Free Agent Nation (Still) Wants You!

By: Linda TischlerWed Dec 19, 2007 at 8:37 AM

Should you still want to be a free agent? Fast Company's Dan Pink, the man who discovered Free Agent Nation, talks about life during a recession, the secret joys of working at home, and seven dirty words of the free-agent economy.

Some enterprising entrepreneur is going to figure out a way to develop temp travel agencies that offer working vacations. For example, Italy is going to run out of workers soon. Imagine older American workers going to help out.

Plus, it will be easier for people over 65 to be free agents because of Medicare -- they won't have to work for health insurance. That will be baby boomers' revenge. There will be a sizable demand for a pool of workers, and the only pool will the e-tirees.

Okay, Dan. Enough of this sociology. Let's get to the real questions. Do you ever wish you had a regular job where you could loaf for a couple days and still get paid?

Hey, if I wanted to loaf, I would have stayed in government. I love what I do; I don't really yearn to goof off. That joy is enough to keep me motivated --- that and the fear of starvation. Working for myself is mostly great, even if my boss is a demanding jerk.

But isn't it annoying for your wife to have you home all day? Haven't you ever heard of "for better or for worse, but not for lunch"?

Good question. Let me get her. Hold on. "Jessica!!! Can you come up here for a second? Somebody wants to know whether it's annoying having me home all day."

Jessica (after climbing three flights of stairs to the third-floor office): "Annoying? You? Not possible. Between your incessant complaining and your uncontrollable workaholism, you're a joy to have around, honey. Now I need to take the kids out on a little errand. We'll be back in October."

See? Not a problem.

But seriously, my wife and I essentially have a family business. She reads everything I write, reviews every contract I sign, advises on nearly every decision I make. And since she spends the bulk of her time taking care of kids, she has an adult in the house she can talk to throughout the day.

The truth is that this is how most businesses throughout history have operated. And as I cite in my book, even today, some 60% of enterprises in the world are family businesses. The industrial economy separated work and family. The free-agent economy is bringing them back together -- which is good for business and great for human beings.

That sounds great, but can a free-agent parent ever raise a corporate child? How will your darling offspring adjust to a job at Goldman Sachs if they grew up thinking "work" was Daddy in his jammies in front of the computer?

First, why would I ever want our daughters to work at Goldman? Second, what makes you think I'm even wearing jammies? Actually, I think it's healthy for kids to see their parents work -- instead of viewing their parents' labors as some far-off, mysterious thing in which they play no part. At our house, every day is Take Our Daughters to Work Day.

What's the one secret free agents don't tell us cubicle dwellers?

I refer you to the Starland Vocal Band's 1976 hit single, "Afternoon Delight."

Q: Would you consider joining Free Agent Nation right now?
A: Yes -- This is a great time to be independent!
No -- I wouldn't risk the job security.
Neither -- I'm already a free agent!