For companies that have always only worked with full-time employees, a move to a more flexible approach to labor requires a mental shift. It has long been a major sticking point that if the workers were not present in the office, the employer couldn’t be assured that they were putting in the work.
Nevertheless, more companies are opening up to the idea of using flexible labor such as freelancers, short-term contract workers, and remote workers. Here are four reasons to take it more seriously now.
The World is Less Predictable Than Ever
If the recent months have taught us anything it’s that predicting the future is no longer possible with any degree of accuracy. The business world isn’t stoic or slow-moving any longer – all companies must adapt to this different reality.
With the possibility of further national health issues in the future, being flexible in business operations is essential. Revenue can climb (or fall) at much faster rates than before. The need to be fluid and adaptable is more necessary than ever.
Get New Projects Up and Running Quicker
When the company is diving into a new project where only some of the existing employees have any experience in that area, it creates a dilemma.
Recruiting several full-time workers before work can truly begin in earnest will require weeks or months to find appropriately qualified people. Meanwhile, the project doesn’t move forward and the risk is that competitors will steal a march on your business.
Instead, consider using freelancers to take on specific tasks to get the ball rolling on the new project. Start with research tasks and building out the systems that’ll be necessary for a larger team to proceed. This will save time when the employee recruitment phase is complete.
Is One Freelancer as Good as Another?
Finding effective freelancers is hit and miss. This is what puts companies off trying them out.
However, there are now solutions to this difficulty. One is a database of freelancer marketing specialists who can provide a range of services in the digital realm from project management to web development to media buying to strategic development. Just looking in one state alone, there’s plenty of qualified Minneapolis freelancers available for marketing purposes, and they’re capable of working nationwide too.
It’s also possible to ask around for recommendations about people who have worked for your peers. Because they only need them for occasional tasks, they’re not worried about you poaching their staff, so the suggestions come much easier.
Tap the National Talent Pool
As an employee in one city, your local talent pool for employees is restricted to the city and surrounding catchment areas. Depending on the industry focus in the city and the limit of the talent present, it might be difficult to find the people with the requisite skills.
When looking farther afield and accepting remote workers or freelancers, it’s not necessary to headhunt someone and have them relocate across the country. Instead, they’re available, usually immediately, with the skills required without any fuss.
For companies that were previously unwilling to work with people outside of the employer-employee construct, it’s a real eye-opener to see the wealth of options that the wider labor market offers. It also allows for greater flexibility to scale labor up and down as the economy indicates, to manage costs appropriately.
