The future of work is freelancing. Around 31.4% of the total workforce in the world are freelancers and that number is expected to grow in the following years. Freelancing and working from home are concepts that are incredibly popular nowadays.
The fact that freelancing is taking off is not surprising in the slightest. There are a lot of benefits for people who offer their expertise online and for those who hire them.
But if you have a team of freelancers and aren’t accustomed to it, you might have some issues with learning how to manage them. These leadership tips should help with that.
Use an FMS tool
One of the biggest issues for people and companies who hire freelancers is the lack of visibility over the work they do, which makes managing freelancers nearly impossible. However, if you use the right tools, you won’t have this issue. That is why you need a freelance management system.
A freelance management system, or FMS for short, is a cloud-based solution that allows you to manage your freelancers from a dedicated platform. If you use a reliable freelance management system, you will be able to automate your onboarding process, identify qualified freelancers, compensate your workers, and much more.
Some benefits of an FMS tool include:
- Streamlined freelance employee acquisition that makes it easy to assemble your workforce.
- Verified rating system that will help you find the best freelancers for the job.
- Ability to create a seamless workflow that allows for more efficient assignment management and work track progress.
- Integrated budget monitoring and spend analysis that ensures everyone is paid the right amount in a timely manner.
Work on self-development
Being a leader of a team is no easy task, especially since only 10% of people are natural leaders. But luckily, you don’t have to be born with the skills that make you a good leader. You can work on self-development and become the leader your employees deserve.
If you’re willing to put in the work that you need to become the best leader your freelancers have ever worked with, you need personal development plan. This will teach you how to reach your full potential and establish healthy habits that all good leaders possess.
Here are a couple of more things you can do to ensure self-development:
- Choose what skill you want to enhance. Self-development comes one step at a time. At the beginning of your journey, choose one skill you’re already good at and try to improve or enhance it.
- Read good books. Reading is a great way to enjoy your free time but also to increase your knowledge. You can find books that focus on self-development that might give you some useful tips.
- Help others grow. If you support your employees with their personal growth and development, it will help you grow, understand your team better, and be a more compassionate leader.
Be clear about project details
You can’t manage freelancers the same way as employees who are working in the same office space. That is why it’s important that your employees know exactly what is expected of them when it comes to projects.
You need to be clear on your project expectations, deadlines, details, requirements, and meeting agendas. Once you’ve explained to your freelancers exactly what they need to do and how they should do it, managing them will be a simpler task because they will hold themselves accountable.
Additionally, one thing you shouldn’t forget when it comes to giving these instructions is to include reporting details. Your freelancers need to remember to report their progress on a regular basis and know exactly who to report it to.
Use a project management tool
Project management tools are used by freelancers from all over the world because they allow for smooth and easy collaboration. Tools such as Trello or Asana were designed for people who are working on one or multiple projects at the same time and come with features all freelance managers need.
You can create a project, assign different freelancers to it, attach important documentation, add deadlines, and more.
There are multiple reasons why you need a project management tool, and one of the biggest benefits it provides is a strong team workflow. When you use this tool, everybody can work together on projects or work individually, and help you accomplish your goals.
Additionally, it provides you with continuous project monitoring. You can track each freelancer’s performance and ensure they’re completing their assignments on time.
Final thoughts
When freelancing first appeared, a lot of business owners were hesitant about hiring people they wouldn’t share an office with. However, as time went by, they realized how beneficial freelancers can be to their organization and now it’s hard to find a company that doesn’t employ at least one.
If you want to reap all the benefits of working with freelancers while not worrying about how you’re going to manage them, these tips should help you.
