In these fast-changing times, a radical shift in the way people work is happening globally. From an in-office 9-5 routine to work-from-home, a lot of companies have turned to hybrid work as the most viable model going forward, with employees reporting physically to the office only during certain days of the week.
Even freelancers have adapted to the changing times. Whereas before they would park themselves either inside a cafe or a co-working space, having their own work space at home has become the norm. The ongoing advancement of digital innovations and emerging tech allows for more connectivity, collaboration, and productivity, even as one goes about their work from the comforts of home.
As well, the rise of freelancer marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork, the latter having the Philippines as one of their core markets, has been a boon for freelancers. Such marketplaces are opening the floodgates for more job opportunities across the globe for freelancers in the Philippines.
The desire to work remotely and have flexible work options continues to grow in the Philippines. BCG’s report titled “Decoding Global Ways of Working” revealed that 49% of workers in the country prefer going completely remote, with the remainder being open to a hybrid set-up. Another survey, this time by Microsoft, shows that flexible work is seen to stay in the Philippines, with 84% of workers surveyed wanting flexible remote work options to continue.
Project Management and Productivity tools
Managing a team or multiple projects remotely can be a struggle due to the lack of physical interaction, which makes utilizing a nifty project management app or software a real godsend.
Top-of-mind among these are Google collaboration tools which is free for users. Included here along with Gmail is Drive which provides a convenient way to store, share and access files anywhere; Meet which is for voice and video conferencing; Docs which is for word processing; Sheets for spreadsheets; and Slides for presentation building. Calendar provides a shared calendar to coordinate dates and schedules within the team. For users willing to pay a tiered subscription fee, there’s G Suite which comes with customized email addresses.
Communication and Connectivity tools
With quarantine restrictions and lockdowns making face-to-face meetings harder to do, maintaining strong communication and collaboration—the key to the success of any project—is a challenge in today’s work environment.
Among the top tools available now include Slack. This app helps individuals stay connected and share information with clients or team members across the globe. With both desktop and mobile versions, Slack helps those who are on the go collaborate and coordinate their work no matter where they are — in a co-working space or at home.
Social Media as a promotional tool
In Payoneer’s Freelancer Income Report where they surveyed over 7000 global freelancers, findings show that 74% of freelancers use social media to promote their services. Specifically, Facebook is shown to be the most popular social media platform, used by 34% of freelancers surveyed, followed by LinkedIn at 28% and Instagram at 21%.
As the study also notes, with the rising competition within the freelancing space, freelancers are now finding more innovative ways to promote their services further, to demonstrate their value to their clients, both current and new. More freelancers are leveraging social media to provide instantaneous customer support and to make direct connections with their prospective clients.
Online Payment Platforms
One of the most common inconveniences that freelancers often go through is cash flow management, including managing multiple currencies. Sending timely invoices requires unnecessary headaches. For those working from home, having to go to bank branches to deposit cheques may also be an inconvenience.
Thankfully, there are online payment platforms such as Payoneer that enable cross-border payment transactions. With Payoneer, accepting and making payments in multiple currencies is now a simple and cost-effective option for freelancers. With its integration into leading freelance marketplaces like Upwork and Fiverr, freelancers can access earnings in their own currency, at affordable rates.
As people are adjusting to the ongoing changes and challenges, especially when it comes to work, harnessing an arsenal of advanced digital tools ensures continued productivity, better collaboration with partners, and ease of communication with clients. For freelancers, this translates to more business and a wider global reach.
