More and more companies all over the world are realizing the benefits of hiring freelancers to do work, rather than assigning tasks to employees who are already within the company. Most employees already have big workloads to get through, and the more work that is expected of them and put on them, the less motivated they will feel.
If an employee is, for example, hired as an assistant graphic designer and they are assigned tasks which are not in line with their job spec like updating social media, showing clients around the office or they are regularly put on phone duty, then that employee will soon feel fed up, demotivated and will possibly be thinking about leaving the job.
However, if they are assigned tasks that are in line with their job spec, they will feel happy that they are utilizing their skills and will feel more motivated about the job – and may feel more in control.
Freelancers offer their services on a basis that can be short term, long term, or even for a one-off job. The majority of freelancers have a niche set of skills that companies can really benefit from, and as there is (for the most part) a no-frills contract offered, the ease of assigning freelancers jobs can be more beneficial than giving tasks to an employee.
However, sometimes it can be difficult to keep control over when freelancers hand their work in – and this can be especially true if a freelancer does not feel valued working for a specific company or of the job they have been assigned is completely different from the one that was offered.
Because of this, some companies are now reaping the benefits of JIRA testing which can allow a freelancer to feel like a part of the company by uploading their work and then corresponding with already existing employees within the company. Even though freelancers do not – mostly – work from a company office, they still want to feel like part of the company while they are assigned a job.
Other ways of making a freelancer feel inclusive are to invite them to company parties, invite them to the office to meet the staff who they have been corresponding with through email (meeting face to face is always a good approach to take for freelancers who have been working for the company for a while), send them various gifts such as company pens, notepads or mousemats, and to send them greetings cards for special holidays. If a freelancer has done a particularly good job on a specific task, and you are seriously impressed with the quality of their work, then to allow a positive relationship to blossom (and for them to accept more work), you may want to add a little extra cash when you pay their invoice in full.
Employing freelancers has never been easier. There are plenty of sites where you can find freelancers, and with their niche skills to be utilized, why wouldn’t you hire a freelancer?
