6 Reasons Why You Should Work With Freelancers
Still undecided about hiring freelancers? We get it, externalizing your workforce can sound a little daunting. You may lose on face-to-face interaction. You may have trust issues — what if they’re not working when they say they are? Also, how much more (or less) will a freelancer cost?
All of these things are valid concerns. And, we’ll give you that: at times, it will make more sense to hire an in-house employee. But at CodeControl, we also firmly believe in the future of work. And, embracing this future also means working with freelancers.
The times they are a-changin’
More people than ever earn their income in non-traditional arrangements, from part-time employment to full-time freelancing. A recent study by Upwork and Freelancers Union showed that more than 1 in 3 Americans worked as freelancers in 2018 — an increase of 3.7 million since 2014. In Europe too, independent workers have remarkably risen in numbers in the last decade.
The reality is, the way we think about work and employment is drastically changing in this globalized and digitalized world. This comes with opportunities and risks for both individuals and companies.
At CodeControl, we’re convinced that the advantages of opting for freelance work greatly outweigh the inconveniences. So, here are six reasons why you should give freelancers a try for your business.
1) You pay for actual work
Compared to a full-time employee, a freelancer saves you money on overhead, office space, equipment, training, health insurance, and office supplies.
And, that’s without mentioning wasted work hours. A 2016 study by Vouchercloud revealed that the average office worker in the U.K. is only productive for 2 hours and 53 minutes out of an entire workday. The rest of the time is spent checking social media and news websites, discussing non-work related topics with colleagues, and taking coffee and cigarette breaks.
A freelancer might do the same during a workday, but they won’t get paid for it. Unless you pay them an hourly rate — but even then, they will have a greater incentive to finish their work quickly than a full-time employee who needs to stay at the office for 8 hours a day.
2) You get quality work delivered quickly
Think of a freelancer as a restaurant. A restaurant that serves good food with good service within a reasonable amount of time will thrive. A restaurant that doesn’t probably goes out of business within months.
Freelancers live off of their reputation. They are motivated to do an excellent job and deliver results fast. Not because they’re superhuman, but because that’s how they earn their bread and butter. Plus, we believe that highly self-motivated individuals are more likely to become freelancers in the first place.
3) You have access to high-level expertise
No matter how smart you hire, it’s almost impossible that you will find all the expertise you need at any point in time within your staff.
You might have an employee who took up Mandarin during their studies. Will they be able to conduct appropriate business correspondence with a Beijing client? Probably not. You will need a professional translator.
Freelancers are highly specialized in their fields. They have worked for various clients and collected a wide range of knowledge in different areas. You might not need their expertise on a daily basis, but they may come in as absolute assets for specific projects. And, your contract with them ends when the project ends.
4) You find people who can hit the ground running
HR professionals know this all too well: training in-house employees is both essential and costly.
And, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. workers between 25 and 34 stay in one job for a median tenure of 3.2 years. Changing jobs often is part of the strategy for ambitious professionals. This means that companies get the short end of the stick: they invest in the training of employees, only to lose them once they are delivering their best work.
On the other hand, freelancers are already experts in their fields. So, when you contact them to ask for their services, there is no onboarding involved — plus, once the project is over, you don’t pay them anymore. If you’re happy with the work they provide, there’s always the option of hiring them full-time afterwards.
5) You hire efficiently from a vast talent pool
Hiring fixed employees means looking into a talent pool that is limited by your geographical location. On the other hand, if you consider freelancers, your options are much broader.
What’s more, you’ll be able to find the help you need at a much faster pace. Hiring for a permanent position may take months, on top of recruitment costs. Hiring a freelancer can be done in days or weeks.
And if your project needs urgent help, you’ll always be able to find a talented freelancer available to work right away.
6) You stay flexible and agile
The same cannot be said about in-house employees, who are probably juggling many tasks at once at all times, and would find it difficult to make room for yet another project.
In many businesses, workload fluctuates. During busy times, your staff is working hard to stay on top of things. Other times, there is just less work that needs to be done — even though the pay is the same.
Working with freelancers gives you more leeway. Say the freelancer you recruit doesn’t live up to expectations. Well, you can stop working with them immediately. Or, if business is going strong and you need extra capacities, you can hire freelancers for as long as you need extra support.
So, these points explain why at times, the RoI of freelancers can be significantly higher than that of full-time employees. That is true even for freelancers who charge high rates if you take into account all costs.
At CodeControl we see the benefits of hiring freelancers every day. In our own business and for our clients.