Is hiring a freelance employee really a good idea?

A good friend of mine's dad retired a few years ago. His pension package will pay 80% of his final paycheck until he passes. The days are gone when a company goes to such lengths to retain employees for decades or employees who are interested in staying for decades. The new thing is quiet quitting and full time moonlighting. The trouble with this, especially in large companies is that everyone knows one of these people and somehow they stay gainfully employed for much longer than they should.

Meet the freelance employee. They are often hired without any contract and can be terminated at any point for any reason. In this business arrangement, there is ample reason to exceed expectations.

Many businesses have a very "lumpy" work demand. In the power industry, outage season requires all hands (and then some) on deck. In automotive and medical, a new product line can mean multiple lines being changed or installed. Suppliers are often constrained by getting raw material -when it shows up, their customer needs the finished product yesterday! A freelance employee can fill this void. It reduces the stress on full time employees and prevents burnout.

Finally, many companies are fortunate enough to have many long time employees. Sometimes, these employees are stuck in the "it works, don't mess with it". This leads to a loss productivity and potential profits. The employer is in the tough position to replace the employee at a risk of finding someone more eager (but clueless) or to performance manage, potentially leading to the employee leaving on their own terms. A freelance employee will bring in new perspective and ideas. Often times, people just need to see that something is possible before they will adopt it. It requires as much skill as tact. It may even be that there is a knowledge or skills gap and the employee is happy to learn given the resources.

I've seen all of these scenarios play out. It can feel like an "outsider" is taking your job at first, but a good freelance employee ultimately improves the company for the long term.