Leading a team of any size or makeup is challenging. It requires you to tap into skills you excel at and confront others you’re still developing. Leading a team of freelancers, especially remote ones, adds another layer of complexity, as you must navigate different time zones, work styles, and communication preferences.
If you employ freelancers or contractors, you will need distinct organizational skills. This can be overwhelming if you’re not a Type A person with organization skills galore. However, there are steps you can take to amp up your preparedness and make leading a team of freelancers easier. Here are a few to focus on.
1. Use Accounting Software
In most instances, it’s challenging to manage several freelancers without technology solutions to help keep everything organized. One of the most impactful? Accounting software.
You can spend time inputting financial transactions and records into the tool, including receipts and payment deadlines. Then, you can categorize expenses and reconcile accounts for your business. The software tracks everything automatically, generating reports and flagging discrepancies whenever they occur.
Accounting software keeps all financial data in one spot. Both business owners and accountants know where to go if tax questions arise or regulatory requirements change, affecting reporting needs. Plus, you can more easily see the status of your finances and generate statements to keep stakeholders informed.
2. Create a Reference System
When you’re managing several freelancers, it’s not always easy to keep everyone straight. You’re not necessarily officing in the same space or meeting face-to-face and people can blend. If that happens, you put yourself at risk of misassigning or failing to tailor work to an individual’s strengths. That’s why making a reference system is so important.
How you format yours depends on what will work best for you. It can be a handwritten document featuring names, time zones, and other contact information. It can also be an in-depth digital file that includes all the information you may need daily or yearly. That may include their address, preferred workload, work availability, and rate, for example. Weigh the benefits of each format, or create two versions, to ensure you can quickly identify who you’re working with.
From there, many aspects of freelance management become easier. When you’re planning their workload, you can see who will be out on vacation. If you’re prepping for tax season, you can easily reference the necessary information for a 1099nec form with confidence. Or if you’re simply trying to consolidate feedback to share, you can ensure you’re reaching out to the right person. When your schedule is packed, you’ll be glad you have everything you need at your fingertips.
3. Establish Communication Channels
There’s a reason corporate roles offer various chat tools and email functionality. It makes it easy to get quick questions answered and share updates. You can quickly see who’s available or busy, too. When you’re trying to stay organized employing freelancers, though, it’s not always as simple. So, it’s even more critical to establish communication channels.
This will largely depend on how many freelancers you employ. If you have less than five, you may be fine communicating exclusively via email. If you have a dozen or more, something more official may be necessary. The goal is to find one or two channels that streamline communication while also ensuring everyone gets what they need.
That way, when you need an update on an assignment or a freelancer has a question, it’s all in one spot. You’re not jumping between texts, emails, and chat messages to track it down. You’ll save time having go-to channels, and everyone can get what they need to do their best work and stay organized.
4. Provide Regular Feedback
Feedback is central to career development as a freelancer, just like in a traditional manager-employee relationship. It’s how professionals can grow and learn from their past experiences. Use this to your advantage when managing freelancers.
When reviewing their work, keep in mind the things you’d do differently or would like to see in the future. Those bits of information are important for building rapport with your freelancers and ensuring work meets your expectations. Then, if needed, have a conversation about feedback to make it clear moving forward.
Specific feedback helps develop freelancers and also establishes a better relationship between you and them. You’re a team working together toward a goal, hoping to have the greatest success possible. That, in turn, creates unique relationships that can help you keep things organized.
5. Make Payment Easy
Freelancers, part- or full-time, work for the same reasons you do: To afford their lives. But when they’re balancing a few different clients and struggling to get paid, it becomes a problem. You can help your company stand out by making payments as easy as possible.
A great approach is to set clear payment expectations in the onboarding process or job posting. Share what’s needed from the freelancers themselves and what the company will provide. Do you automate invoicing and use direct deposit or do freelancers need to submit it themselves? Is payment sent out weekly, biweekly, or on a project milestone basis?
Getting ahead of these questions ensures everyone is on the same page. That way, they can focus on the work they’re doing without wondering if payment will ever come. And you get to share your payment processes once, only needing to troubleshoot if something goes wrong.
A Freelance Force You Can Rely on
Employing freelancers gives you the opportunity to work with a lot of talented people. They each bring their strengths to the table and can offer a fresh perspective. However, there’s a lot of work required to stay organized. Luckily, with some time and effort, you can develop organizational skills that make your job easier. And that benefits you and your freelancers alike.
