Admire PR: A ‘How To’ On Integrating Staff And Freelancers

A successful business cannot be built without a great team of employees sailing the ship. But a good bunch of workers isn’t just a draw of luck. It is important to make employees feel comfortable and happy. A satisfied worker results in a loyal worker – and someone who will do the job right for you.

 

Nowadays, it is a little harder. With the freelance community growing since the beginning of COVID-19, there is a larger chance you’ll be employing a freelancer. With the growth of working from home also rising, integrating them into your staff can be a difficult concept.

 

That’s where we are here to help you. Admire PR has employed a range of people. Some are working from home, others in the office, some are apprentices, others know the trade well, some are full time and others are freelancers, some are young some are older. 

 

Integration is our middle name.

 

So – how do we do it?

 

First things first, share your values. Express what you expect their attitude to work to be, along with the charisma you want in the team. They can then understand the tone of your workplace and the team behind it.

 

The values we share are:

 

 

  • Thoughtfulness – We work with thoughtful intention
  • Curiosity – We are always learning and willing to learn
  • Tenaciousness – We never give up

 

 

Once they get the picture of this, share the company missions. This is important, as the freelancer will be able to see some sort of direction first off. It can be a bit daunting not knowing any targets. Here is the Admire PR mission as an example:

 

To provide practical and effective promotion and excellent reputation management for our clients. We do this through:

 

 

  • Thoughtful PR campaigns
  • Transparent Prices
  • Clear Targets
  • Well measured results

 

 

Speaking of direction – it is important to share the team responsibilities. By sharing some basic rules that apply to everyone – it gives a sense of community. Including the freelancer in this reassures them they are part of a company, and there are expectations. There are no special rules for anyone.

 

For reference, here are the Admire PR basic responsibilities we apply for everyone:

 

“Everything you want is waiting for you on the other side of consistency”

 

 

  • Be on time and show up 100%. Every. Single. Day.*
  • Help each other
  • Support each other
  • Support and promote Admire PR on social media and with friends and family
  • Be responsible in public and what you put on your personal social media. Remember nothing on the internet is private.

 

 

*If you are feeling like you can’t do that on any particular day then say so and get some support. We are all human.

 

A lot of freelancers tend to work from home. This isn’t and shouldn’t be a problem, but it does mean you must prioritise making them feel a part of your company’s community. Hosting a zoom meeting where your freelancer can meet the entire team can be a great idea to get them involved. If you have a larger team, you could always invite them down to the office to meet everyone and see how everyone works together. 

 

During this ‘meet and greet’ type of day, you can introduce your employees and explain their individual roles and responsibilities. Having a hard copy of this is so important. For anyone unfamiliar with the people working for you, it can be a god send. If your employees need to know who to talk to, they can look at the sheet to deliver messages or files to the right departments.

 

Make sure you add whatever these employees responsibilities are – then everyone knows what, when, how and why.

 

An example of our staff and their job roles is below. 

 

 

  • Andrea – Founder and CEO
  • Lula – Digital Marketing Apprentice 
  • Izzy – Project Manager
  • Josh – Business Admin and Office Manager
  • Jess, Joe, Lauren, Firgas – Freelance PR Assistants

 

 

During this time of introducing everyone to your freelancer – give them a ‘phone a friend’ option. Being surrounded by a fast moving smart team can be daunting to anyone. If they aren’t in the office all the time, it can be difficult to know what is going on all the time – especially in any more stressful times. 

 

A ‘phone a friend’ is essentially someone in the office they can get to know and can ask any questions. This person can let them know anything they need to know – and gives them a little open door into the office community. 

 

Lastly is to find what makes them feel appreciated and included. Everyone is different. Some people are incredibly social creatures and enjoy the limelight, and others prefer a quiet thank you. By learning who your freelancer is and what they like and don’t – it means you can tailor your rewards. After all, feeling understood is the biggest form of comfort.

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