Hasn’t the world changed over the last few years? While remote and freelance workers were slowly starting to grow in popularity, now that COVID-19 has forever changed the world of working and employees, it has really taken off.
Not only are companies employing more and more of a hybrid working environment, but they are hiring more and more contractors and freelancers to run various aspects of the business. So, if you have started moving toward a more freelancer basis and started hiring more remote employees, we thought we would give you some guidance on how to effectively manage them.
It may be slightly challenging to deal with remote employees, but once you get the basics right, you will be good to go. So, let’s take a look at what companies around the world are doing.
Make Use Of Online Management Platforms
Don’t struggle with managing freelancers using the same systems that you manage in-house employees. Not only do you have to onboard them differently but reimbursement is also different, you pay different taxes and workflows are not the same as in-house.
So, find an effective freelance management system that works for your company. There are some great tools that provide you with the following support to effectively manage your freelancers:
- Sourcing;
- Onboarding;
- Managing;
- Paying;
- Simplifying your workflow;
- Centralizing your information.
With everything in one place, you can make sure that you effectively manage your team of freelancers and have a full view of what needs to be done.
Invest In Collaboration And Engagement Tools
Not only can you manage your freelancers from a platform, but you are also able to track tasks, projects, and deadlines with some of the best tools in the industry. Online platforms such as Trello allow you to create projects, assign tasks, monitor progress, set deadlines, share information, track time and send alerts and communicate on various tasks.
With a few clicks, you can see who is working on what and what still needs to be done. You are also able to draw comprehensive reports on work completed and integrate them effectively with other useful tools. Platforms such as Slack are a great addition to the platforms as they provide real-time alerts and allow you to communicate with your team of freelancers.
Take a look at other plugins and integration that work with these tools. Most actions and processes can be effectively automated, taking hours of work out of your life.
Remember To Reward And Recognize
Just because your team of freelancers is not physically in the office with you, doesn’t mean they don’t need a bit of recognition now and then. It has been proven that employees are more productive and loyal to a company when they are recognized for good work. So, if you want to retain your good employees, consider a reward and recognition program.
Month-end recognition awards can still be done virtually if they are remote, or you could send out company communication regularly recognizing some great work being done by your freelancers.
If you want to reward them, consider giving them digital vouchers, subscriptions to online platforms, sending them to an event of their choice, or even giving them some paid leave. The online options are endless. If a physical gift is more than what you want to give them, there are a plethora of subscription boxes to choose from.
You can gift them snack baskets, wine deliveries, or even mix things up and give them an online pairing experience.
Pivot Your Communication Style
Communicating with freelancers is very different from communicating with your full-time, in-house employees. Regular check-ins are necessary and need to be scheduled either weekly or bi-weekly.
These one-on-one meetings provide you the opportunity to have keen insight into their progress but also give them the chance to gain further insight from you. It will also give them the opportunity to provide you with feedback or share some ideas with you about their projects.
Remember, if they are freelance employees, they most likely have other clients that they are working with that provide them with further experience and knowledge on a similar subject matter. So, sharing ideas with them might be beneficial for you as they can share some great tactics of what works.
Employee engagement, especially freelance and remote needs to be kept up if you want to ensure employee retention.
The Bottom Line
As an employer, one of the key things to remember in this day and age is that employees, especially freelancers and remote workers are very much interested in a healthy and productive work/life balance. Respect their time and their hours. Remunerate fairly and keep that communication open at all times.
