8 Tips for Managing Freelancers

An increasing number of professionals are choosing to work as freelancers. A study by McKinsey shows that around 20% to 30% of the professionals in developed markets are engaged in freelance or gig economy.  In India, the freelance industry is estimated to grow to $20 to 30 billion by 2025. By 2023, the global gig economy is slated to register a 17% CAGR, reaching a gross volume of around $455 billion. Currently, India ranks fifth in flexi-staffing, following the US, China, Brazil and Japan. Considering this trend, it is important for businesses to learn how to manage freelancers effectively. In this article we have shared 8 tips for managing freelancers.

We will cover the following topics in this article.

• Advantages of working with a freelancer
• 8 tips for managing freelancers

But before you dive into the rest of the article, let us define a freelancer. A freelancer is a professional who works independently and not as an employee of a company. Freelance work is per job or task basis. A freelancer provides services to businesses on contract. They usually work from home.

Advantages of Working with a Freelancer

Working with a freelancer can be a great option for your business, if you can hire the right candidate. The advantages of engaging a freelancer are listed below.

• Freelance services are usually less expensive than hiring a full-time employee on your payroll. You need to pay the freelancer only for the contracted job. There are no overheads involved. You can identify a freelancer based on your specific requirements and budget. 
• A freelancer can be highly skilled and experienced in specific areas. You can choose the level of experience and skills you wish to work with.
• Freelancers do not require training and supervision like regular employees. They can be quickly onboarded and assigned to the project.
• For short-term projects or jobs, a freelancer can be more flexible and agile than regular employees.
• Most freelancers are keen to build their personal reputation. They are looking for referrals. As a result, they usually provide very good services with great dedication and commitment.

8 Tips for Managing Freelancers

Freelancers are independent and autonomous professionals. They usually work remote and you are unlikely to meet them. Your relationship with your freelancers is based on a contract. You don’t have the same control on your freelancers as your employees on payroll. Hence, it is very important for you to manage your freelancers effectively so that you have a successful engagement with them. We have compiled the following 8 tips for managing freelancers.

1. Onboard Your Freelancers

This is a vital 1^st step. Unlike your employees, your freelancers don’t know about your company. You need to brief them on your brand and explain to them your values and culture. Proper onboarding of your freelancers will ensure that they understand enough about your company to deliver the best results.

2. Build Relationship

It is very important to get to know your freelancers and build a relationship with them. You must treat them as your team members. Include them in your team building activities. You need to support them and make them feel valued.

3. Specify Project Details

You must clearly specify detailed project requirements including scope of work, your expectations, deliverables, timelines, measures of success, quality standards and reporting requirements. You need to document the project details and discuss them with your freelancer. It is ideal if you can break up a large complex project into smaller jobs or gigs before assigning to freelancers. This will make it easier to match the right freelancer. This will also help you to manage the engagement better.

4. Establish Communication Channel

Please discuss and agree with your freelancer on the preferred channel for all project communications. There are multiple channels including email, phone call, WhatsApp messages, video calls, etc. If your freelancer is fine with an informal communication approach, you can establish a WhatsApp Group with all project members. This can be very useful for keeping in constant touch and working on an agile mode.

5. Use Tools

For large projects involving multiple freelancers, you should plan to use available tools. These tools will help to significantly increase productivity and reduce administrative overheads. Some of the common tools include:

• Project Management Tools: Trello, Asana, Instagantt, Basecamp, Jira, Click Up, Monday, etc.
• Time Tracking Tools: Clockify, Harvest, Screenshot Monitor, Everhour, Toggl Track, etc.
• Communication Tools: Zoom, Krisp, Slack, Wrike, Skype, Podio, Twist, Fuze, Jive, etc.

6. Finalize Contract

It is essential to finalize a formal contract with your freelancers. The contract should cover the scope of work, terms & conditions, contract value, invoicing & payment terms, applicable taxes, cancellation & refund policies, etc. Please also execute a NDA (non-disclosure agreement) with your freelancers.

7. Don’t Micromanage

It is important to provide your freelancers adequate time and space. Freelancers usually prefer a flexible and autonomous way of working. Don’t micromanage your freelancers. This will not help you to get the best output from them.

8. Provide Feedback

You need to provide timely feedback to your freelancers. This is essential to ensure that the deliverables are in line with your expectations. Be generous with your praise and constructive in your criticism. This approach will help your freelancers to improve their performance resulting in a successful engagement.

In Conclusion

Hiring the right freelancer is vital for the success of your engagement. One of the challenges is how do you find the right candidate. You can check with your contacts. But this approach will severely restrict the pool of talent for you to hire the right freelancer. One of the best options for you to find the right freelancers is through freelance platforms and market places. These platforms can help in recruiting, onboarding, managing and paying freelancers.

Your Marketing List can help you with digital marketing freelancers. We have started this platform specifically to address the following challenges of businesses:

• What digital marketing services do I need?
• How can I find the right resources for this?
• How do I ensure that I get quality work in time and within my budget?

If you are interested to learn more about how we can help you, do connect with us.

Other References

If you are interested to get more tips for managing freelancers, please refer to the following articles.

• How To Effectively Manage a Team of Freelancers
• 6 ways to manage freelancers effectively
• 9 steps to managing a remote freelance team effectively