Jobs for life are virtually unheard of nowadays and more people than ever are freelancing – more than 4.6 million in the UK alone – either full time or alongside their nine-to-five work. Employees value flexible working and small businesses increasingly appreciate the ability to meet their needs with casual or project workers on demand. Thanks to the internet, this has never been easier – various online tools enable businesses to hire skilled people for tasks that may have once required a full-time employee.
Outsourcing platforms such as Upwork and Freelancer have become indispensable to many small businesses in the gig economy. In general, the process involves posting a job description, letting potential workers bid on the project, negotiating price and looking at candidates’ previous work and ratings before agreeing a pay-per-hour fee or a contract rate. The sites usually escrow the fee until the job has been completed and make a profit by pocketing a portion of the money that changes hands.
One of these tools’ biggest assets is their convenience. “We use Upwork and PeoplePerHour to help with a range of tasks,” says Hanna Mansson, head of marketing at Hubble, a digital platform that helps small and medium-sized businesses rent office space. These include updating office-space listings, writing blog posts and design work. “There are so many talented freelancers out there who produce amazing work and we’re happy they’re easy to find.”
Not only is it easy to find someone suitable online, it’s also quick – so it’s especially useful if you’re working to a tight deadline. Dorothy Oginni, is a digital marketer and photographer whose company manages businesses’ social media. She has been using Upwork and Fiverr for two years to get help with photo editing, graphic design and social media management, and has hired 20 people – one of whom has been working with her for two years. Oginni values the accountability that’s built into platforms. “They have systems to ensure the worker completes the work on time, which is great if you need a task completed within a tight deadline. You can create a schedule for them and have quality control over what’s produced, then pay when you’re satisfied with the work.”
Outsourcing platforms are also particularly useful for startups in the early stages, when workload and work streams aren’t yet fixed, says Mansson. “Being able to get extra help as and when it’s needed is important to us, especially when we’re testing new ideas before committing to them. It also wouldn’t be possible for us to hire specialists in every area in which operate,” she adds. “A few months ago we hired a photographer to take a picture of the team – something we couldn’t have done ourselves.” Generally, Hubble hires people when it lacks skills in-house – and doesn’t need to hire someone full-time – or when its in-house team is at capacity with other projects and the business needs something done urgently.
Cost is undoubtedly another attraction of online outsourcing. You have access to highly skilled people from all over the world, many of whom charge significantly lower rates than freelancers at home. “Many IT professionals are based overseas and are far more competitive on fees and charges, offering better value for money than domestic providers,” says Chris Christodoulou, manager of Ashmore Residential, an independent residential agency based in north London that recently hired someone online to update its website. “The original developer’s fees were very high and a friend recommended I use Freelancer. If there are any issues, the customer controls the payments and you only release each milestone payment when you’re satisfied with the work.”
Hiring workers from the other side of the world also enables you to cover different time zones. For the globally minded TouchNote, a British card-sending app that turns photos into postcards and presents, hiring casual workers through Upwork has been useful. “We’re currently working with remote customer support staff who respond to enquiries and work hard to keep our users happy,” says Oded Ran, its CEO. “Due to the nature of the business we’ve always been a global brand, with TouchNotes sent all over the world. Hiring remote workers abroad allows us to ensure that someone’s always ready to help.”
While it may seem risky hiring someone halfway across the world, being able to read reviews of their past work means you can be confident of high quality. “You could be skeptical to work with a project worker overseas, but the platforms help put your mind at ease,” says Oginni. Of course, the quality might not be up to scratch if you don’t thoroughly research the employee, however. Mansson says: “We always review portfolios and previous work before hiring for a task but there’s still a risk. In our experience this is very rare though, as long as you check references and recommendations.”
It’s also worth considering the problems a language barrier may present, and physical distance can make it harder to form bonds with employees. “We all know it can be hard to make a good connection and communicate when people are thousands of miles away,” says Ran, but he adds that TouchNote tries to “make people feel part of the team and find different ways to maximise the potential of these working relationships”.
As well as Upwork, Freelancer and Fiverr, there are several other popular platforms, such as Guru, PeoplePerHour and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Before you get started hiring workers online, research the subtle differences between them, such as how the business and freelancer work together and how payment is organised. Then, once you’ve posted your job description, don’t just sit back and wait for applications to flood in – be proactive and encourage particular people to apply, says Mansson. “Go out and ‘source’ freelancers whose work you really like. I’ve found some truly amazing people this way, who might never have contacted me otherwise.”
Be as rigorous as you would be when hiring permanent, office-based staff, too, recommends Ran. “Schedule two interviews with tasks to complete, to ensure someone is right for the role, and show the remote workers you appreciate what they do.” On this point, Oginni advises businesses to pay workers fairly. “Freelancers are trying to make a living too.”
Mansson suggests potentially taking this further, company budget permitting: “If you find yourself having to hire someone over and over again, you should probably offer them a job!”
Content on this page is paid for and produced to a brief agreed with Kia Fleet, which also supports the Guardian Small Business Network Accessing Expertise hub.
