Taking care of freelancers, above and beyond paying them for the work they do, is crucial to making the partnership both meaningful and productive. In the past few years, businesses are gradually turning to freelance workers to fill talent shortages and build more versatile teams. And while it can be a perfect solution to reach out to freelancers to fill these gaps in your workforce, here’s our take on the importance of taking care of freelancers beyond the paycheck, and how to do it well.

Why Taking Care of Freelancers Is Important

The practical Perspective:

• When freelancers feel valued and cared for, there is a higher chance that they’ll keep working with you. This way, you will save time and cost on the hiring and training process.
• Your freelancers are already familiar with what your business is about including your mission and vision, your brand, and more, making the turnaround time faster than before.
• Freelancers will usually go the extra mile when they have developed an overall healthy client relationship.

The Catholic Perspective:

• Every single person matters. From God’s perspective, there is no better worker. Maybe some people are more efficient than others, however every person deserves a good place to work and a fair wage.
• Maybe your business doesn’t have the funds to take on an additional full-time employee, and that’s why you’ve turned to a freelancer for a short-term project. If that’s the case, consider that you are doing your small part to help this individual, and perhaps their family, make a decent living.
• The Catholic Church has always supported the dignity of work. Work is a concrete way for all of God’s children to sanctify their lives. Providing a safe and fulfilling workplace, even for just a few projects, can be your way to help freelancers find holiness and fulfillment in their lives.

9 Ways to Take Care of Freelancers

#1. Foster a Positive Freelancer Relationship

Just because they are freelancers, doesn’t mean they won’t appreciate the care you can offer. Although it may be different from a usual employer-employee relationship, fostering a relationship with your freelancers matters.

Instead of looking at them simply as a company add-on, treat them as part of your team. The feeling of being able to talk freely and comfortably to you as a client creates a positive atmosphere. And knowing what matters to them is of great importance if you want to have a positive relationship.

#2. Communicate Consistently

While freelancers like to work independently, communicating with them regularly and consistently matters. These conversations build trust which is essential for quality production. This is because when trust is established, freelancers become confident to share new ideas and discuss them further with the team. Taking care of freelancers in this way fosters greater creativity and higher-quality content.

#3. Show Appreciation

A short message expressing your appreciation for a job well done, or simply for being part of a team, uplifts the spirit of your freelancer to continue working with you.

One of the primary reasons why freelancers ventured into the online world is the hope of avoiding an unhealthy working environment and starting a stress-free lifestyle. So be sure to show some appreciation from time to time.

#4. Provide Feedback

Sadly, for some freelancers, feedback only comes when they’ve done something wrong. Giving honest feedback to your freelancers is probably one of the best ways you can help them build their careers. Freelancers appreciate it if you can spot possible improvement, and if you take the time to share with them in a way that is purely giving.

Feedback can be an essential part of helping freelancers build out a resume, which can serve as an ongoing marketing tool for attracting potential clients.

#5. Set Your Expectations Right

Most freelancers, if not all, are niche-driven and would want to focus on their respective specializations. This doesn’t mean they can’t do other things you would want them to do, but setting your expectations too high may disappoint both parties.

Freelancers only expect to deliver the service you hired them for, and going overboard as a client can lead to trouble.

#6. Step In, if necessary

Although most freelancers are well-trained in their respective specializations, there will be a time when freelancers don’t make significant progress.

Freelancers can sometimes have a hard time taking on a task and would greatly appreciate it if clients would step in to give insights. 

#7. Never Micromanage

Freelancers ventured into the online world with the hope of being their own boss—no control-freak management, no more nags, memos, and salary deductions because of heavy traffic. That means micromanagement is out of the picture.

Freelancers won’t want to be controlled in every part of their job, although occasional consultation is a positive.

Give motivation and input, but don’t micromanage their actions. There must be a sense of trust that the freelancers are doing their job and at their best.

#8. Pay Freelancers Fairly

Hiring a freelancer is probably your best choice regardless of if you are a start-up business or not.

It might be more inexpensive to hire a freelancer than to add a full-time employee to your company, but don’t think of it as a way of offering lowball rates to them.

Freelancers are experts in their fields and deserve to be reasonably paid. This is an essential part of taking care of freelancers. 

#9. Recognize and Reward Your Freelancers

The short-term goals of freelancers are to complete a project, get paid, and move to the next job. But is that how it is supposed to end? How do you inspire them?

Everybody loves that they are appreciated and thanked. If a project goes well, consider offering the freelancer a small gift or token of your gratitude. This can come in a form of constructive feedback, recommendations, and if possible, a monetary bonus.

Looking at how businesses opt to hire independent talent, there is a great chance that your freelancers will leave you if they don’t receive the care they deserve. These freelancers are a valuable skill set on their own, so knowing why and how you should take care of them is very important.

Search here for Catholic job postings, or Catholic Professionals you can hire.

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