Freelancer vs Employee: Do You Understand the Difference?

Do you understand the difference between someone who freelances or works on a 1099 basis as an independent contractor versus an employee? If you're rolling your eyes like, "Well, yeah, duh. It seems self-evident," I get it. Yet you might be surprised how many people don't actually understand the difference.

Key topics:

✔️ Someone who works freelance or as an independent contractor is not an employee of your company. Periodt. Expecting them to function as an employee even though they cover their own benefits and taxes is dirty pool.
✔️ If you are an HR professional, it is important to explain to your hiring managers that someone freelancing for your company is not an internal, W2 employee. The onus is on you to educate the team.
✔️ If you are freelancing and find that you are attracting clients who expect you take their equipment, camp out on Slack channels, be butt in seat from 8 to 5, and that is not what you want, you have to speak up for yourself. You are not obligated to function as an employee when you freelance!
✔️ Your time is valuable as a freelancer and you have every right to run your desk as you see fit. It's OK to acknowledge that some companies don't deserve your skills.
✔️ I would humbly suggest that if you feel that you need someone to "plug in" and "integrate into the team" on a temporary basis, find a temporary employee through a staffing agency. You will probably have to pay a mark-up, but you may have a better chance of finding someone who is willing to give you the temporary employee experience.


Links I discuss in this episode:

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/freelancer.asp

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/independent-contractor.asp

https://www.findlaw.com/employment/hiring-process/part-time-temporary-and-seasonal-employees.html#:~:text=Temporary%20employees%2C%20sometimes%20referred%20to,gaps%20in%20a%20company's%20workforce.

https://mattwilliamscreative.medium.com/warning-signs-of-sucky-clients-part-i-acb9259c5b7f

https://mattwilliamscreative.medium.com/how-to-avoid-sucky-clients-part-ii-98ecfc5f85b6

Need more? Email me: https://causeyconsultingllc.com/contact-causey/