Whether you’re just getting started in business or just want to keep your team small and flexible, freelancers can be an incredible asset when combined with an in-house agency team.
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You only pay on a per-project basis and can choose from a variety of different experts. However, there are a variety of drawbacks to this method.
Let’s go through some strategies you can use to manage a team of freelancers more efficiently. These will help you gain better control over your freelancers.
Learn to be a leader
Empathy has been considered the most important leadership characteristic. Unfortunately, many leaders have been promoted to their current positions based on previous performance or industry credentials, but have received little or no leadership training.
While one in a thousand individuals may be a born leader, the great majority of effective leaders are educated. That is why it makes sense to look for quality leadership courses that will teach you some important aspects of being a leader.
When you have a bossy manager with unclear expectations and empathy for their employees, the effect is decreased production and morale.
Being authentic with your team doesn’t mean you should become great friends with them. But it does include sharing our common human experience, tearing down defensive barriers, and demonstrating that you are a real person too. It makes you appear more personable and helps you win respect.
Along with empathy, a good leader values their team members’ opinions, is curious about what makes them tick, and assists them in setting and achieving professional goals.
Will you always be in agreement? Of course not. But expressing your respect and loyalty by actually listening to and acting on what they say will gain you a great deal of respect and loyalty from them.
Use an FMS tool
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A freelance management system is a must-have if you plan on hiring multiple freelance workers. It’s a software platform that controls all operational, financial, and legal elements of working with freelancers, helps organizations in streamlining their processes, and enhances productivity.
It automates and simplifies every process, from talent acquisition to compliance, allowing you to get to work faster and achieve greater outcomes.
The primary advantages of working with freelancers are increased agility and access to on-demand knowledge. When you avoid the months-long process of hiring full-time personnel, you may swiftly use external talent whose skill set matches the task at hand.
Nonetheless, many hiring managers avoid outsourcing small projects that require specialized skills due to the added complexity.
With no FMS platform, you’ll face a slew of difficulties that will slow down work and place a huge administrative strain on your team, such as budget approval, allowing system access to the freelancer, and managing bills.
Be aware of their skills and don’t go too far
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It can be rather inspiring to list the benefits of helping your business grow with the help of freelancers. However, specialization has a finite number of applications. Bear in mind that any addition to your workforce, even if it is only part-time or for a brief period, involves additional communication, onboarding, and management expenditures.
Prudent leaders keep an eye out for the point of diminishing returns, the point at which the inefficiencies associated with managing too many people to perform a single task outweigh the benefits.
The gig economy necessitates new and more precise estimations of the costs associated with alternative methods of completing assigned tasks within a company. And it is up to managers to keep track of all of this on a regular basis to avoid producing poor quality in the name of efficiency.
Be reasonable with deadlines
Effective work, particularly innovative work, needs time. Avoid becoming a dictator with last-minute deadlines that need you to labor beyond typical business hours. After all, freelancers will likely be working on numerous projects at the same time, and, as a result, may not be available to work at all at the last minute.
In addition, this also means that you must adhere to your own deadlines. If they require something from you on a specific date and you fail to provide it, they will fail as well.
Appreciate them
If you find a competent freelancer and want them to stay or if you simply want to be a nice employer and human being, you must cherish each member of the team.
Even from a distance, inspire others by involving them in your goal. As with your direct reports, be a good manager and provide mentorship and coaching to help them learn and flourish.
Regularly provide constructive feedback on what works and what could be improved, while allowing them to do the same for you. This will help you gain the benefits of a stronger, happier team.
If you can, give them bonuses or even gifts. Everyone loves free stuff and freelancers are no different.
Final words
Getting organized, selecting the right people for your team, and being transparent about how you’re working together will significantly improve the efficiency of your collaboration. You’re likely to notice benefits from working with both your new freelancers and your in-house team.