Every good entrepreneur knows that they can’t do it alone. But an increasing number are now choosing to shift their recruitment processes to take on more temporary staff for specific projects and niche needs, rather than employing a permanent workforce. 

And it’s clear to see why. Working with freelancers to build your business ensures that you have access to the exact skills you need, exactly when you need them. Not to mention that hiring freelancers can often be done in just a few hours (compared to an average hiring timeline of between 25 and 46 days depending on the industry), and for just a portion of the cost. Recent research here in the UK suggests that the average cost to hire now stands at £3000! It’s easy to see why the employment landscape is shifting.

But it’s important to remember that working with freelancers isn’t a magical solution; there are a unique set of challenges that come with relying upon a temporary workforce, and a unique set of rules that business owners must follow if they really want to derive full value from their efforts. 

Here are five rules that can help you to ensure that your new partnerships will bring you the results and outcomes that you’re looking for:

1. Don’t Rush it

As we briefly touched upon above, one of the biggest advantages to working with a freelancer to build your business is that you can have the right skills you need within just a few hours if you use the right platform. However, don’t be tempted to rush the process just because you’re keen to get started. Bringing in the wrong freelancer can not only delay your growth plans, but could also impact your feelings about working with a temporary workforce, affecting future partnerships. While it’s important not to waste weeks and weeks recruiting a freelancer, it is still important to look through proposals and profiles to ensure you find the right match for your business needs. Taking a little time initially can build a strong foundation for driving success in the future. 

2. Consider it an Investment

Working with freelancers may only be an informal and temporary arrangement that’s used as a cost-saving measure, but try not to approach the situation from this angle. A fair attitude – especially when it comes to payments – can help to form a stronger relationship, boost loyalty, and ultimately help you derive more value from your freelancers. Employees want to feel valued, and it’s not surprising that freelancers want the same. When planning your budget, consider exchange rates (if working with international freelancers), platform commission, withdrawal fees, and tax. It may seem as though you’re paying more than anticipated, but working with freelancers should be approached as an investment in growing and developing your organisation rapidly. 

3. Create an Onboarding Process

When a new employee begins their contract, most organisations will have some sort of onboarding process that helps them to get familiar with the company. This may be introductions with the team, documents to read through, colleagues to shadow, or meetings to sit in on. Freelancers, however, are often expected to jump into the deep end, despite not knowing the ins and outs of the company. You could transfer your existing employee onboarding process to your freelance workforce, but it’s important to ensure that confidential information remains confidential, especially if the freelancer has not signed a non-disclosure agreement. Alternatively, instead of a full onboarding process, why not look at creating a hybrid solution with docs covering the basics?

4. Communicate Regularly and Clearly

You might know what you want and what you expect in terms of delivery and results, and your employees may know, too. Your freelancers, however, don’t know, and they won’t know unless you tell them. Although creating a detailed brief can take time, it can ultimately be a massive time saver in the long run by minimising the need for revisions. A good brief should always include company beliefs to ensure that work is carried out in line with your business’ underlying values. A good brief is especially necessary if freelancers are working remotely. Managing remote workers is very different to managing an on-site team, with no organic absorption of information from the surrounding environment, or from conversations taking place. Communicate. Often. 

5. Be Realistic

There is a reason why permanent recruitment is still the norm. Permanent employees learn the ropes from you and your business; they mould themselves to your ways of working, with both parties reaching the point of trust and knowing that a) the business values the employee and b) that the employee has what it takes to not only get the job done but to also bring long term value. Freelancers can’t mould themselves to you. At least, not completely. They need to be flexible to remain marketable within what is now an increasingly competitive industry. And so it’s important to be realistic in what a freelancer can deliver. And perhaps even more importantly, it’s important to be realistic in any public feedback that you give, giving honest feedback without nitpicking.