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I’m a big believer in teams—and generally speaking, when we talk about workplace teams, we’re talking about employees. In some cases, though, the best way to build a team is to augment it with contractors and freelancers. Just depending on your need and the stage of company growth you’re in, working with a contractor may make the most sense.
But how can you know when it’s smartest to go the contracting route rather than hire someone full-time? Let me offer a few points for you to ponder.
Why Pick Contractors?
You have a fluctuating workload, and need some flexibility. It can be costly—and demoralizing—to be in a constant cycle of hiring and firing employees. If you find that your workload is highly variable, or perhaps that it has seasonal spikes, bringing in contractors can help you manage the work without having to do so much internal pruning.
You need something highly specialized. If you’re looking for a jack of all trades, you may want to bring someone on full-time—but if you need one very specific skill set covered, a contractor can likely provide it without the need for any training. This can lead to greater productivity.
Your resources are limited. Simply put, contractors usually cost less than employees, as you won’t have to cover things like insurance, office space, etc. That’s not to say that employees can’t be totally worth it sometimes, of course—but if you are severely limited in your staffing budget, a contractor may enable you to get more bang for your buck.
There’s More Than One Way to Build a Team
There’s no one way to create a team, and even with contractors in the mix you can work toward a common goal. Keep this in mind the next time you have a staffing need arise!