Around the world,
businesses of every sort, size and shape are using freelance specialists, from
designers to content creators, video editors, advisors, marketeers and more, to
get fantastic results. Why do Cypriot firms seem to shy away from this
practice?
We’ve just finished
our ultimate home office guide (Part
1, Part
2), and while doing so we were inspired to take on a topic that comes up
from time to time. Cypriot companies seem resistant to working with
freelancers, or contractors, they’re very office-focused. Why is that?
This article
will explore why this might be, it’s based on several years of anecdotal “evidence”
and feedback from not only business owners, including those in the finance, fintech and forex fields, but a number of self-employed
service providers, including HR professionals, designers, writers, and digital
content creators. It’s also informed by countless conversations with recruiters
based on the island.
Sites like UpWork open up a world of potential collaborators.
Many Cypriot
companies are family affairs, they’re been run by the same people for years. If
a family-run business is doing well, and there are many
studies which show how and why countless family-run businesses can do well,
then they’re unlikely to adjust how they work. However, many family-run
businesses fail to adapt to the times, perhaps the founders are getting old, or
the next generation doesn’t have the same drive, and that’s where they can come
unstuck. Looking to outside support might help.
Resistance
to Remote Work Prevails
Many of us
believed that with the pandemic, remote work would take off. With COVID largely
over, that’s simply not the case, with huge numbers of businesses all over the
world, Cyprus included, calling
people back into the office – though perhaps not five days a week. This
includes progressive companies which one might have assumed would retain the
remote model. Working with a contractor, or freelancer, is very much along the
same lines as the remote model and therefore it can be off putting to managers.
A Preference
for In-House
Cypriot companies
have a strong preference for keeping it all in-house. By that, I mean that they’d
rather hire for a full-time role than go for freelancers. This is a common
refrain among recruitment and HR professionals. The argument is that the
company has greater control over the full time staff member, that they can
better monitor their performance and take corrective action. Tie that in with
the resistance to working away from the office and freelancers, to many Cypriot
companies, are a step too far.
Time-Orientated,
Not Task Orientated
Many
companies are tangled up in the idea that time = work done. That’s not
necessarily true. With experience, many tasks become routine, they can be done
quickly and efficiently. However, companies can get tied up by high hourly
rates. Surely, if the contracted task is completed, then what does it matter
how long the staff member worked on it for? Sadly, many companies, including many
in Cyprus, have never made the switch from being time-orientated to
task-orientated. As a result, experienced contractors, who can do a lot in a
short time (and do it well), get the short end of the stick.
Freelancers
are Expensive
This idea is
tied into the previous two points. The mantra goes that freelancers are very
expensive. This is true. To an extent. However, if you factor in the amount of
quality content a specialist can produce in a relatively short period of time,
added to the fact that you’re not paying for social insurance or holidays, and you
only work with them when you need them, and you’ll perhaps find that you’re
doing quite well out of the relationship.
There are any number of ways to protect yourself.
The Benefits
of Freelancers
The benefits
of working with freelancers or contract workers are numerous and substantial,
but here are just a few:
·
You’re paying for work done,
not time spent twiddling thumbs
·
Work tends to be delivered
quickly and according to your schedule
·
Freelancers are often very
experienced
·
They often don’t need all
that much supervision
·
You stay flexible in terms
of your staffing on any given project
All-in-all,
freelancers, or contractors, offer companies a serious degree of flexibility and
access to expertise they might not otherwise have. However, working with
freelancers can be intimidating, or confusing to companies, especially those
with a more traditional mindset. Some of this is true, and we’re not saying that it’ll work for everyone, however, it’s certainly an avenue that many businesses could with exploring.
Our advice
is to get a contract sorted out, specify deliverables, deadlines and pay. But
above all, call them in to a meeting, or get them on Zoom and see if they’re a
fit for your organization. Find a good one and you won’t be disappointed.
Around the world,
businesses of every sort, size and shape are using freelance specialists, from
designers to content creators, video editors, advisors, marketeers and more, to
get fantastic results. Why do Cypriot firms seem to shy away from this
practice?
We’ve just finished
our ultimate home office guide (Part
1, Part
2), and while doing so we were inspired to take on a topic that comes up
from time to time. Cypriot companies seem resistant to working with
freelancers, or contractors, they’re very office-focused. Why is that?
This article
will explore why this might be, it’s based on several years of anecdotal “evidence”
and feedback from not only business owners, including those in the finance, fintech and forex fields, but a number of self-employed
service providers, including HR professionals, designers, writers, and digital
content creators. It’s also informed by countless conversations with recruiters
based on the island.
Sites like UpWork open up a world of potential collaborators.
Many Cypriot
companies are family affairs, they’re been run by the same people for years. If
a family-run business is doing well, and there are many
studies which show how and why countless family-run businesses can do well,
then they’re unlikely to adjust how they work. However, many family-run
businesses fail to adapt to the times, perhaps the founders are getting old, or
the next generation doesn’t have the same drive, and that’s where they can come
unstuck. Looking to outside support might help.
Resistance
to Remote Work Prevails
Many of us
believed that with the pandemic, remote work would take off. With COVID largely
over, that’s simply not the case, with huge numbers of businesses all over the
world, Cyprus included, calling
people back into the office – though perhaps not five days a week. This
includes progressive companies which one might have assumed would retain the
remote model. Working with a contractor, or freelancer, is very much along the
same lines as the remote model and therefore it can be off putting to managers.
A Preference
for In-House
Cypriot companies
have a strong preference for keeping it all in-house. By that, I mean that they’d
rather hire for a full-time role than go for freelancers. This is a common
refrain among recruitment and HR professionals. The argument is that the
company has greater control over the full time staff member, that they can
better monitor their performance and take corrective action. Tie that in with
the resistance to working away from the office and freelancers, to many Cypriot
companies, are a step too far.
Time-Orientated,
Not Task Orientated
Many
companies are tangled up in the idea that time = work done. That’s not
necessarily true. With experience, many tasks become routine, they can be done
quickly and efficiently. However, companies can get tied up by high hourly
rates. Surely, if the contracted task is completed, then what does it matter
how long the staff member worked on it for? Sadly, many companies, including many
in Cyprus, have never made the switch from being time-orientated to
task-orientated. As a result, experienced contractors, who can do a lot in a
short time (and do it well), get the short end of the stick.
Freelancers
are Expensive
This idea is
tied into the previous two points. The mantra goes that freelancers are very
expensive. This is true. To an extent. However, if you factor in the amount of
quality content a specialist can produce in a relatively short period of time,
added to the fact that you’re not paying for social insurance or holidays, and you
only work with them when you need them, and you’ll perhaps find that you’re
doing quite well out of the relationship.
There are any number of ways to protect yourself.
The Benefits
of Freelancers
The benefits
of working with freelancers or contract workers are numerous and substantial,
but here are just a few:
·
You’re paying for work done,
not time spent twiddling thumbs
·
Work tends to be delivered
quickly and according to your schedule
·
Freelancers are often very
experienced
·
They often don’t need all
that much supervision
·
You stay flexible in terms
of your staffing on any given project
All-in-all,
freelancers, or contractors, offer companies a serious degree of flexibility and
access to expertise they might not otherwise have. However, working with
freelancers can be intimidating, or confusing to companies, especially those
with a more traditional mindset. Some of this is true, and we’re not saying that it’ll work for everyone, however, it’s certainly an avenue that many businesses could with exploring.
Our advice
is to get a contract sorted out, specify deliverables, deadlines and pay. But
above all, call them in to a meeting, or get them on Zoom and see if they’re a
fit for your organization. Find a good one and you won’t be disappointed.
Source: Freelancers and Contactors – Why Cypriot Firms Avoid Them | Finance Magnates
