Freelancers are easy to hire, affordable, and offer unprecedented agility and flexibility for businesses in the software development industry. There is an entire science built around creating a good professional environment for employees in the traditional workplace.
The same cannot be said about working with freelancers, despite their growing presence in the workforce. Let’s see how to change this and lay the foundations for a good relationship with freelance employees.
1. Set clear rules and objectives
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Once you hire developers, the first thing you need to do is to come to a clear agreement over project requirements, milestones, goals, deadlines, and payments. Avoid jumping headfirst into work, no matter how urgent it is. This agreement should include:
- A detailed description of the project
- A detailed description of the developer’s job and role in the project
- A detailed description of the working schedule (daily and weekly availability)
- Project milestones
- Project goals
- Deadlines
- Price
- Type of payment (hourly, by milestone, by project)
- Payment frequency
Your milestones and goals should be specific, measurable, and realistic. When you set the basics, you are good to go, but we strongly suggest that you take a more detailed approach. Software development projects often take a lot of time, so it is not so far-fetched to think that there may be changes or unpredictable situations along the way.
For example, one of the team members could leave mid-project or need a few days off due to unforeseen circumstances. You instinctively may think: “Hey, why do I care?”. Think about it this way – you want freelancers who are dedicated, flexible and easy to communicate with. It goes both ways, so be ready to show the same traits. The best way to reduce friction in these situations is to set rules and boundaries that benefit and protect both you and the developer.
2. Maintain good communication
Communication is probably the weakest point of working with freelancers, so take communication extremely seriously. Even with the best developers at your disposal, misunderstandings and lack of clear information can easily bury your entire project.
If you are too busy to answer questions, assign a team member that will be available during your developers’ working hours. Hold meetings to keep track of progress and problems, and answer any question developers might have. Use effective, easily available, and user-friendly communication tools adjusted to the team’s or freelancer’s needs.
Be cautious though – there is a fine line between being involved and being overwhelming. Checking on your developer several times a day and micromanaging their work is not going to do any good. Hiring freelancers is not easy for people who are used to a greater level of control. However, the nature of freelancing simply requires you to put trust in your developers and give them time and space to work and solve problems.
3. Introduce freelancers to your company culture
This is how you can address another weakness of working with freelancers – lack of connection with the “bigger picture”. Full-time employees have the opportunity to connect to their workplace on a more personal level, inspiring a sense of belonging, loyalty, and purpose.
While this is more difficult to achieve with freelancers, it is not impossible. By introducing a freelancer to your company’s culture, vision, and values, you can inspire a developer to see their job as more than just a project. For example, a developer who loves surfing in their free time is likely to be very passionate about a tech-project that seeks to clean up the oceans.
Getting to know a freelance developer and conducting a culture-fit interview is a great way to build a good relationship with the freelancer and get them to fully invest and immerse themselves in the project.
4. Balance criticism and encouragement
Software development is not easy – and even the best freelancers make mistakes or have their off days. Constructive criticism is needed to push developers forward and keep things in check. However, negativity, constant nagging, as well as blowing things out of proportion is one way to create a toxic atmosphere where nobody strives to do their best.
No matter how detail-oriented you are (which is not a bad thing at all), try to see the big picture even when you encounter problems. Are the mistakes irreparable? Do they outweigh things that are well done? What was the reason for mistakes? This will help you maintain balanced communication.
Give credit where credit is due. Criticism is good to maintain discipline, but encouragement and appreciation inspire people to do their best or go the extra mile.
The nature of freelancing poses some new challenges for employers, but at the end of the day, things that make or break working relationships remain the same. Just like in a traditional workplace, setting clear expectations and treating your employees with respect is a full-proof way to achieve amazing results.