Freelancers are self-employed individuals who work with companies on a project-by-project basis rather than being employed by the company itself. 

As working from home and remote jobs become more common, many people are beginning to explore freelancing options rather than a traditional office job. 

Freelancing provides great benefits to freelancers and businesses alike. Hiring a freelancer can be a great cost-saving option and help get you support when you need it without going through an interview, hiring, and training process with an in-house employee. 

Thankfully, finding a freelancer is becoming easier and easier. However, successfully working with freelancers requires a different approach than a traditional employee. 

In this article, we’ll help you learn how to take on working freelancers and provide tips on how to manage a freelance workforce.

10. Provide the Right Tools

Working with freelancers is a low-cost option for many reasons. One of which is that you aren’t responsible for their technology costs except for special circumstances.

 However, you still need to provide the right tools for your freelance employees. 

Make sure that they have access and clearance for whatever systems you have that they need to be a part of in order to successfully complete their work. 

You might also want to add them to your work chat program so they can ask questions and become a part of your team.

11. Communicate Clearly

Communication with freelancers is key to success. 

If you can’t communicate clearly with your freelance workforce, then you won’t be able to build up trust and a healthy relationship. 

Be open to conversations and communication, and give them several options about how they can reach out and get in contact with you. 

You’ll also want to make sure that your projects and requests are clearly communicated from the beginning. 

That will ensure that there isn’t unnecessary back and forth between you and your freelance workforce.

One thing that often gets overlooked is time zones. If your freelancers are scattered around, assume there’ll be hiccups if you don’t pay attention to when everyone’s actually awake and working. Just putting the meeting time in everyone’s local zone, or at least asking what works for them, can save you a lot of waiting around or, worse, missed deadlines that surprise nobody but you.

Another underrated tip? Don’t underestimate the ways preferred communication styles might differ. Some freelance writers absolutely hate phone calls—like, borderline allergic—while others will ignore chat messages for days but answer emails within minutes. It takes a bit of trial and error, honestly. The only real fix is asking up front how they’d rather interact, and being clear about your own quirks too. There’s no shame in spelling it out.

It’s also easy to assume freelancers will learn your lingo right away—company acronyms, weirdly specific naming conventions, the whole mess. But even the best freelancer can get tripped up if you toss out shorthand or inside jokes without warning. A quick glossary or even linking to an old conversation can do wonders for avoiding confusion, especially early on when nobody wants to ask a “dumb” question.

It’s worth mentioning, too, that freelancers can quickly sense if they’re being left out of key updates or changes. Even if it seems obvious, send that one extra email or ping just to make sure they’ve heard about any shifts in direction. It’s almost always better to overcommunicate a bit at first—not that you should go overboard and drown folks in chat. But that balance makes the collaboration much smoother, in my experience.

12. Thank Freelancers for the Work They Do

Freelancing can sometimes be a thankless job.

Because a freelancer isn’t a full-time member of a company, they can miss out on benefits like company parties, fun rewards, bonuses, and other signs of appreciation. 

And sometimes managers just accept the work from a freelancer without saying a “thank you” for doing that work. 

Be appreciative to your freelancers, and sincerely thank them for the work that they do for you. 

Just going out of your way to praise them for a job well done can go a long way in ensuring that you have a healthy relationship with them and that they are excited to work for your brand.

You may also be interested in these articles:

• 9 of the Best Freelance Websites for Jobs
• 14 Freelance Statistics to Help You Build Your Business
• How to Outsource Blog Writing and Why do You Need it to Succeed?

Freelancing, otherwise known as the gig economy, is becoming a popular option for both employees and businesses looking to hire people for different projects.