How Do Freelancers and Teams Collaborate Most Effectively?

For agencies that rely on freelance workers to help pull off their projects, encouraging remote workers to collaborate with your in-house team is key to getting great project results.

A 2016 report interviewed agency employees and 80 percent of respondents reported that their agencies used freelancers. Given that it’s estimated 50% of the U.S. workforce will be freelance by 2020 and it starts to make sense that if your agency doesn’t already work with contractors, they will soon.

If you work in digital project management, you might decide to hire a freelance professional because a project requires a special skillset or subject matter expert that you don’t have access to in-house. If you work in a small agency, you might need to outsource during times of high volume.

No matter what your situation is, one thing is key: To get the most out of your freelancer and keep the world of digital project management running smoothly, you need to have your in-house team collaborate seamlessly with your short-term contractors. Here’s how:

First, pick the right freelancer

Don’t forget that even if you plan to have a contractor work remotely, it’s just as important to vet them for their working personality as for their skills.

Digital marketplaces like Upwork, Contently, Behance and PeoplePerHour have made it easier than ever to connect with the global talent network and many agencies turn to sites like these to find the perfect fit.

Firstly, make sure you look over the candidate’s portfolio. Freelance sites encourage candidates to make their digital portfolios available, so usually you can see these before even contacting the applicant. Assess for the skills you need, but also the tone and imagery. Has the freelancer worked on projects like the one you need them for? How about with similar clients?

Ultimately, pretend you’re vetting them for a full-time permanent job. Can you see them working well with your existing team and embracing the same values? Ask them how they solve conflict with team members and how they deal with criticism.

Encourage everyone to communicate on the same platform

As an agency or digital project manager, you’re probably already using project collaboration software and this is a great opportunity to bring internal and external teams together.

Tax laws often mean you can’t require freelancers to work specific office hours, and, of course, you might even be working with someone in a completely different region, which means you won’t have the luxury of collaborating side-by-side. That’s where digital platforms – like project collaboration software – come in.

Not only does this give your in-house and your remote workers a central location to communicate, but they can see each others’ work, get a bird’s eye view of the project timeline and see how their role fits into the bigger picture.

Don’t forget to give your freelancer a chance to be part of a “digital water cooler” too! Setting a channel up where all project team members can chat about industry issues or current events can be a great way to connect everyone and help them form stronger bonds, which ultimately helps their working relationships.

Use video chat or team-building activities

If you’re using a local freelancer, consider hosting a team-building activity, an off-site social event or even just a lunch-and-learn in the office and inviting all your freelancers to join.

Many remote workers work solitary schedules, and, even though they may enjoy the flexibility, many of them miss being part of a company culture on occasion. Bringing them into a social activity is a great way to encourage communication and lets everyone put a face to a name. Freelancers that get the chance to experience your company culture and organizational values in-person produce stronger work that’s more aligned with project goals, while your in-house team is more likely to trust the expertise and judgement of a contractor once they get a feel for their personality.

If many of your freelance team members work outside the region or aren’t able to make it in-person, consider scheduling regular video meetings using Skype or Zoom. This will still allow your remote workers to see their colleagues and feel like they’re in the loop.

Want to see how TaskBranch can help your freelancers and in-house team to collaborate easily? Start your free trial now!