How to manage your freelancers? Can you answer this question?
If not, then this article can be a game changer for you.
Freelancers are self-employed and independent people who have a number of clients. According to a study, there are 56 million freelancers in 2017 and this figure is expected to increase by 40% by 2020.
If you have a small business, then working as a freelancer can be profitable for your business. Why u ask? Well, the reason is quite obvious. Freelancers charge a less amount of money as compared to a full-time employee and fetch you the same results.
This may be a plus point to work with a freelancer but is it easy to manage them as well? Not really. According to a few entrepreneurs, they faced difficulty in managing their freelancers. This is because freelancers work with a number of people which means they have a long list of clients. Also, there are different types of freelancers and it is important to know about them beforehand if you have to manage them well. Unlike regular employees, it becomes difficult to have a regular interaction with your freelancers which makes them unsure or unaware about your project workload and their deadlines.
Guys, this is not a major disadvantage of hiring a freelancer. It’s just a simple setback which can be solved with the help of few tips and tools. So, without wasting anymore time, let’s discuss how to properly manage your freelancers.5 Tips to effectively manage your freelancers
Understand their needs
You as an entrepreneur need to understand why a particular freelancer wants to work with you. There can be many reasons for the same such as money, learning new skills etc. Everyone works with a particular person because of a reason. If you are able to find that reason, then you and your freelancer can have a proper understanding of each other.
Tell them your expectations
Everyone wants something in return. If you are paying a freelancer, you obviously want something in return. Well, this is what this whole point is about. You have to clearly explain your expectations to your freelancers so that they are able to work according to your needs. Any miscommunication can be harmful to your business.
Build relationships
Are relationships important while doing business? Of course, they are. You can work properly with that person with whom you have a solid relationship. You need to remember this while hiring freelancers. Ask them about their interests, their family etc. Build solid relationships with them. Relationships lead to good rapport which leads to excellent work.
Pay fairly
Just because a person is a freelancer that doesn’t give you a right to pay him/her less as compared to a regular employee. Doing this will demotivate them and they will be a reluctant to work with you in the future. They can also destroy your reputation in the market. To avoid such a situation, you have to pay them according to the market rates.
Treat them as your team
How will you feel if you are treated differently just because of your assigned status? Not good, isn’t it? So, why will you do this with others? Just because a person a freelancer that doesn’t mean you assign him/her a different pay grade, different id color badge etc. All this makes a person feel that he/she is not a part of your team. This can reduce their productivity. To avoid such a situation, make your freelancers feel welcomed and treat them as a part of your team. How you ask? Well, a team lunch sounds good, isn’t?
You can also take help of 5 tools to properly manage your freelancers.5 Tools to effectively manage your freelancers
Trello
This tool comes under the category of project management. With the help of this tool, workers can easily collaborate in a well-organized manner. You can individually track each worker progress. With the updated feature, you can upload attachments, add comments etc. Just like a WhatsApp group chat, everyone gets to see the same information across various devices. Here, you and your freelancers can share your work, comments, feedback etc with each other.
Slack
Is communication important while doing business? Of Course, it is but it is not possible to always have a face to face communication with your employees/freelancers. Imagine you want to have a direct communication with your freelancer at 3 pm at night? Not always possible, isn’t it? You need a proper communication channel through which you are in touch with your freelancers 24*7. This is where slack comes into the picture. Slack is the best communication app for all businesses. It offers direct messaging, group discussions, voice calling and what not. You can also upload your documents with your freelancers. I also use slack for by business communication.
Snaglt
Having difficulty in communicating with your remote freelancers? Don’t worry, this tool is perfect for you. This tool helps you to take screenshots and suggest important changes within the same. Instead of explaining an issue to your freelancers over an email or a phone, Snaglt does your job with flying colors.
Zoom
Having difficulty in communicating with your offsite team. Try using Zoom. With the help of this application, you can easily communicate with your team through online conferences. This tool is simple to use and with the updated feature, you can record your discussions. In case any of your freelancers missed the meeting, he/she can listen to it in the future.
Jing
This tool was specifically designed for training activities. You can use this tool to train your freelancers. How you ask? Well, this tool allows you to capture a video and add your recorded voice to it. This tool is beneficial in explaining various tasks to your freelancers.
Working with freelancers can be beneficial for your business. You may face some problem in managing your freelancers but hey, everything has got a challenge to it. With the help of these 10 tips and tools, you will be able to effectively manage your freelancers.