How to Effectively Manage a Team of Freelancers

Freelancing Oct 20, 2022

If you recently launched your business and plan to work with a team of independent contractors, you need to learn how to manage the team.

However, employing freelancing talent differs from hiring staff. Managers must learn how to successfully navigate the contrasts between managing their employed workforce, independent contractors, and freelancers.

“Employed” refers to full-time employees, “contractors” to full-time employees with a temporary contract, and “freelancers” to temporary or project-based hires.

Here are the key factors to consider when managing freelancers.

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First Things First - What Are the Benefits of Hiring Freelancers?

Hiring independent contractors has a number of advantages.

First, whether they are paid hourly or a set rate that has been specified in advance, freelancers are typically less expensive than full-fledged employees. Freelancers do not have any overhead expenses like full-time workers do, which is advantageous for your management budget.

Freelancers frequently provide particular expertise or talent as needed, without requiring you to commit to onboarding and training in the same way that you would with a full-time employee; freelancers streamline the entire process. This will save you time and money and accelerate your project's productivity.

Since they work remotely, freelancers save you money on things like office space, internet, and other equipment. Freelancers also open up the opportunity for more effective collaboration, mostly because they are flexible and don't always operate during normal business hours. Working with someone in a different time zone can help you engage the organization on a worldwide scale.

Find Quality Talent

Finding the right freelancers can be difficult, but the process is simpler if you know where to seek them. Here's where to start your search:

Rely on your network

Consult colleagues who have worked with freelancers in the past. Do they have any recommendations for contractors? Recruiting freelancers without recommendations can be tricky - you want reliable, dependent, and skilled people in your team.

Ask your current freelancers

If you already work with a contractor and are trying to employ more, ask if they have any coworkers who are willing to take on more work. Freelancers are a fantastic source for referrals because they frequently know and collaborate with other freelancers.

Promote your freelance position on Twitter, LinkedIn, or another social media network. In order to connect and share their craft, freelancers frequently create groups on websites like Facebook. Join and post your opening there, perhaps.

Be Careful When Hiring Freelancers

Consider a freelancer's competence in relation to your goals and requirements, their level of experience in their field, and whether or not their previous projects were satisfactorily completed before engaging them.

When employing a freelancer, interact with them to get a sense of how laid-back and collected they are in conversation. If a candidate is qualified but also irritable and resistant to criticism, that should raise caution flags for you. This tip doesn’t just apply to freelancers, but also when hiring influencers, marketing managers, or even if you hire a virtual assistant.

Brief Your Potential Staff on the Project

Inform your prospective freelancer of the project's details and your expectations for how they will carry out the task before you begin working with them. If they appear unsure of their abilities, take note. Your conversation with them will tell you if they are capable of completing the task

Using a content marketing platform or a content calendar is a great way to set clear expectations about each project. Doing so allows you to provide a brief for every project – ensuring that all writers, editors, and other freelancers can effectively manage their tasks.

For your freelancers to produce the ideal results, it is crucial to make sure they are aware of all your specific requirements. It is therefore vital to provide proper training. Use mobile learning to boost your freelancers' productivity.

Introduce Them to the Rest of the Team

Along with familiarity with the project, it is preferable for freelancers to work as a team inside a project. This can be done in your virtual office where they can communicate with one another.

When you work as a team, there are aspects of the job that various professionals view and comprehend differently. If they don't discuss these aspects, they can't come to an understanding and produce a cohesive result.

Utilize Tracking Tools

In addition to the more abstract factors you must take into account when overseeing a group of freelancers, there are tangible measurements that must be made.

For example, to gauge the amount of time freelancers spend on the job, use a time tracking tool. If you need a better overview of the projects the freelancer is working on, you can utilize task management apps. These apps allow the freelancer to record the specifics of what he or she has accomplished for the project within a given time frame and measure time spent on a task.

This method allows both parties to work together in confidence; the client can track the performance of the person to whom he has assigned an hourly assignment reliably.

Pay Your Freelancers Fairly

Although hiring a freelancer may be less expensive than adding a full-time staff, don't view freelancing as a means of cutting costs.

You are utilizing the abilities and talents of freelancers, thus they should be adequately compensated. They serve as an extension of your business. You want them to be complimentary about their experience.

Have a Contract

Before the job starts, have the freelancer sign a contract. You can do that by using dome document templates that distinctly states:

Expectations
Deliverables
Deadlines
Fees

Reasonable Deadlines

Set realistic and fair deadlines, and constantly inquire about the viability of a plan. Freelancers wish to assist in any manner they can as hired talent.

Let them know if there are any changes to the schedule, delays, or any changes that could cause deadlines to be missed. Identify ways they can feasibly accommodate those adjustments.

Clarify the Editing Process

Respect a predetermined number of drafts and revisions based on the contract and rate of the freelancer. Frequently, a freelancer will provide a predetermined amount of drafts and changes for the price they stated. Observe their restrictions.

Additionally, so that everyone is on the same page, define the editing process between the internal team and freelancers. Give the freelancer the complete set of team revisions if a few team members are required to take part in a content review.

Set Clear Expectations

Establish precise project parameters and expectations. Use resource management software for freelancers to keep track of their milestones. Be very clear about what you need and how you want it done; a freelancer won't be familiar with your company's internal operations or your preferences.

Without clear guidelines, independent contractors are left to conduct their work any way they like (which can be effective in some situations, but is often not ideal).

Foster a Relationship

While a connection with a freelancer differs from one with an employee, relationships are still relationships. Make a genuine connection with them rather than merely viewing them as a one-time, temporary contributor.

A freelancer is their own boss, yet they must become a member of your team. The success of the project will be aided by a positive working relationship and frequent communication.

Continually Communicate

Building trust with your freelancers and managing a project both require effective communication. Keep in touch with your freelancers during the project to foster a relationship.

Establish a channel of communication that is open, so they may express their thoughts and share their progress. Regular communication might help avoid issues as well.

Before the freelancer starts the task, you should specify your communication expectations to ensure that everyone is on the same page. By doing so, you can solve any problems before they arise.

To keep everything in one place and reduce the chance of missing any messages, it would be a good idea to interact with your freelancers using the same Team Collaboration Software you use with your full-time staff.

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Final Thoughts

Planning and careful management are required when adding freelancers to your company's staff. However, they can enhance your in-house team by bringing in additional talents and knowledge as needed. Engage freelance workers as an extension of your internal team to advance your business.