More companies and nonprofits are turning to external experts, on a project or temporary basis, to tap into unique skill sets and experience that they otherwise might not be able to access, afford, or locate in their market. At the same time, more individuals are turning to freelancing as an alternative to full-time company employment. This blending of internal and external talent can have huge benefits to the organization — cost savings, access to new capabilities, speed and flexibility — but having a blended workforce creates special challenges that most managers aren’t prepared to deal with. The increased use of external talent creates suspicion and generates concern and even resistance from internal employees, who worry about issues including:
Building Trust Between Your Employees and Freelancers
More organizations are turning to freelancers and other outside experts to meet their strategic talent needs. But the increased use of external talent often creates suspicion, and even resistance, from internal employees, who worry about issues like: Is this the beginning of a reduction in force? Will I be replaced or will my job be eliminated as a full-time position? Will working with externals make it harder for us to achieve our goals? When trust erodes between you, your employees and your freelancers, the team performance will suffer and the organization will almost certainly not take be able to take full advantage of the expertise you’ve sought for help. To avoid these problems, organizations need to consistently build trust between internal employees and the externals with whom they are expected to work. Here are five practices, based on the authors’ work with dozens of organizations that can help foster that trust and promote collaboration on your blended teams.
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