support of our DIBs team, our UBC leaders—employees across the company
who develop UBC strategy and programming—drive employee engagement and impact.

For team members who identify as women
Learn more
For LGBTQ+ team members
Learn more
For Black team members
Learn more
For Latinx team members
Learn more
For Pan-Asian team members
Learn more
For veterans and their families
Learn more
For team members with caregiving duties
Learn more
For neurodiverse team members
Learn more
Read the full report



ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Carbon neutral since


2019


Remote-first since


2020

BECAUSE REMOTE WORK REDUCES BOTH WORK-RELATED COMMUTES AND BUSINESS TRAVEL,
UPWORK IS A NATURAL ALLY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE.




OUR ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENTS

In 2021, we adopted a new Global Environmental Policy that outlines our
environmental commitments related to the following areas:

Compliance
Resource Efficiency and Waste
Oversight
Effective Management
Transparency
Employees
Carbon Neutrality
Business Partners



2021 EMISSIONS VERIFIED BY A THIRD PARTY

Annual Emissions (MTCO2e)
Scope 1*
Scope 2
Scope 3
600
400
200
0

* 0 scope 1 emmissions
201
523
2020
156
274
2021


BUSINESS INTEGRITY





INTEGRITY IS THE FIBER OF OUR BUSINESS. UPWORK UPHOLDS STRONG GOVERNANCE
PRACTICES TO ENSURE EMPLOYEES ACT ETHICALLY AND THAT CLIENTS AND FREELANCERS ARE
HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO ONE ANOTHER.

Our materiality assessment reinforced the fact that stakeholders care deeply
about our commitment to ethical business practices, data security and privacy,
responsible use of data, and emerging tech and ethics.

Learn more about Business Integrity


BUSINESS ETHICS

We have a robust set of corporate codes, policies, and guidelines in place to
support and promote integrity, transparency, and ethical business practices,
including our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, Corporate Governance
Guidelines, Whistleblower Policy, Insider Trading Policy, Related Party
Transactions Policy, Corporate Communications Policy, Anti-Corruption Policy,
Social Media Policy, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement, and Open
Source Use Policy.




PLATFORM POLICIES

Our on-platform policies extend our commitment to ethical practices to our work
marketplace and are designed to build trust not only in Upwork, but among our
customers. These policies include:

Terms of Service
Privacy Policy
Nondiscrimination Statement
Commitment to Nondiscrimination, Inclusion, and Respect
Payment Protection Policy

Further guidance on how to safely, securely, and ethically use the work
marketplace can be found on our trust and safety page.




INFORMATION SECURITY AND DATA PRIVACY

Upwork deploys cutting-edge security and privacy best practices designed to
provide a secure, reliable, and compliant work marketplace for businesses of all
sizes. We meet rigorous privacy and security industry certifications and view
compliance with the most stringent privacy laws, such as the EU’s General Data
Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as
an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to keeping customer data private
and safe.

800+
team members participated in Cyber Security Month programs

19+
teams competed in an escape-room-themed training

12
security training videos accessed by team members

100
team members participated in our Jeopardy-themed games



SUPPLIER ENGAGEMENT

We strive to work with suppliers that meet the needs of our business and align
with our mission. In 2021, we created our Supplier Code of Conduct, to clarify
our expectations of our suppliers and strengthen our supply chain management.

Learn more about Supplier Engagement
Inclusive Sourcing

Upwork’s Inclusive Sourcing program is designed to help underrepresented
communities compete, build wealth, and thrive. In 2021, we challenged ourselves
to increase representation of underrepresented suppliers in our RFP exercises
and increase underrepresented supplier spend going forward.


WE WANT OUR SUPPLY BASE TO MIRROR THE CUSTOMERS AND COMMUNITIES WE SERVE. WE’VE
MADE A COMMITMENT TO KEEP INCLUSIVE SOURCING FRONT OF MIND AS WE PURCHASE
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.

Jeff McCombs,
Chief Financial Officer


CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT


I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING THAT WOULD LET ME EARN FROM HOME. WHEN I STARTED ON
THE UPWORK PLATFORM, IT GAVE ME THE FLEXIBILITY I WANTED. THAT’S ONE OF THE
THINGS I ENJOY THE MOST ABOUT IT AS OPPOSED TO WORKING ON-SITE.

Motunrayo Kilanko,
Data Annotator


ONE OF THE THINGS I LOVE MOST ABOUT WORKING ON UPWORK IS THAT I AM NOW ABLE TO
SEE THE IMPACT MY WORK IS HAVING DIRECTLY ON MY CLIENTS’ BUSINESSES ON A
DAY-TO-DAY BASIS.

Matt Chester,
Energy Analyst


IT’S NOT JUST A MARKETPLACE FOR FINDING INTERESTING CONTRACTORS, IT’S MUCH MORE
THAN THAT. THE RELATIONSHIPS YOU BUILD THERE ARE AMAZING.

Quilen Blackwell,
Southside Blooms



READ THE FULL REPORT

Read the full report


For Clients
How to Hire Click here to learn more about How it works for clientsTalent
MarketplaceProject CatalogTalent ScoutHire an AgencyEnterprisePayroll
ServicesDirect ContractsHire WorldwideHire in the USA
For Talent
How to Find Work Click here to learn more about How it works.Direct
ContractsFind Freelance Jobs WorldwideFind Freelance Jobs in the USA
Resources
Help & SupportSuccess StoriesUpwork ReviewsResourcesBlog
Community
Affiliate Program

Company
About UsLeadershipInvestor RelationsCareersOur Impact
Press
Contact Us
Trust, Safety & Security
Modern Slavery Statement

Follow us

Mobile app

© 2015 - 2022 Upwork® Global Inc.
Terms of ServicePrivacy PolicyCA Notice at CollectionAccessibility


PRIVACY PREFERENCE CENTER

When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your
browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you,
your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you
expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can
give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to
privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the
different category headings to find out more and change our default settings.
However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site
and the services we are able to offer.
More information
Allow All


MANAGE CONSENT PREFERENCES

STRICTLY NECESSARY COOKIES

Always Active

These cookies are essential for users to browse or use our website and its
features, such as accessing secure areas of the site. These cookies are
necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems.

PERFORMANCE COOKIES

Performance Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits in traffic sources so we can measure and
improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the
most and least popular and see how many visitors move around the site. All
information these cookies collect is anonymous. If you do not allow these
cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and we will not be able
to monitor its performance.

FUNCTIONAL COOKIES

Functional Cookies

These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and
personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose
services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some
or all of these services may not function properly.

TARGETING COOKIES

Targeting Cookies

These cookies track users' online activity to help advertisers deliver more
relevant advertising or to limit how many times users see an ad. These cookies
may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by
those companies to show you relevant advertisements on other sites. If you do
not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Back Button


PERFORMANCE COOKIES



Vendor Search Search Icon
Filter Icon

Clear
checkbox label label
Apply Cancel
Consent Leg.Interest
checkbox label label
checkbox label label
checkbox label label

Reject All Confirm My Choices


We and selected third parties use cookies or similar technologies for technical
purposes, to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, assist in our
marketing efforts, and for other purposes as specified in the cookie policy. By
clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your
device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our
marketing efforts.Cookie policy

See my options Accept all cookies