HRM 5: Why you should hire freelancers

The world of work is changing. The modern workforce’s need for more flexibility and businesses becoming more project-focused has given rise to the gig economy and freelancers.

It’s not hard to see why full-time workers are a declining breed while freelancers are the future of the workforce. Having said that, there are companies that have their reservations about hiring freelancers.

The common concerns they have are communication, supervision, and payroll. And let’s face it, not every business is suitable for the gig economy and freelancers.

But the advantages of hiring freelancers will more than compensate for its shortcomings. And the rise of online recruitment platforms such as Workana, which helps to match freelance talent to businesses, has made it easier for employers to transit into the freelance workforce.

Let’s take a look at five reasons why freelancers should be part of your recruitment strategy:

1) Speed

This is the age of technology and start-ups. And for start-ups, it’s all about speed. The traditional hiring process from searching, interviewing, offering and notice period takes at least three to four months. But you can hire a freelancer in a matter of 36 hours.

“Many of our clients are startups because they need to move very quickly. They don’t have much machinery and money. What they have is speed. When you hire a full-time position it usually takes three to four months to get that position filled from the search to the notice period. At Workana, the average time for someone to start is 36 hours,” said Tomas O’Farrell, Co-Founder at Workana.

2) Access to global talent

Why hire people within your country when you can find the best talent around the world? One of the drawbacks of having full-time staff is the need for them to be physically in the office – even if their job can be done from anywhere in the world. That will severely restrict and shrink the pool of talent you can choose from. Hiring a freelancer online will give you access to a global talent pool which you normally would not have the chance to work with.

3) Specialised skillset

Freelancers usually specialise in specific skills such as coding, programming, designing or writing – just to name a few. So what you get are experts in their own fields who cater to your specific business needs or projects. And hiring freelancers allows you to compare their portfolios and works before deciding on the best talent. Who knows, you might even hire him or her on a full-time basis if you like their work.

4) Cost effective

One of the main advantages of hiring freelances is its cost effectiveness. The cost of hiring full-time staff – from recruitment, onboarding, training, equipment and even insurance – can take a heavy toll on smaller companies who do not have a huge cash flow. Moreover, having more remote workers means you do not need as much space, thus reducing rental cost.

5) Promotes diversity and inclusion

As businesses today are working towards a more diverse and inclusive workforce, there are still challenges such as culture, biasness and pre-judgement. And one of the benefits of hiring a freelancer is that you get a diverse pool of talent with different nationalities, backgrounds and races. It also helps employers to truly focus on merit and ability instead of being swayed by external factors such as appearance, speech and body language.