Many businesses nowadays hire freelancers and outsource certain tasks due to how cost effective it can be. However one thing you need to keep in mind is that freelancers can burnout just as frequently (if not more so) than regular employees.
The fact of the matter is that for freelancers, the more they work – the more they make. That means that if they aren’t careful it can lead to work dominating their life, without sufficient breaks.
If you want to ensure the freelancers that you hire don’t end up burning out and affecting your work – here’s a few things you should try.
Monitor freelancers remotely
Using employee monitoring software to keep tabs on freelancers can be a huge help. It can let you track the hours they spend working, and objectively measure their performance.
The best way to accomplish this is with employee monitoring software – and one option you should consider is Controlio. It will let you track all employee activity including their app and web usage, active or idle time, or even their keystrokes. From that data you can determine whether they are overworking and at risk of being overwhelmed.
Manage the workload of freelancers more effectively
Based on monitoring software data you can also manage the workload you send to your freelancers more effectively. If they are overloaded and working unreasonably long hours in order to complete it, you can cut down the workload or maybe renegotiate your deadlines to give them more breathing room.
Spot early warning signs of freelancers burning out
Always keep an eye out for any early warning signs that the freelancers you’ve hired may be burning out. That includes taking longer than usual to complete certain tasks, delaying deadlines frequently, or being unresponsive.
With the help of Controlio you can monitor the time it takes for freelancers to complete tasks quite easily. At any time you can access that data via the reports on its dashboard, or you can have them emailed to you on a fixed schedule. Because Controlio also calculates a productivity score for employees, it should be easy to check if the productivity of your freelancers has dropped.
Be clear about what you expect
Clarity can go a long way when it comes to the wellbeing of freelancers. When freelancers know exactly what you want and what you expect, it can help them make better decisions on how to manage their time and what they need to do.
For every task you assign to a freelancer, try to provide a detailed and comprehensive outline. It should cover not only what you expect from the finished product, but also any deadlines, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), milestones, and goals that need to be hit.
Encourage open communication and get feedback
Make it a point to encourage open communication with your freelancers, and let them know they can touch base at any time if they have any issues. Additionally, it can be helpful to solicit their feedback regarding their current workload, deadlines, as well as any other concerns they may have.
One feature in Controlio that can be particularly helpful in this regard is the fact that you can give freelancers access to their own data. In that way they can see firsthand the hours they’re working as well as their productivity metrics – and provide better feedback to you.
Reward excellent performance
Although you’ve probably negotiated a rate in advance, that doesn’t mean that you can’t reward freelancers on top of that for excellent work. This will incentivize good performance and make them free appreciated – which can motivate them while avoiding burnout.
If you take the steps listed above, you can minimize the risk of the freelancers you hire burning out. While it is true that at the end of the day they are responsible for their own wellbeing – as long as you do your part you should be able to facilitate a healthier working relationship that will go a long way to helping them improve their wellbeing.
All said and done, helping freelancers you hire to avoid burnout is a reward in and of itself. After all, it will help you to avoid delays, improve productivity, and boost effectiveness – which in turn will probably directly affect your bottom line.