Save Your Team’s Morale Between Staff: Hire a Freelancer

No one likes losing staff. Even in the rare occasion it’s an expected or mutual decision for the individual to move on, it carries the risk that other members of the team will soon follow. When staff realize a much-needed part of the department is leaving, it usually brings a burden of ‘covering the work’ until a new person can be hired, trained, and begin ramping up on the project. It doesn’t have to be this way.

 

Hiring an outside source who specializes in interim management can effectively reduce the headache and chaos that can come with trying to find a full-time staff member. These professionals are skilled and experienced in jumping in and helping companies like yours. Here are a few ways the freelancer can be integrated:

 

  • Take over day-to-day tasks like reporting and management of projects. This is usually the most common need.
  • Fix the issues that have been ‘unfixable’ due to time constraints or experience of your previous staff. Automating reporting, and auditing projects commonly fall into this category.
  • Help educate you and others on the team on the most relevant industry on-goings and the effect on current projects.

Additionally, setting your own expectations is important. These are items that can be challenging to overcome if you don’t know what to expect when working with an outside digital marketing manager:

  • Be upfront with deadlines, or ‘extras’ that may be expected of them. Luckily, the things you’ll need to communicate to the freelancer are exactly the things you’ll need to have listed out for your next staffer.
  • Designate limited points of contact. Communication and integration with your team takes time, so it’s best to streamline the process.
  • Be ready to hand off account access and historical data. Given the nature of the interim freelancer, it’s best that the analyst can work by easily accessing data themselves whenever possible. This allows them to more easily review, monitor, and make decisions.
  • Set expectations in writing. It’s best to use an itemized agreement that covers what they will be responsible for, and even better to include a contingency statement and project rate for items that fall outside of the list.
  • Think of this as a 90% fix. These short-term engagements and projects should be focused on the task at hand. Expand their responsibilities as you become more comfortable.

Bringing in temporary freelancer will keep things afloat and grant you extra time to be sure your full-time hire is a good fit for your long-term goals. The most qualified candidates for this type of project usually carry several years of experience in their field, and specifically with this type of short-term project.

 

Even as you part ways with an employee, a freelancer can help carry the load, and keep your staff on track and optimistic about your future together.