If you’re new to working with freelancers, the idea of hiring remote workers might be a bit scary. You probably have a lot of questions about how to pick the right person for the job and how best to manage your workflow over digital channels.
Well, have no fear you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ll go over 9 helpful tips on working with remote freelancers so they can be a positive addition to your team and work situation as a whole.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Communication is key for successful collaboration. |
| Set clear expectations and project guidelines. |
| Use collaboration tools to streamline remote work. |
| Foster a sense of trust and autonomy. |
| Provide regular feedback and check-ins. |
| Be mindful of time zone differences. |
| Define project milestones and deadlines. |
| Offer clear payment terms and methods. |
| Cultivate a positive and inclusive work environment. |
1. Get To Know Your Freelancer
There are many ways to get to know your freelancer. You can talk about your background and interests, like if you love the outdoors or read a lot of science fiction novels. Ask them about themselves, their family, and where they live.
Try to connect on shared hobbies or interests. By talking in person through tools like Skype or Google Hangouts, you’ll be able to see each other face-to-face and have a more natural conversation.
Keep it professional: While it’s great getting to know your freelancers as people, don’t forget that you’re employees employer/employee relationships are still relationships of power and authority.
Always remember that even though you’ve talked about your interests and shared stories from the past over drinks at a virtual happy hour with the team, this doesn’t mean that you can start using slang terms in place of professional language during work tasks.
Also avoid asking too many personal questions; make sure the lines between employee/client aren’t blurred too much so that it becomes difficult for both parties involved!
When working with remote freelancers, communication is key. It’s important to establish clear guidelines and expectations from the start. For more insights, explore our article on 11 Email Marketing Tips for Freelance Writers that can enhance your collaboration strategies.
2. Be Flexible About When And How Your Freelance Employee Gets Paid
A significant part of the allure of being a freelancer is flexibility: they can take on clients they really like, reject clients they don’t, set their own schedule, and control what hours they work. When it comes to getting paid for their work, it’s important that you give them flexibility as well by letting them choose how often they get paid (weekly or monthly) and what payment method they prefer (credit card, PayPal, bank transfer, etc.).
3. Don’t Withhold Payment If Your Freelance Employee Makes An Honest Mistake
It can be frustrating to have an employee who doesn’t get a job done properly the first time or who keeps forgetting to complete certain parts of a task on a regular basis.
But we’re all human we make mistakes and we sometimes forget things and holding back payment because of those mistakes isn’t going to help matters or improve their performance any more than asking nicely will.
If you want them to do better in the future, have an open conversation with them about the situation so that everyone’s on the same page moving forward.
To effectively manage freelance work remotely, acquiring smart skills is crucial. Discover how to optimize your efforts with our guide on How to Work Smarter and Not Harder: Freelance Lead Generation Skills which provides valuable tips for freelancers.
4. Communicate Clearly Every Step Of The Way
Being clear about your expectations on a remote freelancer is critical to your success. At the start of each project, give your freelancer the big picture: what do you want done? What are the deadlines for completing these tasks? What resources will they need to complete the project? Make sure you address all of these questions before you start working together.
If possible, have a meeting with your freelancer at least once during their first week (if not in person, then by phone or video chat). This meeting’s primary goal should be to ensure that both of you are on the same page regarding goals and responsibilities.
Don’t forget to include information about milestones and deliverables as well! You don’t want them working on something that isn’t needed or isn’t aligned with what’s expected of them.
5. Get Input From Your Team On Important Decisions
Before you bring on a freelancer, make sure that your team is aware of the move. You may want to solicit your team’s opinions or ideas on how this person can get to know and understand your business best.
This will help you connect with potential concerns and opinions which may have been previously unexpressed.
If someone feels slighted by the addition of a new freelance employee, don’t just push issues under the rug and hope they will disappear. Address them head-on to avoid resentment.
Another way you can help ease your remote employee into their role is by asking for input from both parties at every stage of a project. When it comes to important decisions, seek out the thoughts and advice from all people involved especially when it comes to something as important as results for clients.
Collaborating with freelance social media coordinators can be seamless with the right approach. To excel in this aspect, delve into the insights of How to Succeed as a Freelance Social Media Coordinator and learn about the best practices for a fruitful partnership.
6. Give Them A Variety Of Tasks They Can Do To Get Familiar With Your Business
Make sure your freelancer has a variety of tasks they can do to get familiar with your business. As you begin working with them, it’s important that they have the opportunity to get involved in a number of different aspects of your business.
Perhaps they can answer email, update your website, make phone calls and write blog posts. The more tasks they can do, the more valuable they will be to your business.
7. Give Regular, Detailed Feedback
As a manager, it’s your responsibility to make sure the freelancer you’re working with is on the right track. Giving regular feedback and support is key. But how should you best go about giving feedback?
Give feedback at least once a week. Don’t wait until the end of a project to give any reviews or evaluations. By proactively checking in each week, you will catch any problems early and save yourself some serious headaches later down the line.
Ask for feedback from your freelancer as well! Always ensure that your freelancer feels comfortable asking questions and sharing their ideas with you too. This can help lead to better outcomes for everyone involved in the project.
How should you give good feedback? Make sure your comments are both specific (“this sentence doesn’t read clearly because of these three reasons…”) and honest (“I don’t feel like this section of voiceover suits our brand image…”).
Also, always focus on being constructive and emphasize what can be done instead of what has been done wrong so far.
As always, it’s important to avoid extremes when providing feedback: don’t be too vague (“I’m not really feeling this…”), but also don’t be too critical (“You suck at writing this kind of thing! It’s terrible!”).
Pricing negotiations can greatly impact the success of working with freelance social media managers. Get a comprehensive understanding by reading How Much Should Freelance Social Media Managers Charge? to ensure fair compensation and productive collaboration.
8. Consider Them A Part Of The Team, Not An Extension Of It
Consider them a part of the team, not an extension of it. They may be working remotely, but you should still make them feel like they are part of your team. Give them access to all the information they need to do their job properly with no questions asked.
They should feel free to attend any meetings with other members or teams and be able to build relationships with the people around them.
This can be particularly tricky if someone on your freelance team is so far away from you that even time zones don’t overlap. You’ll have to implement some systems in order for everyone on the remote team to feel included and respected in their work.
9. Successfully Working With A Remote Team Requires Constant Effort
Working with freelancers remotely takes a little getting used to. Gone is the ability to simply walk over to someone’s desk, ask a question and get an answer immediately. It also means that everyone on your team needs to be incredibly reliable and still be able to work as part of a cohesive unit.
And since you won’t always know if something is going wrong for them until it’s too late, you need to make sure that you’re doing everything in your power to keep things running smoothly for everyone involved.
Of course, there are some steps you can take in order to maximize success when working with remote teams:
Figure out what each freelancer does best, and then make sure they’re doing those tasks most of the time. If they show that they have a special talent for copywriting or design or programming or whatever else, then find ways to give them opportunities where they can keep showing off their skills. This will help them become more invested in their work and will make them happier overall;
Give your new remote worker time to get used to you and your business before jumping into projects too quickly;
Although it’s impossible for freelancers who live halfway around the world from you (or even on another coast) to always sync up with local time zones, try not respond too late at night (to give them more quality time during their days) and ask questions if certain deadlines aren’t being met;
Be clear about expectations from the beginning by letting people know exactly what their responsibilities are when it comes down it and don’t forget about making sure there’s room for some flexibility as well!
Remote collaboration with freelance social media managers demands a solid understanding of their role. Explore 15 Things Every Freelance Social Media Manager Should Know for an in-depth look at their responsibilities and how to foster a successful partnership.
Conclusion
There’s a lot to consider when working with an outside contractor. It’s important to take the time to find someone who will be a good fit for your team and help you stay on track. Though it can be daunting at first, remember that remote workers are accustomed to operating independently, and many of them will have excellent systems in place for staying organized and meeting deadlines.
Take some time before employing a remote worker to think about what you’re looking for in a freelancer, and what management style will work best for you. Weigh the pros and cons of communication options, keeping in mind that more frequent touchpoints might not always be best.
When it’s time to hire your new employee, don’t rush through the onboarding process make sure they understand what they’re responsible for completing, as well as how you’d like those deliverables formatted.
Take advantage of tools like shared drive storage or project management software so everyone is on the same page about priorities and status updates.
And finally, keep collaborating! With regular check-ins, clear expectations for deliverables, transparent communication styles, and approachable availability from both parties involved, remote freelance relationships can become some of your most satisfying employment experiences no matter where you are in the world.
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to explore for further insights on hiring and working with remote freelancers:
9 Tips for Hiring Great Remote Workers: Discover valuable advice on effectively hiring and managing remote workers to enhance your team’s productivity and success.
9 Tips for Hiring Creative Freelancers and Remote Workers: Learn practical tips for bringing creative freelancers into your remote work setup, ensuring a collaborative and fruitful partnership.
9 Keys to Remote Freelancing: Dive into the key elements that make remote freelancing successful, from effective communication to time management strategies.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Find A Good Freelancer?
There’s no sure-fire way to ensure you end up with the perfect freelancer for your job, but there are some ways to make the process more efficient.
Before you start looking, decide what kind of worker you’re looking for (i.e., someone who can take initiative and complete tasks with little oversight or someone who is Detail-oriented and needs constant feedback).
This will help you set expectations when interviewing candidates and hopefully result in a smoother working relationship.
How Do I Find A Remote Freelancer?
The most popular websites for finding remote freelancers are Upwork, Toptal, Freelancer.com, Guru, PeoplePerHour, Hireable, and FlexJobs. Other less well-known sites include iFreelance, SimplyHired, and SolidGigs.
The key is to post your job on multiple platforms to increase the size of your applicant pool then it’s just a matter of finding great candidates that fit your project timeline and budget.
What Is The Best Way To Manage Remote Freelancers?
The best way to manage remote freelancers is to have a good project management tool, like Asana or Trello. These tools allow you to see what each team member is working on, what they’ve completed, and what they’re up to next.
For example, if someone has been stuck on a project for a few days, you can see that in the status report and reach out to help them get it done.
How Often Should We Check-In With Remote Freelancers?
We recommend checking in with your remote freelancers twice per week via video call or phone call (whatever works best for everyone).
This allows you to check in on their work and provide feedback immediately when needed not only will it make their lives easier but it will also help prevent delays down the line because there won’t be any misunderstandings between clients and freelancers.
If something comes up during those check-ins then make sure you communicate with them about how far ahead they are so that everyone’s on the same page about deadlines.
I am a content writer, and I love what I do! Writing makes me feel like the words are flowing through my fingers, and then onto the keyboard, like magic. My experience as a writer has taught me that writing makes me feel good, as well as helps others to feel better too!
