Freelancing has never been bigger in Ireland – just over 10% of the 3.2 million Irish working population now describe themselves as ‘self-employed’.

Ireland isn’t alone in this trend either. In 2018, the US reported a rise of 7% in freelancing, while the UK experienced a 31% surge. In fact, freelancers contribute approximately £145 billion to the UK economy – a valuable asset for any organisation.

Now the norm rather than the exception in a multitude of industries, freelancer management is becoming yet another challenge that businesses and HR teams are faced with. As the saying goes, businesses up and down the country are asking themselves how they can get ‘the best bang for their buck’; how can they identify the best freelancers for their projects?

This article will delve into the ‘Do’s’ & ‘Don’ts’ of freelancer management for your HR team.
 
Managing the Freelancer
The clue is in the name… ‘free’-lancer. The whole purpose of being a freelancer is to escape the boundaries that often come with the traditional 9-5, office-based job. You’re free to work where you want to work, be it in your bedroom, a local café or a hotdesking space. You’re free to work the hours that you want to work, and once you are successful, you can decide which clients you want to work with, not who your boss has got on contract.

This might be great news if you are the freelancer, but for the business, this means growing a level of trust within this relationship. It means having a level of faith in your freelancer and a belief that they will deliver what they say they will within the given deadline.

However, it shouldn’t all rest on a game of faith. Here are some tips for managing your freelancers:

1. DO Your Research 

There is nothing worse than finding out that a hired freelancer cannot deliver on what you need. You might hire a marketing professional expecting someone with up-to-date graphic design skills, or a software developer that perhaps has too much other work on. Regardless, research is key.

Whether you search for reviews online or ask around your LinkedIn network, research freelancers, the skills they have on offer and past experiences will help you to separate the best from the adequate.

With the rise of freelancing, a popular alternative to finding the right contractor talent has emerged: freelancer comparison platforms. Giving your business access to an array of local freelancers for you to try, these platforms, like Toptal, are proving invaluable for businesses under tight deadlines and pressure to find the right person for their projects.
 

1. DO Communicate Effectively

Once you have hired your freelancer, it’s crucial that you keep communication high on the agenda. While they might pop into the office now and again, most freelancers will work remotely.

From video calls to monthly meetings at an agreed location, keeping in regular contact with your contractors will let them know that you value their contribution, keep them in the loop around project developments and make them feel like they are part of your team, regardless of employment status.
 

1. DO Make Yourself Approachable

Approachability for any manager is key, regardless of who you are dealing with in your workplace. However, it can be a particular challenge for a freelancer; they haven’t had the time that your employees have had to develop their relationship with you.

Ensuring that you remain available for any queries from your freelancers will help to boost your approachability and develop these relationships, a key element for effective and strategic communication.
 

1. DON’T Allow a Lack of Accountability

Your freelancers may work remotely and during their own working hours or schedules. They might have different lifestyles or different styles of work.

However, this should never go before accountability. If you feel a freelancer isn’t pulling their weight, or isn’t working cohesively with the rest of your team, step in. Alongside your HR team, ensure that this freelancer has the right equipment and knowledge to deliver the project effectively. If their work doesn’t improve, ask why.

You might feel tentative to approach a freelancer in this way, knowing that their work style may be so different from your own. But the work needs done – make sure that is happening.
 

1. DON’T Expect Freelancers to be Anything Else

Part-timers, temps, full-time commitments and the freelancers; we get it, it can be hard to juggle everyone, their contracts and their working patterns.

However, remembering what exactly a freelancer is, what is expected of them, and what is expected of you is important for your freelancing relationships.

You should not expect freelancers to report to your place of work daily or take the same lunch breaks as you.

Instead treat your freelancers as just that – freelancers. This will build positive working relationships and provide you with the bonus of having a list of talented workers you can rely on when you need projects completed and your own staff need a helping hand.
 
Freelancer 101
Utilising your HR team, ensure you manage your freelancers effectively. Communicate with them and remain approachable at all times, treat them as freelancers and ensure you keep them accountable.

​Your business will boom, you’ll meet your project deadlines and most of all, you’ll expand your talent pool. 
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It’s one thing being intellectually smart, but are you emotionally smart? This is the big question businesses need to get to grips with when both hiring and training employees. Compassion, empathy, understanding and interpersonal skills – these are just some of the attributes that make up emotional intelligence, or EQ as it is also known. Ensuring that workers have a high level of EQ is vital, not only when it comes to internally managing employees, but also for creating an open and fair company culture, encouraging teamwork and attracting top talent.
 
More and more, companies are appreciating the value and necessity of EQ when it comes to running a productive and effective business. The fact of the matter is that when workers have a high level of EQ, productivity is heightened, teams gel together more efficiently and company leadership is more effective.
 
That being said, EQ can be tough to teach, propagate and promote. So, here are 4 tips for HR professionals to encourage emotional intelligence in business:
 
1. Use Your Head in the Hiring Process
 
According to one study entitled, The Emotional Intelligence of HR, only 30% of companies look for emotional intelligence during the hiring process. Clearly, this needs to change. Looking out for prospective employees who are able to express their feelings accurately and coherently, and are both compassionate and understanding, will ultimately mean they contribute more to your business.

Of course, intuitively spotting candidates with high emotional intelligence isn’t the only way to ensure businesses find employees with great EQ. Companies can always test EQ through performance testing or surveys– however, be warned, results are not always totally accurate and may not correlate to the real working environment.

2. Train Staff and HR Professionals in Emotional intelligence 
 
When it comes to businesses offering training in EQ, there are two main areas which need to be focused on. Firstly, as they are central to hiring, businesses must make sure that their HR Professionals are well versed in EQ. Of course, spotting emotional intelligence in the hiring process requires a high level of emotional intelligence in itself. While HR professionals should have experience in putting people first and therefore have a high EQ, this is not always the case. Businesses should ensure all of their HR staff are on the same page when it comes to emotional intelligence and what to look for in prospective employees.
 
Secondly, workshops, conferences and training days can be effective ways to train current employees in EQ and highlight the importance of emotional intelligence when it comes to controlling emotions in the work place and understanding the needs of the customer.  Crucially, employee training in EQ should be offered to all levels of a company, including senior management, and training could even be considered in the orientation process for new employees.
 
 3. Understand that EQ is integral to Company Culture, and Vice-Versa
 
Company culture and EQ are inextricably linked. Having employees with a high level of EQ is more likely to generate a strong company culture that promotes fairness, compassion and openness. Equally, a business with EQ training in place and consisting of employees who have a high level of EQ will generate a company culture that is more perceptive, understanding and welcoming. Therefore, if harnessing a strong company culture is a central role of HR, so too is encouraging emotional intelligence amongst employees at all levels. As I have said before, people are at the heart of HR – after all, it’s called ‘Human’ Resources for a reason.
 
4. Realise that EQ is About More than Just ‘Soft Skills’
 
Compassion, empathy, and understanding: these ‘skills’ may seem a little abstract and intangible. However, the reality is that these traits are absolutely essential for dealing with some of the most sensitive areas of business. When it comes to day-to-day HR tasks from managing redundancies, taking disciplinary action or tackling workplace discrimination for example, a high level of EQ is indispensable.
 
Emotional intelligence isn’t just about interpersonal skills and having a good connection with workers – it’s also involves making tough, sensitive decisions in the correct manner. In a nutshell, soft skills are often required to manage hard issues.
 
So, a good worker is intellectually smart, but a great worker has the brains and the emotional intelligence to go with it. As one HR professional put it, sometimes knowing when to ask a question is more important than what you’re asking. Of course, not everything in business revolves around emotional intelligence, however at a time when teamwork, listening and understanding consumer needs is more important than ever, it is vital not to underestimate the value of emotional intelligence.

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As I am sure we are all aware, a key role of HR is to monitor employee performance with the aim of maximising a company’s efficiency and profitability. In fact, according to a recent PwC HR Survey, 97% of businesses use a formal performance management program. That being said, HR departments themselves should also understand the need to have their own effectiveness monitored for exactly the same reasons.
 
Of course, it can be difficult for companies to tangibly measure the effectiveness of its HR, especially as the department deals with so many areas of the business. Consultancy, payroll, holidays, sick pay, auditing – there is a vast array of everyday aspects of a business which are controlled by HR, making it really tough to monitor. In addition, with the role of HR continually adapting and updating due to new technologies and workplace demands, measuring HR performance is becoming increasingly more taxing. The reality is, when it comes to measuring HR success, companies don’t know what to look for.

While it would perhaps be too time consuming, costly and unrealistic to analyse and evaluate all aspects of HR, here are a few areas to focus on to see how your department is getting on and where it needs to up its game:

Employee Retention
 
Without doubt one of the biggest measures of HR success is employee retention. Retention rates go to show that hiring techniques are working effectively and HR is helping to find the right fit for the organisation. They also go a long way to indicating employee engagement and happiness in the workforce – after all, the happier the employee the less likely they are to jump ship. What’s more? Employee retention is easy to calculate and can be done regularly, even on a quarterly basis, without the need for too much manpower.
 
As job-hopping becomes more and more common, particularly amongst millennials, the hallmark of a good, strong company might just be how well it holds on to its current talent.
 
Promotion
 
Again, a crucial role of HR is both training and developing staff and providing them with transparent career paths. Therefore, a high number of annual internal promotions would suggest strong employee development within a company and prove that HR’s role in training and mentoring is helping staff climb up the career ladder. Granted, promotion is not solely down to specific staff training programmes but there is no doubt it is an indicator of overall internal company development that is, at least partly, influenced by HR initiatives.
 
Employee Satisfaction
 
While promotions and employee retention are relatively easy to calculate, employee satisfaction can be a little trickier. One of the most effective ways of measuring the happiness of your workforce is by offering your staff a satisfaction survey. Surveys that can be done in private tend to glean the most reliable results, as employees are not put under immediate, face-to-face pressure to respond.
 
As HR is responsible for day-to-day operations in an organisation – managing everything from payroll to mediation to disciplinary action - employee satisfaction is a good measure of the effectiveness of a company’s HR department. The age old saying, a happy worker is a productive worker, is certainly true and HR plays a big role in ensuring this is the case.  Listen to your employees, ask them what they think, and ensure that line managers understand the need for constant feedback from staff – it’s the only way to really know if a company is on the right track internally.
 
Company Culture

As I have highlighted in recent blogs, HR is playing a vital role in creating a strong company culture in business. Companies that exude a strong company culture highlighting values of fairness and equality tend to see improvements in talent acquisition and retention. HR is essential when it comes to promoting this company culture and ensuring that all employees are on the same page.
 
Company culture, however, can be even harder to evaluate than employee satisfaction.  Holding values such as openness and transparency high within a business, promoting diversity initiatives, ensuring there are no gender pay gaps - these are all measures companies should be taking to harness a strong company culture. Clearly therefore, increases in employee retention and acquisition are good indicators that a business has a strong company culture that HR is effectively promoting.
 
While they may be costly or time consuming, measuring and analysing successes and failures in HR, or any department for that matter, are always worthwhile tasks. The trick is to ensure that the business elements which are being measured and built upon will ultimately add value to the overall strategic aims of the business. After all, we can’t improve on what we don’t know.
 
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We are all aware of the current difficulties facing Human Resource departments. From talent acquisition and retention, to workplace discrimination and skills shortages - companies are constantly looking for new ways to tackle the minefield of issues in HR. One way that some companies are innovatively trying to overcome these problems is through a rebranding of HR itself.
 
You may have heard of this approach thanks to the tech giant, Google, which, rather than calling the department ‘Human Resources,’ renamed it ‘People Operations’ back in 2006. So, is this nothing more than a name change for HR? Or are there different aspects of People Operations that can help companies and HR departments address the modern day challenges of the digital age?
 
Here at the HR Department, we want to demonstrate three lessons HR can learn from People Operations, with the aim of advancing HR’s performance and efficiency in business.

1. People, People, People

Sorry to sound repetitive, but it’s hard to understate the people-centric approach adopted by People Operations departments. HR needs to shrug the stereotypical image of being bogged down in paperwork and payroll, and prove that at the heart of HR is the employee.
 
This means creating genuine connections with workers and putting their needs first. Understanding what makes employees’ tick is paramount in People Operations departments and is certainly something HR needs to focus on. In doing this, companies can harness a strong company culture where the values of its workers are on display and, in turn, build an employer brand that portrays the business as an attractive place to work.

People Operations also tends to be a more flexible and cross-functional department compared to traditional HR. It’s important to realise that HR functions, such as hiring, managing payroll, training or dealing with maternity leave, are all interlinked and demand a collaborative approach if businesses are to maximise productivity. In that sense, HR professionals should not fall victim to tunnel vision, ensuring they communicate regularly with each other and all departments.
 
2. Connect with Leadership

HR, in the past, has been seen as subservient to management within business. However, times are changing, particularly as companies recognise the central role that HR plays in employer branding and talent acquisition. People Operations departments tend to have a more strategic role in business and are therefore better connected with an organisation’s leadership – something HR departments can greatly benefit from. Having an HR presence at leadership level helps to make sure that an organisation has a unified corporate vision while ensuring prospective and current employees both understand, and buy into, the company culture.

3. Focus on Data

Finally, People Operations departments place more of an emphasis on data than traditional HR. As I wrote in a recent blog post on big data in HR, the truth is that data is key to providing insights into employees and assessing workforce sentiments with the aim of improving the environment in the workplace. Of course, data isn’t only useful for measuring employee satisfaction, it also has the ability to streamline payroll and timesheets, and improve employee performance analysis.
 
This also means that HR departments, rather than fearing automation, should see it as a way of generating useful data that contributes to the smooth and effective running of HR. Additionally, what sets People Operations apart from traditional HR is that data is constantly analysed and monitored on an ongoing basis, rather than waiting for an annual review – again, definitely something HR can learn from. In reality, HR departments need to embrace data, as People Operations departments have, in order to figure out the optimal way for a company to operate on a day-to-day basis.
 
Of course, this isn’t a call for HR departments to upend their traditional approaches altogether. Equally, it’s not being claimed that a people-centric, leadership connected, data focused approach is suitable for all companies. Instead, HR professionals should pick and choose the approaches which best fit with their company and its management style. Human Resources, People Operations, call it what you like, but the goal for this department will always be to contribute to the overall smooth running of a business and make it as productive and profitable as possible, all the while keeping employees happy. No mean feat, but one that we must strive for, whatever approach we take.

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​Dysfunctional teams are the bane of many businesses. They dampen staff morale, drain company resources and kill productivity. It’s no wonder team building gets such a large slice of the HR budget.
It’s likely that even the greatest businesses, with the best will in the world, have at some stage or another run into trouble with a dysfunctional team. The most important thing is to address the issues head-on as early as possible. Believe it or not, to do this you don’t need to spend thousands on staff getaways and cheesy workshops.
Below are three very simple steps every business owner and team leader can action today to take their team from messed-up to magnificent.

1.Provide Clarity
Some of the most common reasons for a team not functioning well include things like a lack of direction, mistrust and a lack of involvement. These, in general, are all problems that can be overcome by providing greater clarity. That’s clarity in your vision and goals. Clarity in how those goals will be achieved. Clarity in the role each individual will play.
 
2.Accountability
Few things cause dissent in a team like someone not pulling their weight. Once each member of the team knows the part they play, they must take ownership of that element, and be held accountable for its success.
 
In the same way staff should be praised for their hard work, those that are slacking should also be called out and held accountable. Of course, such matters should be handled discretely, in an honest and frank manner, providing constructive criticism.
 
Performance reviews are an extremely useful in providing an opportunity to understand how the team is functioning and discuss the positives and negatives of an employee’s contribution at a one-to-one level.
 
3.Promote Collaboration
A productive team is one that works together to realise the ultimate goal, not a group of individuals in competition with each other to hit their personal targets. For team harmony and efficiency, leaders must shift the focus to team goals, where individuals, departments and even different regional offices, work towards an overarching goal that has been clearly defined.
 
Shared incentives can be particularly effective as they encourage team work and greater accountability. Just be sure everyone is committed to the task at the outset.
 
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David Bell is Managing Director of The HR Department, outsourced human resources specialists for Irish SMEs.