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Calling on Freelancers: A Winning Strategy for IT Departments in Times of Crisis

IT Contractors: How to Manage Your Activity in This Unprecedented Period
The dual health and economic crisis we are going through creates a particularly high level of uncertainty and instability. How to manage your activity?

While flexibility, responsiveness and speed are more necessary than ever, the use of independent consultants takes on a new dimension.

Manage emergencies

IT departments – and especially support services – were put to the test during the lockdown. Between the massive deployment of remote work, the explosion of security threats and the problems of VPN congestion or application availability, support teams have had to deal with a major increase in requests. And this, overnight and under a lot of pressure. The business continuity of the company – and therefore its survival – is at stake.

Imagine that your organization is facing a massive ransomware attack. If you are not able to mobilize the right skills in-house very quickly, you expose yourself to serious consequences in terms of data loss and potential suspension of your activity.

Using freelancers such as cyber security consultants makes it possible to respond very quickly to the overload of work and to absorb the peaks in demand. Whether these are basic requests or tasks requiring specialized skills, calling on additional reinforcements on an ad hoc basis allows the company to have all the responsiveness necessary to respond to these exceptional and urgent situations.

Dealing with uncertainty

While the lockdown has plunged companies into paralysis or at least a slowdown in their activity, the looming economic crisis will be a long-lasting problem. Uncertainty and doubt set in, challenging businesses to continue to grow when they are virtually forced to navigate on sight.

In this context, agility and the ability to adapt are crucial. IT departments have long been used to working in project mode, but this ability to mobilize the best skills very quickly for success will become absolutely essential moving forward.

Ambient instability greatly increases the risk, especially in terms of recruitment. Caught between the need to restart as quickly as possible and the threat of economic crisis, companies must nevertheless act. In the IT field, using freelancers makes it possible to reinforce existing teams in an efficient and less risky manner.

Did you plan to recruit a Data Scientist or a Product Manager on a permanent contract before the economic and health crisis broke out? Opt for a freelance profile while things stabilize internally and externally. Companies can find the talented and experienced consultants they need, while still maintaining the budgetary and organizational flexibility needed if the situation worsens or if the prioritization of certain projects needs to be changed.

Without forgetting that freelancers have, in essence, a great capacity for autonomy and adaptation and are also more used to teleworking. They are therefore a particularly suitable response to the crisis.

Accelerate development

Despite the difficulties and complexity of the current context, there is no reason for companies to get stuck. On the contrary, they must find the tools to continue to develop and grow. This crisis is a test: companies must not only prepare for a quick recovery, but also think beyond the crisis and build solid and innovative models for tomorrow.

For these reasons, structuring technological projects and IT architectures that enable business transformation is at the heart of the game. It is essential, even vital, to continue to implement them, and even to accelerate them. However, the success of these strategic projects largely depends on the teams in charge. So how do you make sure you have the most competent people possible?

Using one or more experienced freelancers on specific IT subjects, such as cloud or machine learning, can save a lot of time and significantly speed up these major projects. In addition, the contractual relationship between freelancers and the company often requires them to make a higher commitment in terms of performance and quality of service.

In conclusion, the use of freelancers is not a one-size-fits-all solution and must be part of a more comprehensive strategy. But it represents a flexible, responsive and efficient solution for IT departments, which must more than ever learn to juggle between internal and external employees to emerge winners from this period of instability. One thing is clear: the success of companies in these times of crisis depends in large part on the skills and talent it can mobilize.

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DSI challenges IT Decision-makers

3 Reasons to Call on IT Freelancers in this Crisis Period

3 Reasons to Call on IT Freelancers in this Crisis Period

A few weeks ago, Syntec Numérique and Tech in France made a diagnosis of the impact of the crisis on the digital sector. It made 75 recommendations aimed at reviving IT activity after the health crisis caused by COVID-19. Among these proposals, there was supporting “the development of self-employment” by facilitating collaboration between companies and freelancers. Enter IT freelancers.

“It is necessary to reinvent professional practices thanks to digital technology, to encourage new working methods throughout the economy, support the development of self-employment, support new professional uses,” can be read on the Syntec Numérique website. 

This plebiscite for the use of independent consultants is not new. Even less in the IT sector. But it is currently being reinforced by the crisis. 

And for good reason. In addition to the many advantages of recruiting freelance in normal times, the use of IT consultants is particularly advantageous in the period of instability that we are currently experiencing. 

Focus on these three reasons to use the services of an IT freelancer during this period of health and economic crisis. 

Favour IT freelancers to better juggle uncertainty 

In these troubled times, you and your teams may need more agility than ever. 

The COVID-19 crisis has forced organizations to be flexible and pragmatic in order to maintain their operations. The world has become volatile, complex and extremely uncertain. And this trend should continue. 

In this context, companies that succeed have a strong capacity for adaptation. 

This adaptability is often based on the ability to work in project mode and to mobilise the best skills on key projects. 

With this in mind, if you are looking for IT talent to join your team, it may be better to turn to a freelancer rather than to a permanent employee. This type of contract is less engaging and less risky if the situation of the company were to deteriorate.

Another argument in favour of freelancers: they generally demonstrate greater autonomy and capacity for adaptation. They are used to evolve in changing and fast environments. In addition, most IT freelancers have already carried out telework assignments. Many of them have mastered and often appreciate this way of working. 

Mobilise the skills of an IT expert to manage current emergencies 

The confinement and all the consequences of the pandemic have put IT departments to the test: remote work, boom in security threats, over-demand on servers… The demands on IT support teams have increased tenfold, and most of the adjustments and projects are a matter of urgency. 

Faced with this situation, IT departments must be increasingly responsive. And the level of challenge is high: it is the continuity of business activities that is at stake. 

Here again, calling on one or more specialised, independent consultants in their area of expertise can be beneficial. They can intervene very quickly by bringing in cutting-edge skills and thus allow you to provide an effective solution to a given problem. 

The use of IT freelancers makes it possible to absorb a temporary work overload on tasks for which it is necessary to acquire strong skills very quickly. 

Signing a contract with a freelancer has the advantage of having few administrative constraints. Plus, you are able to do so within very short deadlines. 

IT freelancers to accelerate strategic projects 

The individuals and organisations that are most resilient to crises are those who are best prepared and best suited. 

In terms of IT, it is the same story. The transformation of organisations requires transformative technological projects and the implementation of new IT architectures. Always adapted to the needs of the company in this changing context. 

The teams working on these projects is therefore essential. Hence the need to make sure you are mobilising the right skills. 

Calling on an experienced specialist on a niche topic can help you avoid certain errors and really speed up your work. That is crucial in this period of crisis. The possibility of leveraging these experts over well-defined periods gives you much greater budgetary and project management flexibility than if you had to incorporate these skills into your existing teams. 

Because of the contractual relationship with their clients, IT freelancers often have pressure to perform well. This makes them commit to higher levels of quality compared to a regular employee. 

Of course, your decision to use this or that profile, internally or externally, must be part of a global talent strategy. But more than ever, this strategy for managing your talent must be done with a view to agility and pragmatism — a fundamental in times of crisis. 

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Hiring an IT consultant IT Decision-makers

The rise of tech freelancers

The rise of tech freelancers
Independent IT workers make up a significant part of the workforce with the rise of tech freelancers. And their numbers are growing exponentially.

Not that long ago, freelancing was a somewhat mysterious concept reserved for a few lucky ones and the creative types. Nowadays, independent workers make up a significant part of the workforce with the rise of tech freelancers. And their numbers are growing exponentially. This is especially true in IT, where skill shortages and the constant need for IT professionals across all industries provide the perfect conditions for a freelance lifestyle.   

We take a look at the factors propelling (and hindering) this transformation.  

A new office environment

This rise in freelancing is in large part due to the generational shift in the workplace.

By the end of 2020, millennials will have caught up with Generation X, with each making up 35% of the world’s labour. At the same time, those born after 1997 (Gen Z) will have established a solid foothold in the workplace with 25% of the total.

A recent survey of more than 7,000 freelancers in over 150 countries revealed that a staggering 70% of independent workers are under the age of 35. Those younger than 25 represent 21% of the total.   

This new workforce configuration is introducing important changes, from corporate culture to salary expectations or how teams operate. Considering that, by 2025, millennials will represent three-quarters of all employees and many of them will be in managerial positions, these new standards will have a big impact on recruitment moving forward. Concepts like flexible schedules, hypermobility and freelancing are becoming more ubiquitous and sought after.

Want to become an IT freelancer/contractor?

>>> Careers in Tech and IT: Towards a Freelancisation of Permanent Positions?

>>> IT Job Hunting Done Well: A Step-by-Step Guide

A freelance-friendly scene

Albeit often accompanied by controversy, the emergence of the so-called gig economy has too contributed to the normalisation of the freelance life. While some tout the benefits of this labour model, such as greater flexibility or financial freedom, others consider it a source of precarious employment. Whereas that could be argued when it comes to very specific sectors, the reality is that tech freelancers generally enjoy an advantageous position in comparison to their in-house counterparts.

Yes. Independent workers must deal with limited social protections, fluctuating activity and internal red tape. However, the average daily rate of tech freelancers fluctuates between €350 and €800 – well above the average rate of salaried employees in most countries. They also express a 4-out-of-5 satisfaction with their lifestyle.

Programming and IT make up 29% of the global freelance workforce, sharing the top three with web and graphic design. The fit between IT and a freelance lifestyle is clear. A highly coveted skillset that is relevant to almost all industries gives IT professionals the flexibility and bargaining power required to go independent. IT contractors are also among the best-paid freelancers.

A new regulatory landscape with the rise of tech freelancers

But freelancing faces some roadblocks too. All around the world, new regulations on temporary employment are being put in place in an effort to avoid precariousness and reduce the disparity between permanent and short-term positions. Nonetheless, some of these well-meaning measures can end up doing more damage than good.

A good example of this problem is the UK’s IR35. Set to kick in on April of this year, this piece of legislation plans to increase employment tax costs for those companies who consider a contractor as an employee in all but name. Although the law is intended to discourage companies from abusing temporary contracts for tax-saving purposes, what it could mean in practice is that companies would steer clear of contractors altogether.

Both the freelance community and businesses are pressing for the legislation to be re-examined.  

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