10 million. That's the estimated number of freelancers in the European Union today (source: Eurostat). A figure that continues to climb, given the advantages of this way of working for talented people. Businesses are not left out either. Calling on freelancers is a way of benefiting from expertise lacking in-house without the constraints of salaried employment.

While it is currently difficult to put a figure on the number of organizations that work with freelancers, it is fair to say that this form of collaboration is bound to grow, given the radical evolution in workers' aspirations and behavior.

From now on, the challenge for organizations is to learn how to interact with these freelance workers, to make an "alliance" with them for the duration of a project. The question is: how do you manage freelancers?

Here's how it works.

Managing freelancers: what are the challenges?

1/ Making a success of the mission

Is managing freelancers a bizarre idea? You'd think so, since freelancers, unlike salaried employees, are not subject to a subordinate relationship. Nevertheless, freelancers join a company project for a fixed period and become part of a team. This means that companies and freelancers must work hand in hand. How can they do this?

On the organization side, by communicating elements of context, operations, data, technical information and even strategy. On the freelance side, by putting their expertise to work, while respecting deadlines, confidentiality and the company's context. Let's take an example.

You hire a freelance copywriter. To enable him to use his skills effectively, you need to provide him with a minimum of information about your product/service, the results of your marketing actions and your tone of voice.

2/ Build up a pool of available experts

Do you have a new project on the go that requires the specialized skills of an expert? And unfortunately, the freelancer you've worked with in the past isn't available? You're in big trouble!

When the expertise lies outside the company, it's best to anticipate your needs by determining your budget, communicating upcoming projects to the freelancer in advance and maintaining the link.

3/ Improving the company's brand image

Employees aren't the only ones sharing their opinions about your company. Freelancers have their say too! In other words, if a freelancer has had a bad experience with you, they're likely to let their peers know. You then run the risk of being blacklisted by the freelance community. When it comes to your image, that's no fun!

4/ Recognition and career progression for freelancers

Salariés ou non, nous restons des êtres émotionnels à qui un « merci » ou un « super ton boulot » fait du bien. Maintenir de bonnes relations avec les freelances, c’est aussi leur apporter de la reconnaissance. Elle peut prendre la forme d’un compliment ou d’un retour plus constructif grâce au feedback qui leur permet de progresser sur les plans techniques et humains.

Managing freelancers: 5 best practices to implement

Who should manage freelancers?

Is it the sales manager? The department manager in charge of the project? No way! The ideal person is the HR manager or, failing that, the Head of Community, whose job it is to put together mixed project teams of employees and freelancers. Let's not forget that the HR manager's core business is managing "human resources". And aren't freelancers just as much human resources as employees?

Onboarding freelancers

What if you started by welcoming your freelancers and introducing them to the rest of the team? This initiative is a strong sign of consideration for freelancers and an excellent way of clarifying their role. Ideally, introductions should take place after the contract has been signed and before the project begins. This exchange is also an opportunity to define your future mode of operation for the duration of the assignment.

Don't forget to offer a demo of your solution/product. This is a prerequisite for them to understand the ins and outs of your solution/product, so that they can effectively carry out their mission.

Equip yourself with a Freelance Management System

As with salaried employment, freelance management includes an administrative component. But there's room for improvement here, as copywriter Hannah Grochocinska suggests:

"There's not enough visibility on the length of the assignment, the payment plan and the content. We need detailed briefs to properly cost the assignment and do our job properly. The biggest problem is payment deadlines. I've noticed that many companies, particularly large groups, don't realize that a 60-day payment deadline is too long. How do we pay our bills and expenses?”

Between invoicing delays and lack of organizational transparency, processes need to be structured. The Freelance Management System (FMS) can help!

Choosing Freelance Relationship Management

Freelance Relationship Management (FMR) is the equivalent of CRM (Customer Relationship Management), but for freelance workers. This tool centralizes data on the freelancers you work with (expertise, projects, rates...).

Particularly useful if you regularly call on freelancers, FMR helps you "recruit" freelancers by project, build their loyalty and thus optimize the management of external skills.

Invite freelancers to internal events

With a view to forging a long-term partnership, why not invite freelancers to one of your events from time to time? This could be a round-table discussion related to their expertise, or a team afterwork.

In summary, managing freelancers means breaking away from the management model applied to employees, in order to remain faithful to the autonomy and freedom that characterize these independent workers. And given employees' expectations, this style could well inspire companies wishing to "refresh" employee management!