How can contractors help you get through the global crisis?
19th Apr 2020
The ongoing economic uncertainty has led to a lot of companies to pause their permanent hiring and explore the possibility of hiring contractors and freelancers. The nature of the employment market means there are some very talented freelancers on the market at highly competitive rates. Here is how contractors can actually help you get through these challenging times.
Why hire a contractor now?
Flexibility
A contractor's biggest benefit is flexibility. If you have a specific project to complete, an easier solution may be to hire a contractor or a freelancer to take care of specific projects or campaigns that just need to get done. With most (if not all) processes being run entirely by video interviews, there is a large number of highly talented, immediately available contractors ready to start and work for as long as you may need. Contractors are already set up for remote working as that is what they’re used to doing regardless of the lockdown. Contractors can be invaluable to companies, especially during this time and are comfortable with kicking off quickly and working effectively from the outset.
Mitigating Costs & Risks
Hiring contractors also means you are not committed to the same long term costs as hiring a permanent employee. There are different laws regarding notice periods, benefits, etc. If you do have a long term need, but can’t sign off a permanent hire now, you could work with a contractor with the view to hiring them permanently when we return to business as usual. This gives you the chance to assess the candidate's performance, capabilities, adaptability and culture fit, before making a decision to hire permanently - sort of like a ‘try before you buy’ concept. This is especially helpful during uncertain times, such as now, as companies can hire contractors and keep the employee for as long as they need and exactly for what they need. This gives companies increased flexibility and control over their expenses. Also, with IR35 being put on hold until 2021, you don't have to worry about the new contractor laws.
Skill
Most of the time we get asked to find contractors that will fill a skill that the company is lacking in-house or recruit for a skill that is necessary for a specific project where a permanent employee is not necessary. The roles we’ve been increasingly asked to help within the digital marketing space are Paid Search (PPC), Paid Social, CRM, Programmatic Trading, Ad Ops, SEO, CRM or Affiliates. Contractors have experience working at a lot of different companies, across different clients and verticles so can bring instant value and expertise to businesses in a very flexible way and add extra skills to the team on a one-time basis - this is especially valuable to companies that are not able to commit to a longer or permanent contract.
Our Contract and Freelance division specialises in Digital Marketing and Media opportunities with leading agencies and brands. We’re really good at what we do and we know how to find contractors who will be able to drive revenue even during these difficult times. So, if you’re ready to hire a contractor, we’re here to support you. Get in touch with David Terry, Director at Pivotal London for any contract questions or enquires.
David Terry
Founding Director - Digital Marketing Lead
david@pivotallondon.co.uk
07554010308