Tip #1: Make sure proposals reflect reality
First in the top three areas for improvement identified by those surveyed is the lack of transparency in proposals. According to freelancers, there is a marked discrepancy between what’s promised and what materializes.
Several times, respondents cited a lack of differentiation between hybrid remote working and full remote working in proposals, for example. They also expressed a desire to know more about the team they’ll be working with in order to determine the general working atmosphere. Finally, those surveyed wanted greater visibility over the context of the assignment, such as its precise location or even the tools required.
Far from being a detail, this point raised feelings of mistrust toward the assignments proposed by large companies, making freelancers more inclined to walk away. Taking the time and effort to write clear and detailed assignment briefs thus seems to be an essential prerequisite for retaining freelancers’ attention.
Tip #2: Use more transparent and effective selection processes
Second in the list of common pitfalls experienced by freelancers is a lack of clarity and transparency around the selection process. In particular, self-employed workers flagged slow responses following a rejection. It should be noted that this issue had already been raised by our respondents in the first edition of our survey. To remedy this, speedier processes are required with clear information on upcoming deadlines provided between each step.
Tip #3: Be more considerate towards freelancers
The third point raised by freelancers is a lack of consideration demonstrated by large companies while assignments are ongoing. This community can be stigmatized and this is expressed in a number of different ways, such as devaluation of their skills, lack of punctuality at meetings, delayed payment and difficulties being accepted by other staff members. And this is not at all a new problem. Last year, this point came second in our top three!
Large companies need to make huge efforts across multiple areas to make freelancers feel more welcome. In practical terms, they need to respect time boundaries in the same way as for employed staff, set up strict payment schedules so that self-employed workers are not kept waiting, and promote integration between in-house and external staff with time to get to know each other.
To sum up, it is equally important for large companies to share as much information as possible in their job offers, and to ensure that freelancers are welcomed into the company once the assignment is confirmed. Freelancers are affected by many factors beyond simply the rate of pay or the content of the project. Large companies should endeavor to work on the perks of assignments if they’re to appeal to freelancers and garner these talents that are so valuable to them.
