The freelance economy is very different from the world where employees go to work every day and complete their tasks as required. Because of this, freelancers need to be approached in a different way if you plan on using them for tasks in your business. Before you hire any freelancers, there are a few things you need to understand about the freelance economy so you can better communicate with your freelancers.

1.    Freelancers and Temps are very different. Temp agents are hire to fill a position for a brief period of time. Freelancers are hired based on a job basis. Temps are also managed by the firm that placed them while freelancers are independent workers who are not managed by a firm or any particular group.

2.    The freelancer economy is based off of relationships. For a freelancer, it is all about creating a relationship with a client. They will work to build that relationship. Even if you only plan on hiring a freelancer for one project, they will continue to cultivate that relationship in hopes that it will eventually develop into more work. Freelancers also talk to each other and it is almost like a community. If you want to continue using freelancers, then you should always treat them with respect or you may find that you cannot find any freelancer to work with you.

3.    Freelancers take the time to properly document. Just because the task will not last a long time does not mean that it will be very easy to complete the transaction. Freelancers must document all of the work and payments they receive for their work. That being said, you need to be prepared to complete this documentation with them. The scope of the work will be clearly defined and if you want to enlarge the scope, then the arrangement will need to be altered.

4.    Know who will own the copyrights of the completed work. This should be clear before any work is to be completed. If you want your company to own the work once it is given to you, this needs to be outlined. You cannot assume that the work that is completed for you is to be yours at the end of the job. You need to ensure that you speak to the freelancer and be clear about ownership of the completed work.

5.    Freelancers are going to be mobile and contingent in nature. If you find a freelancer that you want to continue to work with, you need to try to get that in an agreement. Freelancers are working with several different companies. They will stay with you until the project is finished but at the end, they will be looking for more work. If you can offer it to them and you value their work, make that clear and create an agreement that is ongoing. You cannot limit them to only working with your business but you can ensure they will work with you in the future.