Freelancer Management

Gone are the days when “work relationships” are made up of people we see on a regular basis. We can literally have an entire functioning relationship without ever seeing a person or even hearing their voice. Talk about an evolution from the days when sharing an office building was a prerequisite. Here are some of the biggest ways work relationships have changed with the evolving workplace.

From office space to any space: Working in the same vicinity as people used to be a necessity. If you couldn’t walk down the hall to knock on someone’s door or get together in a conference room to discuss the next initiative, you couldn’t get much done. Now, you can work from anywhere. That means you can have meetings across time zones and without even leaving your home. You may still see your co-workers virtually, but you’re less likely to have spontaneous conversations at the proverbial water cooler.

Blurred lines in the work/life balance: There used to be a somewhat forced separation of work and home. While you could take your work home with you, it was a lot harder to reach people with a random thought or question late at night or on the weekend. You were unlikely to call someone’s home and risk waking their kids at 9 PM. But shooting off an email or a text at 9 PM is socially acceptable and reading work communication as you’re going to bed or first thing in the morning is expected. Getting responses in a few minutes is so much the norm that a “delayed” response of even 10 minutes can cause concern. Now, it almost seems like you literally have to go underground (on the subway) or take a flight in order to get a break from electronic communications.

Communication is easier and harder: With this level of access, it’s incredibly easy to communicate in a moment. It’s incredibly easy to reach people and get a response. But we arguably have just as many communication errors since we can’t truly read people over email or text and emojis don’t quite replace seeing a live human face. Replacing live communication almost completely has its own challenges.

The bottom line

Work relationships have changed massively in the digital age. FaceTime often substitutes for face time, emojis often substitute for actual facial expressions, and all our “time savers” eat away at more and more of our time. It will be interested to see if the pendulum swings back to more personal interaction or if we will lean more and more on technology to replace the live interactions that used to be necessary.

About PayReel

At PayReel, we minimize the time and effort it takes to get you ready for your project, make sure you get paid quick and easy, and have Client Relationship Managers on call around the clock to answer your questions. All you have to do is call 303-526-4900 or email us. The PayReel team makes event payroll easier, faster, and seamless.

The next time you work an event or a production, tell your supervisor you love working with the PayReel team.

Producing multimedia content and executing live events is chaotic. At PayReel, we make sure our clients can hire who they want when they want and that everyone is paid properly. Leave the details up to the PayReel team so you can focus on pulling off a flawless production. Contact us anytime at 303-526-4900 or by emailing us here.

Relax. We got it.

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We all like compliments. What a nice shirt! Great job on that presentation! Those jeans make you look skinny! But what about complaints? Can we honestly say that we always appreciate this type of feedback? Maybe not. But the best thing we can do for client relations is to treat those complaints as the gift they are.

Follow these easy steps to improve client relations

1. Consider the complaint a gift. In customer oriented organizations, complaints should be embraced with the same anticipation and curiosity as if received in a beautifully wrapped little box. Complaints are gifts because they are our clients’ way of offering us a second chance to get it right. When a customer doesn’t invest the time and energy to complain, you’re in deep trouble. You’ve probably lost the advantage of knowing your offer has fallen short of expectations before the problem impacts your bottom line.
2. Make it easy for the customer to give this gift. Giving key accounts a single point of contact is a great strategy, but what happens when the SPOC you’ve provided is the source of the dissatisfaction? That’s why executive relationships are vital. Giving your clients the ability to pick up the phone and share concerns directly with your upper management is the business equivalent of being one of Santa’s LinkedIn connections. Direct line to the gift man.
3. Respond quickly. Clients know you’re busy. Sometimes simply making their concern a top priority is enough to smooth any rough waters. People want to be heard…and preferably before they forget what they said.
4. Thank the gift giver. When someone gives you a gift you should, of course, express gratitude. In order to do so with authenticity, you have to truly see the benefit and opportunity in the feedback. If you don’t see if that way, work on your mindset. The highest form of gratitude you can convey is to fix the problem. Once fixed, make a call and acknowledge the mistake as well as how you have fixed the problem.

Handle complaints well and my guess is that you will have effectively turned a complaint into a bonding agent that will strengthen your connection with the customer. And that’s a great gift!

About PayReel

Producing multimedia content and executing live events is chaotic. When it comes to event payroll, payroll taxes, and so much more, PayReel makes your life easier. We make sure our clients are able to hire who they want, when they want and see that everyone is paid properly. Leave all payroll services and details up to the PayReel team so you can focus on pulling off a flawless production. Contact us anytime at 303-526-4900 or email us.

Relax. We got it.

Considering quitting your day job but concerned about the long-term effects on your future prospects? It’s time to think differently. Here are four ways freelancing could actually boost your career in the long run:

Get paid to find—or sharpen—your passion

People pay a boatload of money to refine their skills at college. Freelancers get paid to do it! In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell shares the theory that it takes roughly ten thousand hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field. We can’t vouch for this particular number, but it is a tried-and-true, oft-repeated principle that practice makes perfect. As a freelancer, you get to bid for jobs that seem exciting to you and decline ones that don’t. As you go, you’ll hone in on where your lane is and have the freedom to develop it to the point of mastery. Then you can either keep running in that lane as a freelancer or take those finely tuned skills you’ve developed to your next full-time job. Highly skilled workers with a shorter learning curve have a leg up on the competition.

It’s like a paid audition

Freelancing gets your foot in the door at multiple companies without any commitment. If you love a business’s culture or brand, you may want to make their next project a priority. If you don’t like the experience, you don’t even have to bid for the job the next time around. You get to develop your clientele with companies and people you enjoy and then have a built-in connection for future opportunities. If you do well enough on your audition, you’ll get job offers—either for more freelance work or for full-time gigs. From there, it’s up to you to decide whether you want to accept an opportunity with a company or keep working for yourself. The power is in your hands.

Build your network

Once you’ve achieved mastery in an area, the world really starts to open up. When you do great work, people talk about you. After all, being able to refer someone reliable and easy to work with makes them look good, too. Talented freelancers organically build a robust network that includes both decision-makers and people in related fields who will send work their way.

P.S. There are tax benefits

So maybe it’s not a direct boost to your long-term career options, but the tax benefits are a pretty enticing bonus. There are mountains of deductions available to independent contractors (home office, business miles, office supplies, and more). You just need to make sure you keep careful records in order to take advantage of them. Under Trump’s proposed tax code overhaul, some independent contractors could have even lower taxes in the near future. Keep in mind, though, that freelancers are on the hook for their own self-employment tax, health insurance, vacation days, and retirement plans.

The bottom line:

Many factors determine whether freelancing is the right fit for your life. Managing your own schedule, finances, and other complex aspects of your career aren’t easy and it’s not for everyone. For some, it may be exactly the thing that allows them to live the life they want to live while doing the work they love to do. For others, it might be the right thing, but only for a season. After a foray into freelance, they may want to take all their experience back into a company job. Whether freelancing is a stepping stone to your full-time dream position or the long-term career path you didn’t even know you wanted, it might just be time to go for it.  

About PayReel

Producing multimedia content and executing live events is chaotic—and working them is even more so! At PayReel, we minimize the time and effort it takes to get you ready for your project, make sure you get paid quick and easy and have customer service agents on call around the clock to answer your questions. The next time you work an event or a production, tell your supervisor you love working with the PayReel team. Contact us anytime at 303-526-4900 or by emailing us here.

Relax. We got you!

When staffing special events or hiring freelance video crews for one-off projects, temporary workers are an incomparable asset. As a special breed, they also require special attention to everything from worker classification to the Affordable Care Act. Protecting these workers, who often spend extended time outdoors, requires a little extra forethought and attention, too. When it comes to keeping them safe, happy, and productive, the best insurance for temporary employees is accident and illness prevention.

July and August are some of the hottest months of the year in much of the U.S. By taking the following precautions against heat-related issues, businesses can lower safety risks and prevent fines and lawsuits, too:

1. Provide water, rest, and shade: It’s easy to get into a project and forget about the time. Sometimes proactive measures like mandatory breaks with plenty of hydration will remind people to take care of themselves in the heat.
2. Recognize the signs: Managers should be on high alert for symptoms of heat exhaustion. According to the Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration (OSHA), “Persons suffering from heat exhaustion might have cool, moist skin; sweat heavily; or complaint of headache, nausea or lightheadedness.”
3. Know and respect workers’ rights: It’s not just about staying compliant with the letter of the law, but about understanding and staying true to the spirit behind it. Even if you can push temporary employees a little further to get the job done faster, it’s worth going above and beyond to provide a safe environment. OSHA offers free on-site consultation services to help diligent employers eliminate any problems upfront. Contact them at 1-800-321-OSHA for more information.
4. Download the app: At different temperatures and conditions, different measures are appropriate. The U.S. Department of Labor makes it as easy as possible to monitor the heat index as well as it’s associated with its heat safety app. You can also schedule reminders for water breaks and more with a few taps.

Staying compliant with OSHA’s guidelines on Occupational Heat Exposure prevents workers from getting a heat-related illness. It also prevents them from missing work and you from getting fined. Keep everyone safe so neither you nor your employees end up paying the price.

Prevention is great, but actual insurance for temporary employees is still a must. You don’t need to spend hours translating all the legalese. We’ve already done it and know just what businesses need to do to stay compliant with insurance regulations. PayReel eliminates guesswork and frees you up to get you back to doing the creative work you love.  Click here to speak to us! 

About PayReel:

PayReel’s clients, who are some of the biggest companies in the world, are constantly immersed in the chaos of producing multimedia content or executing live events. PayReel makes sure they have the right contractors at the right time in the right place, and that everyone gets paid properly. And, most importantly, they handle every last detail—down to insurance for temporary employees—perfectly while making sure their clients think nothing of it, so they can get back to doing what they do best.