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How To Work With Freelancers

Jan 22, 2022

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Business

Sandeep Mathias

With as many as 53 million Americans working in an nontraditional job role like freelancing, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the chance of your business working with an independent contractor is pretty high. Freelance contractors can offer your business the skills you are looking for without the overhead of having them work in-house. However, partnering with a freelancer takes some courage. They make their own hours, and much of the communication you have with them will be through email or a messaging platform. The ability to knock on their office door and have a quick chat isn’t as accessible, but they can provide a special skill set that you may not be able to find with a full-time employee. 

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The good news of working with freelancers is, if you do it well the results can be stunningly effective for your business. Freelancers can enable your business to grow faster and achieve success with lower business risk. The effort you put into working with freelancers can pay off in business success.
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Freelancers
Overview
With as many as 53 million Americans working in an nontraditional job role like freelancing, according to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the chance of your business working with an independent contractor is
pretty high. Freelance contractors can offer your business the skills you are looking for without the
overhead of having them work in-house.
However, partnering with a freelancer takes some courage. They make their own hours, and much of the
communication you have with them will be through email or a messaging platform. The ability to knock
on their office door and have a quick chat isn’t as accessible, but they can provide a special skill set that
you may not be able to find with a full-time employee.
Pros of hiring freelancers
or subjects. If you're looking for an employee
with highly specialized knowledge or abilities, a
freelancer may be your best option. Freelancers
often develop unique skills to distinguish
themselves from others in their field.
Freelancers can work on their own schedule.
They don't need to have work availability that
matches your company's schedule. A freelancer
accomplishes their duties and assignments
regardless of your company's schedule or their own
outside obligations.
employees. Businesses have lower operational
costs when they recruit, onboard and retain
freelancers. This is in part because they don't
receive employee benefits, like insurance or paid
time off.
submitting their assignments. Unlike
their work. This can make them more motivated
to accomplish their tasks thoroughly and on time.
Cons of hiring freelancers
Freelancers may not always prioritize the assignments
your company gives them. Since they typically work
for multiple businesses, they may sometimes find it
hard to make time for your assignments.
Freelancers may not fit company guidelines
or culture. Companies with specific guidelines or
styles might find it challenging to find freelancers
who match their culture or standards.
Freelancers have less loyalty to your
company. Since freelancers aren't salaried
employees, they may have less loyalty to your
business. This can make it more challenging to
maintain long-term relationships with them.
How to work with freelancers
Consider your business's needs
Before beginning your search for freelancers, think about what your company needs from its freelance
workforce. Take into consideration factors like:
• Financial capacity: Know ahead of time how much you can afford to pay freelancers for each task or
assignment. Research the going rates in your area for the type of freelancer you hope to hire.
• Quality: Think about the quality of work your business needs from its freelancers.
• Style: Some businesses may need freelancers to adhere to their company's existing culture, aesthetic or
approach. Be sure to look for those who have produced work in a style similar to what you hope to have
them do for you.
Relationship
employer's and contractor's obligations to avoid
misunderstanding, risk and lawsuits. The policy
should include the contractor's hiring criteria, work
scope, project duration, available company resources,
level of access to company information, performance
expectation, penalties for unsatisfactory
performance, pay and benefits.
Freelancers
freelancers and contractors at any fraction of the
way they do full-time employees. This becomes
detrimental, as their work tends to lack the cultural
nuance, the verbiage or the spirit of the company.
Their output tends to feel more "templatized" than
specialized to the company. It pays to spend some
time culturally onboarding this population.
Know the project requirements
schedule. Make sure that you and your freelancer
can communicate clearly about these project
specifications. Having established expectations for
project goals and deadlines can help ensure that
the eventual results meet your business's needs.
Familiarize yourself with the laws
Learn both the local and national laws related to
contractor employment. This can help ensure that
both you and your freelancers produce quality
work while adhering to these laws. It's also
important to understand your business's tax
obligations in relation to contract work. For
example, your payroll team should know that they
don't need to withhold taxes from a freelancer's
wages.
your company's assets. Make sure that your
freelancer contracts specify that the work they
complete belongs to your company. It's also a good
idea to create data protection or cybersecurity
systems that only give freelancers access to the
company information they need to complete their
specific assignments. This can help reduce the risk
of a cyberattack on your business's valuable data.
Make policies about contract work
Ask your HR department to design a set of
policies regarding contract work. Details in the
policy may include hiring standards, expectations
for the contractor's conduct and pay rates.
Having clear HR policies that both you and your
freelancers can review may help reduce
miscommunications about the terms of their
employment.
Give your new freelancer a minor project for their
first assignment. Choosing a smaller assignment
makes it easier for another employee to revise or
redo the project as needed. It also gives them
opportunities to ask questions about the
assignment or your company while handling a
manageable workload.
freelancers understand. The transition plan helps
ensure your freelancers teach any work or
knowledge necessary for other employees to know
before their contract ends. For example, an IT
freelancer may need to give another employee at
your company a list of password or authentication
systems they used to create cybersecurity
infrastructure. Transition plans may involve the
freelancer working closely with someone else from
your company for a period or creating thorough
documentation of their processes.
Periodically evaluating a freelancer's ongoing
work can help ensure that they ultimately
provide satisfactory results or services. It also
gives freelancers a chance to ask you questions
or request company resources.
Understand Implications Of Co-Employment
employment law and what it means. Ensuring that
your employees are not crossing the co-
employment line with contractors or freelancers is
key to ensuring no lawsuits against your
organization. Co-employment lawsuits can be very
expensive, while upfront training about what co-
employment is and what you can and cannot do
with contractors or freelancers will be much less
so.
Communicate frequently
directions. A freelance employee should feel
comfortable contacting you or asking questions as
needed. Similarly, it's okay for you to check in on
your freelancer regularly to ask them how they're
doing, monitor their progress and provide any
relevant updates on other project components.
Teach freelancers about your
company culture often influences the type or style
of your services, products or processes. A
freelancer may have an easier time completing
their project in a way that aligns with your
organization's aesthetic or approach if they
understand your company culture. Teaching them
about your company culture can also help facilitate
or build stronger relationships between your
freelancers and your regular employees.
Use communication tools
include instant messaging systems, emails, phones,
video conferencing programs or file-sharing
software. Since most freelancers don't work on
the same schedule or in the same premises as
your regular employees, communication tools can
help ensure that you communicate regularly about
their ongoing projects.
Critique your freelancers' work regularly. Tell them
what you appreciate about their work and give
constructive advice on what they might alter or
improve. Offering consistent feedback can help
ensure they only need to make small revisions rather
than redoing an entire project from the beginning.
Conclusion
The good news of working with freelancers is, if you do it well the results can be stunningly effective for
your business. Freelancers can enable your business to grow faster and achieve success with lower
business risk. The effort you put into working with freelancers can pay off in business success.
Sources
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-work-with-freelancers
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2018/07/19/11-essential-tips-for-working-