Business owners and employers often live in a detailed world: one where timelines are tight, every dollar counts and each action should be impactful while being as economical as possible.
Running a lean team, especially now, is essential to business success. Being lean goes beyond spending, and maintaining this mindset is necessary for your staff and resources as well. But, there can come a time when some employers veer into the realm of being “too” lean.
We know that investing in full-time staff can become expensive and time-consuming, but sometimes not investing in your team and providing your company the resources it needs can become even more costly. One thing is for sure: doing too much with too little is dangerous territory when it comes to your business.
Here are five signs to help you identify when it’s time to invest in people and bring in a freelancer, and how DoneStreet can help make the process easier.
1. BEWARE THE SIGNS OF BURNOUT ON YOUR TEAM
A hard-working team is excellent. An efficient one? Even better. But be cognizant of if you’re pushing your team past their limits. If your devs tell you that it’s becoming increasingly difficult or impossible to meet milestones and complete sprints, that’s a significant warning sign of burnout and being overwhelmed. It’s a clear indication that there is too much work for a small number of people.
Keep an eye out for nonverbal cues, as well. If you’re noticing deadlines not being met, projects falling through the cracks, or typically cheery team members becoming stressed and irritable, it’s clear that there are a lack of resources to help your employees be successful.
All of these are just signs of a bigger problem: burnout. And, if left too long, it can lead to more significant issues on your team, and your company. By engaging with a DoneStreet freelance developer, you can hire the specialized talent you need for the projects that matter most, helping you move closer to your significant milestones.
2. YOUR HIRING PROCESS IS TAKING TOO LONG
As a business owner, speed and getting products to market are of utmost importance. That’s why remote freelance developers are your ticket to success.
When in need of new talent, it may seem easiest to find a new full-time hire, right? Well, it’s becoming more evident that the process takes too long. According to a report from Glassdoor, the average length of an interview process for a software engineer can be up to 35 days. The number of days doesn’t even include the time to onboard the new hire. If you find that bringing a new member to your engineering team is taking up precious time, you’re probably holding your team and your company up from reaching their goals.
By leveraging resources like DoneStreet freelancers for your dev team, you have access to top talent without the lengthy search or traditional employee requirements.
3. YOU NEED A HIGHLY SPECIALIZED DEVELOPER FOR A SHORT PERIOD
Sometimes the scope of work for a project is beyond what your current dev team can handle. A freelancer can provide you with a specialized skill set that is meant to address a particular need.
Highly specialized freelancers can bring a level of expertise to your team and your projects. Instead of going through the rigamarole of sourcing and hiring a full-time developer, you can easily hire a DoneStreet freelancer to be part of your team for as long as you need them.
Once your project has finished and your need for that highly specialized dev has been satisfied, you are free to continue working with them on other projects or can happily move on and scale your team back.
4. SAVING MONEY IS COSTING YOU MONEY
Pinching pennies can be helpful in some cases, but if you go overboard, you risk waiting too long to bring the right talent in, which ends up costing you more money in the long run.
For instance, if you notice an uptick in overtime pay for your dev team, or if specific projects aren’t finished on time, it’s clear that you have an under-resourced team on your hands.
Sure, you can provide your team with overtime pay, but this is not a sustainable, long term solution. In truth, this strategy can increase your team’s chance of burnout, overextending and overtaxing your employees. By hiring a DoneStreet freelance developer for your organization, you can help your employees balance the work-life balance they deserve. At the same time, you accomplish your goals and business objectives.
If you still believe that hiring a freelancer comes with higher costs than a full-time employee, we have news for you. According to research, you can easily save up to 50% by hiring freelancers instead of full-time employees.
5. MANAGEMENT BURNOUT IS A REAL THING
As a manager, have you ever felt as if you’re always on call? Fielding questions left and right, approving requests without actually being able to work on higher-level strategy? Sure, you’ve done your due diligence in hiring the best of the best for your engineering team, but you still feel as though you need to micromanage and answer every little question.
There is a straightforward answer to why your team is functioning this way: they are under-resourced.
Strategically sourcing a freelance developer can help make your overall team function better. Just as much as you have to be aware of your employees’ propensity for burnout, you should be mindful of your own, as a manager. You can free yourself up from micromanaging and focus on the bigger picture by providing your team with the resources or being able to hire the right person with the specific skill set for a project.
HIRING FREELANCERS IS YOUR TICKET TO SUCCESS
If you’re considering hiring for a remote developer or a freelancer for your team, using these signs as indicators will help let you know if you need to engage a freelancer. DoneStreet can help you make sure to find the right fit, fast, so you can get back to doing the more critical strategy work. Contact us today to learn more about our freelancers and how we can help you reach success.