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The blended workforce is a new idea, but it is here to stay as more companies are opening to supplementing their workforce with freelancers and gig workers in temp roles. There are many reasons why this culture is pervading the corporates –

  1. Freelancers have specific skill sets
  2. There are fewer hiring requirements
  3. They offer unique services with an external perspective
  4. They allow rethinking their work processes
  5. It is feasible to hire a temporary resource 

Companies are rethinking their hiring strategies to be more inclusive of freelancers and gig workers because of their experience with remote working during the pandemic. Technology has made it easier to communicate and collaborate with remote working teams. The next challenge is to ensure a smooth working relationship between freelance resource persons and the teams in the office. 


Insecurities of employees

From the perspective of employees, queries arise about the company’s objective behind hiring freelancers. Is it an indication that there will be a reduction in the workforce or will they be replaced? outsiders have their way of working and everyone wonders if it will fit with their goals. Also, since the outsider is being paid for their services, will their opinions and skills be valued more, and will they be given all the relevant tasks?

Doubts about roles and unclear demarcations of responsibilities affect performance and the project suffers. If there is a lack of trust between the freelancer and the employees, it will also affect the freelancer's performance. 

The company must convey the intent behind adopting a blended workforce to their employees and onboard them with the concept before executing it. In many instances, the employees themselves may suggest bringing in external consultants. It is important to have a clear understanding of the implications. 


Open and clear communication at all levels

Thus, while planning on recruiting external resources for the company, the goals of such recruitment must be highlighted and employees who will be directly affected must be made a part of the decision-making process. The idea of a hybrid team should be clarified, and its benefits enunciated to the workforce and managers through a focused team meeting. A lot of companies are restructuring their workforce to make freelancers a regular part of the teams. Thus, they normalise the presence of freelancers in the workplace and demarcate the roles and scope of engagement. Employees can be trained in how to communicate effectively with the freelancers or external resource persons in the team at a professional level to ensure maximum efficiency.


Working with individuals with niche expertise or specific skills

It is a norm to bring in external consultants for roles that are not core to the business but fulfilling an essential function of the project or situation. Now, freelancers can be employed for any role and the scope of their services can be determined by the project requirement. Furthermore, freelancers are opportunists who work in very diverse industries, their skills aren’t necessarily limited to a particular industry, but they are more fluid, as they look for opportunities. Moreover, a freelancer may have more than one skill, and this makes them versatile. 

Working closely with such individuals helps the internal employees gain perspective and benefit from their knowledge. Freelancers can be encouraged to mentor, train, or lead team discussions on innovative practices. 

ZoopUp is a freelancer company in India where freelancers can apply for diverse projects. Companies can view a freelancer's diverse experience and skillsets. They can look at the portfolios and see what type of work freelancers are doing with companies in their industry and market segment. They can hire them for training, or work on projects.

Working with different freelancers from various fields allows the company to build a regular relationship with freelancers or try some fresh talent through different engagement models.

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Zoopup
Zoopup
Create : May 04,2022

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