Outsourcing is clearly a better way to do things and the only way for entrepreneurs to have a profitable, efficient operation. If you don’t pay attention, productivity killers can quickly drain your company from the inside. These five points are essential to keep your outsourced team productive, motivated, and working at peak capacity.
1. Clarity
You will find many intelligent and skilled freelancers who are available to work as independent contractors. But they can’t read minds. It is important to be clear about your expectations for them and provide good instructions. Failures will come back to your organization, even if you want to give them some ear bashing. Great systems will help you and your company to excel. You should create a system every time you do something so that you can delegate the task and empower your team to achieve the results you desire.
2. Last Minute Projects
It is obvious that small business owners have a lot on their plates. It is not a good idea to wait until the last minute to ask for work or to start a project that has a deadline of just a few days. Even if you only use freelancers for a few hours per week, or as needed, they will usually keep their time booked at least a week in advance. You will either get poor work or miss your deadlines if you throw them a last-minute project. Although freelancers aren’t afraid to say no to clients or work, they shouldn’t feel like they should be punished or given negative feedback for being unorganized.
3. Deposing Someone
It is not a good idea to demote people or take away their responsibilities. It doesn’t matter if they are really bad or if you put them in a difficult position or gave them too many responsibilities. Most people don’t like being demoted. If they don’t feel happy at work, you don’t want them spreading negativity or just trying to get a paycheck. You can fire them.
4. Poor Payroll Organization
You can’t make a mistake, be intentional, or pay the freelancers in the correct amount. This will cause you to lose your productivity, and possibly your assets. They work for you because they get a regular paycheck. Otherwise, they could be working for another company or on the beach. Don’t expect people to deliver their best performance if you fail to meet your deadline. They will eventually replace you with another client, likely one of their competitors. This could be bad news.