Freelancers and independent contractors are often on board with very important assignments of a company. Managers are often found to struggle managing them as the rules and expectations are different when someone is managing a freelancer who is not fully employed by any company.
Here comes the rising question.
How does one best motivate freelancers who does not have a formal authority over them? How does one keep them interested and excited about the work when they do not receive incentives like bonuses or benefits or even health insurance? How does one keep them enthusiastic about the work when they are getting minimum facilities from the firm? Should there be performance review for them so that they know where they stand?
Here is what the experts say. Many managers assume that they do not need to prioritise freelancers as much as they do to regular employees. Well, reasons may be that the relationship is often less friendly, filled with risks, less hierarchical, and does not come with the same expectations. But one still needs to actively and thoughtfully manage them so that we can get the best output from them and ensure that they will want to work with us again. As days are progressing, there is a growing war for talent for people with specialised skills. Freelancers are often just as valuable as full-time employees, so employers need to treat them accordingly. Here are the most significant tips on how to successfully monitor one's relationship with contractors and freelancers.
1. Understand what the freelancer wants
The first question one needs to ask is, why are the freelancers interested in doing this job? There could be many possible answers to this question such as for monetary incentive, for honing their skills etc. What are we, as a firm, giving that person in exchange for contributing his or her talent to our organisation?
2. Thoroughly share the expectations, goals and contexts of the assignment
One needs to be clear about what they want in return from the freelancers as well-whether it is a well-designed brochure for the company, a new innovative idea, or concept every two weeks. It is a good practice to draft a statement that details exactly what we need from them and when. It is also important to provide them with the contexts. As freelancers are not around all the time, they are not getting the purpose of the exercise through the way employees work in a firm.
3. Build the relationship
Building a relationship by diving deeper into the person and his or her interest can surely help to smoothen the dynamics between a manager and a freelancer and increases the chances of getting a desired output. This is very important if you want to work with the person in future.
4. Make them feel that they are part of the team
Research on freelancers shows that they prefer to work for employers that treat them like part of the team, so one must not classify them like second-class citizens. They should be invited to important meetings, added to the team email list. The firm should make them feel that they are part of a family.
5. Make freedom part of work culture
It is very important to give them freedom. In order to be a successful freelancer, one needs to be self-motivated and be able to work without someone looking over him/her. Firms should also give them space to do their work.
6. Regularly post feedbacks
There is no need to do a formal review with freelancers, as they are not full time employees. But that does not mean you should skip on the feedback. Telling them what you think of their work will improve their performance. If they are doing a good job for the firm, one should thank them, especially in front of others. And if they are underperforming, the firm should not be harsh and strict to them.
7. Pay them the remuneration they deserve
We often think that contractor is work-for-hire, so one should take advantage. But this is not correct. They deserve to be treated fairly. If one values their work, the firm should pay them more.
The writer is a first year BBA student in Independent University Bangladesh (IUB), rohon_newaz@yahoo.com
Managing a freelancer
Chowdhury Rohon Newaz | Published: August 27, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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