The Shift to Freelancers: What IT Managers Need to Know

Featured article by Justin Steranko, Head of Technology, Eagerto

IT managers, take note: the need for talent is at an all-time high, and turning to freelance resources can bolster your team without the commitment of a full-time hire.

U.S. labor force demographics are undergoing a transition with the number of self-employed Americans currently hovering around 15 million—and is anticipated to grow to over 50 percent of the workforce by 2030. This influx of readily available, and incoming, talent demands a review of the landscape because while there’s great promise for growing organizations, a shift to a freelance work model brings new learnings and challenges.

The Benefits

Turning to freelancers offers organizations and employers access to a broad and deep pool of skillsets. Eighty-two percent of employers agree that hiring independent workers provides the opportunity to employ with an eye toward a more specific skillset. Looking for a migration specialist? A cloud architect? An in-house team may not have the wide-ranging experience or specialized knowledge compared to a freelancer who exclusively works on these project types.

Yet employers would be remiss to view freelancers as solely single-skilled. To build a successful independent career, freelancers must be nimble, agile, and comprehensive in their front-to-end problem solving—a benefit to potential employers. To stay marketable, freelancers often pursue certifications and skills that may be too time-consuming for full-time employees, such as the latest JavaScript frameworks and certifications (COMPTIA, CISCO, Microsoft and more).

Arguably the greatest benefit of enlisting freelance talent is the razor focus they can dedicate to projects. Niche project needs can overwhelm time-strapped in-house teams. In the case of building a new database, creating and completing tables for 50 employees may not be a feasible task if you ask a full-time employee, but can be completed in two days by a freelancer entrenched in the project. Furthermore, freelancers aren’t distracted by conflicting internal deadlines or office politics.

The Hurdles

While the benefits of turning to freelance talent are many, unique challenges can arise. Having a geographically diverse team can lead to trouble if server issues develop. If a server goes down, your freelance web developers will not be able to remote in, teeing up possible project delays and down time.

Perhaps one of the biggest “red flags” employers face when considering freelancers is a lack of assurance on the end product’s quality. How can you ensure the iOS developer hired possesses the skillset to create a bug-free application? Potential employers may also wonder, what happens if there’s a missed deadline, delaying the launch date? And what happens if a freelancer makes a costly and irreversible error, like deleting proprietary company information when uploading a new operating system? Well, there’s hope.

Finding Equilibrium

One risk mitigation strategy is to hire freelancers with liability insurance coverage. Their policy can be your warranty that if a damaging mistake is made, you’ll be able to recoup your losses. Hiring freelancers without insurance can be a gamble: if something happens, there is no guarantee that your hire has the funds to compensate you for a costly slipup.

Another way to ensure a smooth process and quality outcome is to equip freelancers for success. Before you employ freelancers, make sure they have the right project setup and equipment. Developing a hardware and software qualifications’ checklist is a smart starting point before engaging, such as:

* Would you prefer the freelancer work in the office or remotely?

* Does your company require any security measures before a contractor can gain access to a device on the network?

* Can they use a Windows PC, or do they need a Linux operating system?

* Do they have a Microsoft SQL Server license, or will it need to be provided?

Finally, over communicate. When you work with a distributed team, rather than a centralized office group, there’s a secondary step in communication. At the beginning of a project, schedule regular check-ins and establish a preferred method of communication, whether it be Slack, email, or video conferencing. Scheduled, routine conversations can mitigate mistakes and misunderstandings, such as missed deadlines.

Whether or not your organization currently works with freelancers, a shift is inevitable: almost three-in-four employers feel their companies will move toward a more on-demand labor model. Pursuing freelancers with insurance protection, streamlining equipment usage, and clear-cut communication can ensure a stellar product and a seamless experience.

Justin Steranko is the Head of Technology at Eagerto, a professional liability insurance platform and community for freelancers. Justin has been freelancing either part or full time in both music and software development for his entire professional career. He was a full-time 1099 contractor for nearly a decade, and now still takes on the occasional project in order to explore new technologies.