A current report printed by the Freelancers Union with Upwork reveals that over 35% of the U.S. workforce operates as freelancers. This quantity can be anticipated to double over the subsequent 4 years. That simply signifies that firms might want to discover ways to handle freelancers as early as now in the event that they need to succeed. The gig economic system was already a $1.3 trillion area in 2020.
Whereas freelancers can add value to your group, it is advisable to have a transparent and well-defined reply to the query “The best way to handle freelancers in your group.”
Hiring a contract group for tasks in areas like graphic design, website design, advertising and marketing, builders, and content material creation, is an environment friendly, cost-effective resolution. Another inherent advantages of hiring a distant group of freelancers embrace:
- It reduces payroll prices and allows the enterprise proprietor to attain extra with decrease prices.
- Freelancers are expert assets for particular features the place it’s possible you’ll need assistance.
- Generally, freelancers function remotely, and also you don’t have to allocate further assets like workplace area or computer systems.
- They work versatile hours. As an example, hiring a freelancer in a special timezone to handle your social media accounts means the accounts are attended to even throughout your off-hours.
Partaking freelancers for small tasks to start out with lets you consider and determine who suits your organizational wants primarily based on their abilities and character.
This text supplies recommendations on tips on how to handle freelancers. We’ll additionally take you thru one of the best distant work software program that can assist you develop an environment friendly course of to seek out and recruit the precise freelancers.
Let’s dive in.
5 Recommendations on tips on how to handle freelancers with ease
Step one to efficient collaboration with the gig economic system is to outline your undertaking clearly and convey it to the freelancers you’re working with. Outsourcing jobs to freelancers requires readability of goal and deliverables each throughout the group and with the freelancers. With that mentioned, let’s now take a look at 5 recommendations on managing your freelance assets effectively.
1. Construct relationships with freelancers
Take a look at the freelancer as what you are promoting companion, even in the event you’re working with a solopreneur. Domesticate relationships with freelancers the identical method you do with distributors, suppliers, or common clients. This turns into much more related in the event you’re going to make use of their providers on an ongoing foundation.
Even when they’re not full-time staff, take into account the freelancer as a part of your in-house group. Taking the time and attending to know them as an individual pays wealthy dividends over the long run. It additionally helps in integrating the freelancer into your workflows.
Appreciation additionally goes a good distance. Respect your freelancers for his or her nice work. You also needs to be invested in serving to them full their duties. Which means offering all of the assets they want.
Discover frequent areas of curiosity and use them to construct a constructive connection. A higher level of engagement will make the freelancer extra attentive to your wants and have a constructive influence on the well timed supply and high quality of labor.
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2. Present a clearly outlined undertaking scope
Begin your engagement with outlined undertaking particulars that cowl points like general undertaking scope, deliverables, and required timelines. Spell out how you’ll consider the work high quality to make sure that the ultimate end result meets your expectations.
Use a regular undertaking administration method, which is fairly simple to do with most consumer administration software program. Break up the entire scope into smaller linear phases with an outlined timeline for finishing every part. Outline the high-level necessities and work your method into specifics. Be sure that the next areas are lined:
- Abilities and data required for the undertaking
- Instruments and software program freelancers require for the undertaking.
- Your type information to make sure the content material aligns along with your model expectations.
- Occasions when the freelancer must be accessible for dialogue along with your group chief or group members
- Process completion and undertaking deadline
- Last approval course of
Be sure that the above talked about factors are included within the job description you publish on-line. The job description ought to embrace the technical abilities you’re in search of and an overview of the method you need the freelancer to observe.
Clearly outline all of the deliverables and the way you’ll consider every deliverable. This permits all stakeholders: the freelancer, the group chief, and the group, to be on the identical web page.
3. Full the documentation
It is very important present the freelancer with all related documentation that can allow them to finish your undertaking precisely. As an example, in the event you’re working with freelance writers, it’s important to supply them with an editorial guideline that specifies issues like font, grammar, and tone.
In the meantime, the documentation for programmers and internet designers ought to make clear areas like tips on how to add notes inside their code. Or, embrace parts within the code that permits your improvement group to make use of and replace the code sooner or later.
The readability in your documentation eliminates potential areas of confusion for freelancers and simplifies the follow-up work in your group.
4. Outline your expectations and set the funds
Challenge targets, scope, and funds are vital parts of your freelancing contract. From a freelancer’s standpoint, this prevents the corporate from including further work to the undertaking. From the corporate’s standpoint, it clearly defines timelines and expectations.
Good firms will respect the freelancer’s time and revise the funds and timelines in case further work is required. Align your funds to the undertaking particulars talked about above to maintain everybody in settlement on what’s lined.
Some firms pay the freelancer at an hourly price. Any revision within the undertaking scope ought to mechanically result in a revision of the undertaking timeline. Therefore, if a 40-hour undertaking will get revised to 42 hours, the freelancer must be compensated for the additional hours.
It’s incumbent on the corporate and freelancer to outline how a lot work will be achieved inside a undertaking’s hourly allotment. In case there are any delays, the freelancer can proactively talk the problems.
5. Guarantee proactive communication
Outline your most popular communication channel the place freelancers can simply attain you. As an example, in the event you usually talk through e mail, share your e mail handle with a primary message earlier than the undertaking begins.
It will allow you to troubleshoot any deliverability points in the course of the undertaking. Proactive consumer communication helps you identify a dependable repute with freelancers.
Some undertaking administration instruments like Asana include built-in messaging options. These permit undertaking members to tag one another in feedback for direct notification. Slack is one other helpful collaboration platform for individuals performing a number of duties on an hourly and each day foundation.
Attempt to keep a slender bandwidth of communication channels with all freelance employees. This prevents lacking vital notifications.
It additionally reduces the platforms it is advisable to test for messages. If you’re tips on how to handle freelancers, the device you utilize is much less vital than the power to speak proactively and frequently.
One other tip on tips on how to handle freelancers is to schedule a weekly assembly to debate the progress of the undertaking and resolve any points confronted by the freelancer.
The best way to handle freelancers with the assistance of those instruments
Collaboration and undertaking administration instruments are important for a profitable undertaking. They assist efficient undertaking administration, proactive and well timed communication, and environment friendly time monitoring. Let’s take a look at 5 instruments throughout these three features.
Trello: Collaboration platform
Trello is a Kanban-style collaboration device that segments duties into boards, lists, and playing cards. Below Kanban undertaking administration, every matter has its board, and throughout the board are lists of playing cards for particular duties associated to the subject. Figuring out tips on how to handle freelancers successfully positively entails correct group.
The lists characterize a linear workflow, and as a activity strikes in the direction of completion, the corresponding card strikes throughout successive lists. This provides a real-time view of the place the given activity is.
Trello’s free plan is each highly effective and easy to make use of. It lets you simply drag and drop playing cards to totally different lists, enabling you to test the precise standing of every undertaking.
Let’s say a contract content material author is engaged on a number of blogs. On Trello, the weblog would have its card, and the lists will be damaged down into researching, writing, enhancing, and submitting. This provides a transparent perception into the precise standing of each weblog publish.
Basecamp: Collaboration platform
Basecamp is an environment friendly and minimalistic device for undertaking administration. It’s centered on simplicity and usefulness. Its options are rigorously curated to supply the whole lot important to undertaking administration whereas eliminating all superfluous options that add to platform complexity. This makes the platform simple to make use of.
With Basecamp, shoppers can simply arrange all their tasks and freelancers. It’s the popular undertaking administration platform for each small companies and freelancers.
One other advantage of Basecamp is that it additionally supplies restricted undertaking entry for shoppers. Therefore, the freelancer can invite a consumer for dialogue and share information associated to a undertaking whereas maintaining inner data just like the guidelines and calendar non-public.
Freelancers can use Basecamp to separate their shoppers into totally different organizations, and inside every group, they will create labels and tasks. All crucial parts of undertaking administration, together with information, discussions, to-do lists, and deadlines, will be neatly organized in Basecamp.
There’s additionally a characteristic of a group calendar that shows crucial data like trip time for freelancers.
Skype: Communication platform
Skype permits you to name and message different Skype customers totally free, no matter the place they’re situated. All you want is an effective Web connection. You need to use Skype for web-based telephone calls along with your freelancers whereas sharing your display.
You’ll obtain a web-based cellular quantity once you enroll on Skype. Non-Skype customers can use that quantity to get in contact with you.
The group chat performance works nicely for the freelancer who desires to attach with an in-house group of the consumer. You’ll be able to customise this perform to fit your wants.
Freelancers can create two accounts on Skype, one for private use and one for his or her skilled community. This provides them the added flexibility the place they will log in to their private account on their cellular whereas maintaining their skilled community on their laptop computer.
Skype is a superb communication app for messaging, video conferences, and getting fast responses to your questions.
Slack: Communication platform
If you’re studying tips on how to handle freelancers, Slack is a must have. Slack is a bunch messaging app that’s best for speaking with separate shoppers and groups. It’s handy and straightforward to make use of for fast communication. Freelancers discover it best for collaborating with their shoppers and distant groups.
Slack has some nice qualities. Consider Slack as a digital chat room with impartial threads and discussions for various shoppers. It’s additionally an ideal device for digital group constructing. One freelance worker can use its features to attach with different freelancers and get their questions answered shortly.
Hubstaff: Time monitoring device
Hubstaff is an easy-to-use time monitoring device to maintain monitor of your digital time and enhance your productiveness. You need to use the timers in your computer systems or the on-the-go characteristic out of your cellular gadgets. You too can monitor time dedicated to particular duties and tasks for every freelancer you’re employed with. The device additionally permits you to obtain custom-made time studies.
In addition to the time monitoring characteristic, Hubstaff additionally helps automated billing and payroll. You too can take screenshots and document your exercise ranges for the day.
Freelancers discover Hubstaff handy for monitoring time and producing studies for his or her shoppers, together with retainer shoppers. The device makes use of your hourly price to test which shoppers are taking on the majority of your time and if the time dedicated to a consumer is commensurate with their returns.
The device integrates with collaboration platforms like Trello. Simply hit begin once you begin working and cease once you’re finished. You too can pause the timer once you take a break. The software program calculates your hourly price and the time spent on every undertaking. It provides you a weekly billable report.
Hubstaff additionally syncs with PayPal and information funds you obtain whereas displaying you these which can be overdue and require your follow-up.
Decide the instruments that work one of the best for you and your group of freelancers.
The best way to discover and rent the precise freelancers in your group
Lastly, let’s take a look at one of the best practices you’ll need to observe whereas hiring a freelancer in your group. Here’s a listing of some in style freelancing web sites, together with the varieties of professionals you’ll discover there.
- Upwork – a broad combine of pros from totally different streams
- GitHub jobs – website builders
- Dribbble – designers, illustrators, and artists
- Aquent – advertising and marketing professionals
- Assemble.television – media manufacturing specialists
- Help pushed – buyer assist specialists
- BloggingPro – content material writers
Every website works in another way when you publish your job. Some permit freelancers to contact you and ship their CVs and work samples. Others let freelancers to ship you their bids and undertaking proposals.
The third sort of website entails freelance marketplaces – they allow you to view the freelancers’ profiles and work samples. You’ll be able to then resolve on the freelancers you need to contact.
When recruiting freelancers from these web sites, you will need to choose somebody who has the requisite abilities and expertise. It’s additionally good to seek out somebody who will mesh nicely along with your in-house group in the event that they’ll be working collectively. Listed below are some freelancer recruitment ideas:
Examine critiques
Be certain to scan the critiques left by earlier shoppers. If the vast majority of critiques by previous shoppers are constructive, it’s secure to imagine the freelancer is sweet at their job. You’ll be able to contact them and provoke the recruitment course of.
Examine their profiles on Fb, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, and search for purple flags. As an example, if most of their footage characteristic them ingesting and partying with buddies every day, you may need to suppose twice about hiring them for a undertaking. A freelancer with a busy life might not have the ability to commit the time and a spotlight required in your undertaking.
Examine their training and expertise
Examine the freelancer’s CV posted to see their expertise and training level. Take into account that skilled freelancers may have realized the commerce via environment friendly observe even when their training level is proscribed.
Then again, extremely educated individuals might have restricted work expertise. It’s essential draw a steadiness between the 2.
Request for work samples
Be certain to request related work samples from the freelancer. For instance, when recruiting a contract internet developer, ask for a code pattern. This offers you a degree to debate in the course of the technical interview. You’ll be able to then ask them why they selected this particular resolution and never an alternate one.
Equally, with freelance writers, ask them for samples of printed articles to test in the event that they craft compelling, Search engine optimisation-friendly content material. You too can ask them to ship their most notable clippings to you.
When in search of designers, illustrators, or animators for design tasks, ask them to ship samples of their paintings. You get the concept.
Conclusion
Streamlining the method of tips on how to handle freelancers can take some effort and preparation, however it’ll pay wealthy dividends in the long term. That is much more crucial if your organization will work with freelancers on an ongoing course of.
When you notice the advantages of freelance hires (there are lots of), you’ll additionally have to allocate an annual funds for freelancers. Subsequent, you’ll want to verify you’re hiring the precise individuals for the job after which present them with clear tips, targets, and timelines.
Pay specific consideration whereas screening and recruiting freelancers. As a result of once you rent the precise individuals, freelance administration will likely be simple. Good luck.
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David is the co-founder of Omniscient Digital, a content material advertising and marketing company that works with rising B2B SaaS firms. Beforehand, he was at HubSpot for six years serving as a Progress Marketer and a Progress Product Supervisor. He is been featured in HubSpot, Product-Led World, and Buffer and spoken internationally from San Francisco to London and Milan to Kyiv.
Learn extra from David.