Gig Workers — or freelancers, whatever you prefer to call them — have woven their way deep into the fabric of modern businesses. Freelancers help bridge gaps during periods of staff shortage, and they bring specialized — and often expensive — skill sets to the table. Solid, high-quality gig workers often find themselves with more demand than they can meet, and finding ways to keep your freelancers satisfied is more essential than ever.

Respect Vacation Time

The next time you find yourself drafting up that email or text that begins with an admission that you know they’re on vacation, stop yourself. Would you disturb a regular 9-5 employee to ask this same question? If the answer is no, check yourself. The question can most likely wait.

Pay on Time

Pay your freelancers in a timely fashion. Chances are, yours isn’t the only company for whom your employee freelancers, and they likely have invoices up the wazoo. Help make tracking payment for their work easy on them, and they’ll be motivated to work with you over a longer period of time.

Tell Them They’re Valued

Finally, praise them. Everybody likes to be appreciated for their work, and gig employees are no different. Freelancers are often relegated to the bottom of a priority list and can easily end up feeling like second class citizens at your business. If you’d do it for a 9-5 employee, you should make sure you do it for your gig employees. A little praise can go a long way.

Membership of AFE USA comes with tons of benefits, and saving money on staff management with platforms like Gusto and ADP are just a few of them. To learn more about the benefits of AFE USA membership, https://afeusa.org/join-afe/membership-benefits/.