The 5 Common Mistakes People Make When Working with Freelancers

Freelancers play a crucial role in today's workforce, offering specialized skills and flexibility that traditional employees may not. However, navigating the freelancer-client relationship requires careful consideration and planning to ensure both parties achieve success. Here are some common mistakes to avoid when working with freelancers:

1. Skipping Proper Onboarding Freelancers, despite their independent status, benefit greatly from thorough onboarding. They need to get a lay of the land just like full time hires. This process helps them understand your organization's culture, expectations, and their specific role within your project. Neglecting onboarding can lead to misunderstandings, delays, and ultimately, dissatisfaction with the work delivered. Develop a repeatable process around onboarding to get the most out of your freelancer relationships.?
2. Expecting a Clone of Yourself Freelancers are hired for their expertise and unique perspective. It's a mistake to assume they will operate exactly as you would. Strike a balance by providing enough information for a freelancer to be successful without micromanaging the work process.? Set expectations, timing and deliverables and then let them operate to get there. Often a variety of approaches to the same problem lead to innovative solutions and better outcomes.
3. Prioritizing Cost Over Value While freelancers can offer cost-effective solutions compared to full-time hires, focusing solely on getting the cheapest option can backfire. Remember cheaper isn’t always better when you have to do the work twice. Quality freelancers are specialists who bring experience, expertise, and a focused skill set to the table. Investing in these services will give you better results and a better ROI on labor.?
4. Throwing Chaos Instead of Clarity Clear communication and well-defined project outlines are essential for freelancers to deliver their best work. Expecting freelancers to navigate through disorganized files, vague instructions, or unclear goals can lead to frustration and subpar results. Provide them clear briefs, approved timing and expectations then you can expect successful results.
5. Neglecting Collaboration Freelancers thrive in environments where collaboration is encouraged. Ignoring their input, failing to respond to queries promptly, or excluding them from important discussions can hinder productivity and morale. Treat freelancers like team members and keep them in the loop.?

Winning collaborations between clients and freelancers are built on mutual respect, clear expectations, and effective communication. Give freelancers the tools and resources they need to succeed, and they will give your team the specialized support you need, when you need it. At Uncompany we support our clients with onboarding freelancers and freelance pools effectively within their organization. Based off of our 15 years of experience working with flexible staffing Uncompany understands what it takes to build a successful relationship with your freelancers.