4 Tips for Working with Freelancers

Guest Post by Lauren Wiseman

You may realize that your internal team cannot handle the entire workload or you just need a team for occasional hire — in any case, a group of freelancers might just be the perfect answer. These individuals are usually experienced because they have the freedom to work with multiple companies during their careers and that experience and knowledge is something you can leverage. Many entrepreneurs are interested in hiring freelancers but have questions about how to supervise the work and manage the payments for an external team. Here are a few tips on how to successfully work with freelancers: 

Establish good communication

All business relations are maintained through good communication. From interviews to weekly reports and feedback sessions, the freelance team needs to feel like a part of your company in order to perform to the best of their abilities. However, this doesn’t mean that you should have daily video calls if there is no need because you would be wasting your time and theirs. 

Regular purposeful communication does more than just help freelancers feel like they belong; it also facilitates the exchange of ideas with your internal teams and helps the freelancers know they are on the right track. Without regular communication, freelancers may miss important details and inadvertantly stray from their tasks. By ensuring that everyone’s doing exactly what they are supposed to, you will also make sure that no funds are wasted and that everyone gets paid for the work they've done. 

Let the software do its trick

It is said that trust is the basis of a good relationship; however, in business, trusting people is often characterized as naivety. Wanting to know that your employees are actually working during business hours doesn’t make you an overly strict employer but a prudent entrepreneur. Most remote employees will fill in their time logs honestly, but some might try to bend the truth a bit and put in some extra hours.

If that happens each month, you would be giving away funds you can put to better use and grow your business. To keep the business relationship with your external team fair and square, you should find a software solution that will help you monitor their work and track time spent on projects. Available software includes features that help the freelance crew keep track of their to-dos, deadlines, and the hours they’ve planned on setting aside for each project segment.

Use the benefits of the payroll card

One of the biggest perks of hiring freelancers is that you are not limiting yourself to your local pool of talents. The last thing you want is to hire people who are not cut out for that position simply because you have run out of options. It's not enough just to hope that with enough training and patience, they would be able to perform well. Hiring freelancers gives a shot to individuals with the enthusiasm and efficiency your business desperately needs, even if they're from different cities or even countries.  

Many business owners are reluctant to hire remote workers because they believe that the process of payment would be too complicated and not worth the hassle. However, if you give each freelance employee a personalized payroll card this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. Many entrepreneurs opt for this solution because it allows for the automation of the entire payroll process while the freelancers don’t have to be a member of any particular bank and they can use the card internationally.  

Prepare a detailed contract

Regardless of whether you are hiring a particular external team for a one-time project or if they will be your go-to people for all similar tasks, signing a contract with them is crucial. This contract will protect both parties. If they don’t wish to sign it, then you should rethink your decision about hiring that particular person or team because there might be other reasons they don’t wish to make a legal commitment. 

The contact should contain basic information on the two parties such as legal names, physical addresses, detailed description of what they are hired to do, deadlines, as well as the payment terms. The contract should include what would happen if either party doesn't live up to their side of the bargain. Having these terms on paper can eliminate misunderstandings or any intentional fraud attempts.

Don't let fear stop you from hiring freelancers and advancing your business.

Lauren Wiseman is a marketing specialist and contributor to bizzmarkblog.com. She helps clients grow their personal and professional brands in the fast-changing and demanding market, strongly believing in a holistic approach to a business.