Making the Corporate Workplace Pro Freelance Culture

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a massive change in how employees and employers communicate within workplaces. With employees unable to commute to work because of social distancing, the introduction of hybrid structures and work-from-home culture became commonplace. These initial makeshift arrangements proved to be very beneficial for employees’ attention spans and productivity. A freelancing culture that involves working on sporadic projects without the constraints of a formal workplace contract is often conflated with work-from-home culture and thus has similar benefits if incorporated into the corporate workplace. Moreover, the diverse experiences and market secrets that freelance workers can bring into corporate workplaces can be a great asset to any company.

Getty Images/ Moment/ Elena Medoks

But keeping all these benefits in mind, the question then arises what can be done to promote pro-freelance culture rhetoric in corporate workplaces? The first step that needs to be implemented is that the HR policy in place understands the difference between a standard nine-to-five employee and a freelancer. An inclusive approach towards flexible working ways in the freelancing culture can be fruitful in attracting more freelancers to work with the company. Another thing that can be addressed to incorporate a freelancing culture is the kind of exposure the freelancer can get working in one stable job vacancy rather than their regular job-hopping tendencies that are in place as projects come and go. This exposure can be provided by posing challenges to those working with the company and keep giving them one thing after the other to tackle so they can see that there is plenty of opportunity for growth. Engaging freelancing professionals in innovation and idea generation can also instill in them a sense of belonging with the corporation.

Further opportunities for greater autonomy, where they are allowed to choose the clients they wish to work with and take on workload according to their own discretion, can make them prefer the team-oriented setup of a workspace while simultaneously perpetuating a freelancing culture in corporate workspaces.