Wild: 10 essential nuances when working with ex-freelancers

Interest in freelancing in the IT environment remains the same. However, while many of us have not tried to work remotely, Indigo and I have already asked ourselves how to work with those who have decided to return from а freelance job to working in a company. How to make an offer which they would not refuse. How to help them adapt to the new office and environment?

The right to be flexible

The option to manage their schedule on their own is one of the reasons why successful employees decide to try freelance. The ability to go jogging, to visit your favorite coffee shop, to spend time with your family, not to report to anyone. To sleep during the day and work at night if one is suffering from “owl-ism. ” Returning to the company, it is difficult to get used to a strict regime. It’s excellent if employees have the right to change their schedule, depending on the tasks, their peaks of productivity, personal circumstances. All the same, the result depends on motivation and competence, and not on someone’s ability to stick to their chair 8 hours per day, five days a week.

Financial Flows

In most cases, specialists return to the office because it becomes impossible to earn enough money working remotely. From this point of view, companies are more predictable. While talking to an ex-freelancer at any stage, from the first interview to onboarding, it is important to pay particular attention to issues of remuneration. Clarify volume, structure, stability and the ability to influence income, all additional payments, compensation, etc. All options for total compensation, including insurance, for example, employees often do not take them into account. People want to be sure it’s worth it if they decided to sacrifice their freedom.

Variety of tasks

If the specialist did not provide himself with a pool of solvent customers before changing his job to freelance, he most likely was not able to pick and choose the client and the project. In a company, perhaps, there would be the opportunity to take part in exciting and diverse projects. Moreover, sometimes it is impossible for a freelancer to take part in a project they love, because the client wants to work with the company, hoping that such cooperation will be more secure and reliable. So, when offering a job to an IOS developer or any other professional, you also need to focus on the content and variety of projects.

Know your place

If the teams and the structure inside of the company are flat and there is no rigid subordination, this point will be smooth. Otherwise, at the stage of adaptation, some difficulties could occur. Working for himself, a person gets used to set tasks, and feedback only from themself. Moreover, here you have to accept very different responses from other people. Of course, every company has its own rules, and it’s important to discuss them from the very beginning. However, take into account that this person is used to being their own master and do not throw book at them, at least at first.

The team player

Many ex-freelancers also point to this reason for returning to a team environment. They started to go a little crazy in isolation. At first, they were tired of the buzzing office hive, and they enjoyed the silence at home. After some time, however, they were running around naked and howling at the moon due to lack of human contact. Of course, this is only if there are no small children, cats and noisy neighbors at home. Being inside a team of your fellow humans is essential. Also, the operational, personal, live feedback that it allows you to receive is also critical. So a great team is another argument that can convince a freelancer to accept an offer.

A man like an orchestra

Combining several functions is one of the most challenging tasks in freelancing. For example, there is no reason to be just a PHP programmer. It is impossible to do only one job anymore. Someone has to find clients, to do administrative tasks, to resolve conflicts, etc. Also, to bear sole responsibility for all processes, to take risks, to be puffed up for failures. A company considers takes these troubles on itself, and for the employee, it can become a persuasive argument. Many people are happy to return to their favorite code and regain the role of PHP developer, while their colleagues will resolve other issues.

Moreover, dividing tasks can be both formal and informal. It is easier to identify with each other’s weak and strong sides and “exchange” some tasks that you don’t like with the other colleagues. So in general, support and shared responsibility with someone are enjoyable things.

Learn until you die

Not all companies have this advantage, but in the IT sector companies try to develop their people, and invest money in their training. Highly motivated freelancers also continue to study, but on their own dime. This is not nearly as cool as raising one’s professional level at the employer’s expense. Many ex-freelancers recognize that it was times when their colleagues went abroad for some training and they regretted that there was no one to send them. In general, ex-freelancers note that you grow faster inside of the company thanks to training, the exchange of experience, participation in different projects. To get the same dynamics in a remote format is not possible for everyone. Of course, if training inside the company is the norm, in this case, your team would be skillful, and the projects would be complicated and diverse.

Non-working environment

Whatever they say, work from home make you feel more relaxed. Even if you force yourself to change your pajamas and comb your hair, the home environment hardly sets anyone up for productive work. Not to mention the hundreds of household minutia your eyes. Moreover, of course, your family is sure that “working from home” is a joke, that you do not work as a data scientist, but you’re merely doing nothing sitting at the computer. In this case, the office may seem like paradise. Especially if it is a comfortable, spacious place with the rooms for rest and private communication.

Box with tools

Again, it depends on the situation, but more often the company’s working equipment, starting from technologies to furniture, and it is better, more powerful, it has better quality than at home. We highly recommend that you make a tour of the office and to show everything to your potential employee.

Organize me completely

Yes, many people are quite capable of managing themselves and their time. But not all of us can do that. Many ex-freelancers confess that they returned to a company because they could not organize themselves.

Over time, the work took less and less time, and productivity was dramatically decreased, and this affected everything, including finances. In the team it is much easier to formulate tasks correctly, to prioritize, to observe deadlines. Besides, it is easier to maintain a balance of work and leisure in a company that appreciates people than in freelancing. Many freelancers eventually take so many tasks that they begin to sink in the stream of their work, they forget about leave and sick leave. While in the company these periods should be followed at least by law.

So, specialists returning from freelance to full time work is not as rare as you might think. Usually, these people have already experienced both the privileges and the costs of both formats of work. Also, many of them are sure that when they are ready, they will try freelance again. They will be more conscious and prepared (with the exact amount of customers and money). Meanwhile, give them a little time, they need to get used to their roles.