7 Problems You Might Encounter when Hiring A Freelancer

Running a business is easier said than done. There are times when you have a lot of things to do, but no matter how you try to keep up with all of your tasks, you still can’t seem to finish them all. During these times, you might consider an extra set of hands to help you get through your to-do list and accomplish more tasks without stressing yourself out. For many business owners, hiring a freelancer may seem to be the best solution, but it’s not always the right move for everyone.

The Growing Demand for Freelancers

With the COVID-19 pandemic continuously changing the way businesses are operating, it has also become a game changer for many professionals who are in the gig economy. As businesses try their best to thrive during these tough times, they resort to letting go of their in-house staff and work with freelancers instead. At the same time, some businesses resort to hiring freelancers through various freelancer marketplaces such as Upwork, Fiverr, and other similar sites to be able to tap high quality talent, no matter where in the world they may be.

Indeed, by working with the right freelancer, you can accomplish a lot of your business goals. Many freelancers worldwide have been doing their work for years, while a number of them are new and trying to get established. If you are lucky, you can hire a freelancer who will become a great asset to your business. But not all freelancers are as hardworking and dedicated as the others. This is why hiring freelancers can be risky.

Problems that Arise from Working with a Freelancer

Hiring a freelancer is not the same as hiring an in-house employee or working with an outsourcing company. There are a number of limitations as to what you can do to monitor their productivity. Issues can arise if you don’t analyze your situation first, conduct research, and familiarize yourself with what to expect before working with a freelancer. Before you decide to hire a freelancer, here are a few things for you to consider.

1. Lack of Knowledge and Experience

Not all freelancers are equipped with enough knowledge and experience when it comes to doing a specific job. Some of the freelancers may have a corporate background but might not have a high level of commitment for their contract work. Understand that the work settings between corporate and work-from-home are very different. If you are hiring someone with no freelancing experience, even though they have the corporate knowledge, there is still a risk that the freelancer you hire will not work as efficiently without the same guidance and supervision that they get in an office environment. Another common problem that some people encounter when hiring freelancers is that they don’t have the required knowledge and experience needed to accomplish the tasks they are expected to do, especially if those tasks are specific to your industry.

2. Inconsistent Availability for Work

Another problem about hiring a freelancer is their unpredictable availability for work. Some freelancers are not always amenable to rendering a solid set of hours weekly since they tend to juggle different gigs at once. There are also some freelancers who are handling house chores and parenting duties during their free hours and would prefer to have more flexible working hours. Even if they are expected to work during a specific time frame, some unreliable freelancers may still not render hours as expected.

3. Poor Quality of Output

Quality should always be an important part of your work requirements. To understand the quality of a freelancer’s work, you should check out samples of their previous work, whenever available, or give them a preliminary test before deciding to hire them. Some freelancers tend to offer their services for a lower rate. But if you are not careful, you might fall for these low rate offers and end up working with freelancers with low quality outputs Some tend to not worry about the quality of their work and only care about getting paid or taking on a high number of contracts.

4. Inconsistent Pricing

You should also consider the amount of money you are willing to pay the freelancers you hire. Are you willing to pay freelancers hourly, on a project basis, or per task basis? Moreover, freelancer rates differ depending on their expertise. Freelancers with a proven track record and great quality of work will charge higher rates. If you are looking to hire several freelancers, you can’t expect that they will all agree to the same rate. This can make your budget management and accounting more difficult.

5. Lack of Communication

Communication is always a very important aspect of a pleasant work relationship. This is especially true if you are working remotely with a team. It’s essential to establish clear communication if you decide to work with a freelancer. Unfortunately, some people who hire freelancers encounter problems with maintaining good communication, and this can affect a number of aspects in your business. It can delay production, affect your timeliness in responding to queries, or even cause you to halt some of your operations in the process.

6. Data Breaches

When dealing with remote workers, there is always the issue of data security. If you don’t implement proper security measures along with a non-disclosure agreement, you might risk having your data misused by unscrupulous people who gain access to your data. In fact, there have been some instances when people who hired freelancers were victimized and had their business data compromised. If you don’t filter your freelancers and simply settle for those who offer their services cheap, then you might encounter similar problems.

7. Difficulties with Manpower Management

Another thing to think about before you decide to hire a freelancer is the manpower that you need. Depending on the bulk of work that you need to accomplish, you might need more than one person to hire. In such cases when you need more people, hiring freelancers might not always work to your advantage as this will require a lot of time, effort, and resources on your end to audit candidates and maintain project work.

Hiring freelancers is not always the best decision for business owners, especially if they are looking to scale business and increase productivity. So, what should you do instead? The better solution is to work with an outsourcing company.

Why You Should Outsource Instead

If you are running a large business and need to accomplish a large bulk of work in a short span of time, working with an outsourcing company is a better solution than hiring freelance support. With an outsourcing partner, you can:

• Save on your operational costs as you won’t have to purchase equipment, software, and other tools necessary to handle a large bulk of work
• Gain staffing flexibility since your outsourcing partner can provide you with what you need, whether it’s to scale up or down your manpower demand
• Maintain business continuity no matter what problems arise with an outsourcing partner who upholds critical business processes
• Focus on core business functions since your outsourcing provider will handle your non-core activities for you
• Improved productivity with your outsourcing partner helping you accomplish more business tasks to help you meet your goals
• Stability and consistency of manpower availability
• Professionalism with outsourcing companies who always value the relationship they are building with their clients rather than short-term freelance engagements

Working with the right partner can help you make the most of your decision to outsource some of your business functions. If you want to learn more about how outsourcing can be a better alternative to working with freelancers, feel free to contact us here at Assivo. We’ll be more than happy to provide you with the details you need to get started with outsourcing.