The Pros and Cons of Hiring a Freelancer

The freelance workforce is growing with plenty of expertise available. Whether you’re a small business looking for additional support or a 9-to-5er looking for more flexibility in your career, here are some pros and cons to consider in freelancing.

Pros

Good news first: hiring freelancers can be a great way to scale your business. Tap into your professional network for referrals first. Then check out freelance-friendly marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork to see what’s out there in terms of talent relative to your company’s needs.

Minimize Costs

When you hire freelance, even at seemingly high hourly rates, you should expect to save 20 to 30 percent annually compared to a full-time hire. This is because you’re not spending on benefit costs. Additionally, if the individual works remotely, you don’t have to provide a workspace or technology.

Wide Pool of Diverse Talent

The aforementioned marketplaces paired with a growing freelance workforce have expanded both the quality of talent and means of finding it. From information security to logo design, there’s expertise out there to fit the bill, if you’re willing to shop around.

Easier to Replace

The disconnect between freelancers and the company they’re contracted with may not always be a good thing. But in terms of fit and performance, a contractor is much easier to terminate than a full-time employee. Trial your hires and adjust accordingly as they begin to deliver on assigned work.

Dedication

Freelancing is so much more than flexibility. It’s long hours, networking, learning how to manage self-employment taxes...it’s running a business. Working with a quality freelancer means you’re working with someone who recognizes that and establishes their value early and often.

Cons

On the flip side of the freelance coin are a handful of negatives. Manage expectations accordingly, keeping in mind that different needs may involve their own unique sets of challenges to overcome.

Less Accountability

Your freelancers may be dedicated to their craft and the deliverables owed, but at the end of the day, responsibility for the quality of their work falls on you. This is especially true for remote contractors, who are often far removed from daily internal happenings.

Widespread Focus

Similarly, when you hire freelance, you’re hiring someone that likely has a handful of other clients they’re working with. Unless they’re being paid to work a 40-hour week on your behalf, you don’t have free reign over their schedule. This is why it’s imperative to establish expectations up front in terms of concrete deliverables and communication preferences.

Unpredictability

Just as it’s easier for you to fire a freelancer, it’s easier for them to walk away. Even at a distance, try to make them feel as though they’re part of the team. Create structure with process and offer regular feedback as you would any other employee.

More Difficult to Supervise and Train

When your freelancers aren’t in the office, it’s harder to manage their time spent—something that can be especially problematic when you pay them by the hour. Thankfully, this is where technology comes in handy.

Toggl can be great for simple time-tracking. Zoom simplifies video conferencing and includes screen recording capabilities so that freelancers can gain pertinent information from meetings without ever having to attend. These types of tools make it possible for you to streamline workflows from afar and avoid unwanted surprises.