Pitfalls of Hiring Freelancers
Finding the manpower to help with various aspects of businesses via online outsourcing platforms like Upwork and Freelancer has provided SME’s, over the past decade, a great way to access talented workers for project-based or routine work, thereby helping them with a wide range of business-related tasks.
Outsourcing has become a great way to find talented workers, especially when in-house talent is scarce, budgets are tight, or specialised skills are required.
The key to its success is to establish and maintain good alignment between collaborating team members. Those of whom we’ve seen fail to use this approach is when there is a mismatch between in-house/in-country people and outsourced teams. Moreover, people often look past the normal overlay of ‘management’ that is needed to deal with remote people - things like keeping people engaged in your goals and objectives; IT data security; and monitoring of deliverables.
“We’ve seen all too common instances when these working relationships are ‘soured’ when these aspects are not effectively managed. For instance, you may engage a Philippine freelancer to manage your customer communications, digital marketing campaigns, or even your day-to-day bookkeeping administration, and without adequate IT support and management of your data and your customer’s data, it can lead to costly and damaging security breaches.”
We need to remember that:
Freelancers often work on several different projects at any given time. You have to ensure that their focus is there when you need them to handle your tasks, as they can easily lose track of the multiple assignments they juggle from different clients. Whilst flexibility can be offered, you should ensure that there are clear expectations on deliverables and timing or deadline.
You must consider protecting your and your Client’s data and any intellectual property (IP) you provide freelancers access to. Often, freelancers have broad access to your business data, so it is essential to set in place the safeguarding it requires to avoid disastrous consequences to your business reputation. Strive to have strong security in place for the equipment and data that freelancers have access to, ensuring that you are protecting yourself from unnecessary data breaches. Consider that the physical equipment and working environment of freelancers can often be ‘wide open’ to data risks, as we have seen instances of multiple people in a freelancer’s household having access to your data!
Most often, businesses often only manage the results of outsourced freelancers’ work, such as “get this task done by the end of the week.” They don’t manage the work itself, so it may or may not be done when the deadline comes. This may be suitable for you but you should also be mindful that this can be ‘abused’ or ‘gamed’. What should take half a day should only be charged to you as half a day - not a full week! In our experience, an overlay of control through available technology to monitor and manage offshore resources is often a prudent practice to make sure that work is done productively.
We often speak with experienced users of freelancers who haven’t even considered some of the IT risks involved. By and large, ‘it isn’t a problem until it’s a problem’! However, the consequences can be disastrous to the business.
We regularly discuss with new clients the importance of carefully considering the use of direct freelancers. While freelancers can be a great way to access talent and resources, it is important to be aware of the potential risks involved.
By taking the time to understand the risks and implement appropriate safeguards, businesses can minimise the chances of experiencing problems with outsourced freelancers.
““At Werkout, our core mission is to identify gaps in your operations; areas where efficiency can be improved; or tasks where your time can be saved through Outsourcing / Offshoring solutions which incorporate Technology & Workflow Process Improvements. These challenges can be outsourced to us with confidence. With our knowledge of available technology solutions and a team of skilled & experienced professionals, we not only provide solutions but also seamlessly implement them into your workflows. Our goal is to liberate your time and resources, allowing you to focus on what truly matters for your business’s growth and success.
Discover how we can transform your operations and help you thrive. Let us handle your part of the business we are skilled at, while you concentrate on your core business activities. Your success is our priority.””
