In December 2018, Microsoft announced the introduction of a 365 Freelance Toolkit for businesses to “release and scale” their freelance workforces. Their cause was that the gig economic system was driving customers toward freelance expertise of their initiatives. According to the worldwide online market Upwork’s “Future Workforce Report,” almost 50% of recruiting managers have hired freelancers, and 90 of them would not forget to do so. Moreover, most freelancers weren’t open to ordinary employment – they favored running the way they did.
The declaration went on to understand businesses’ wishes “to adapt to new commercial enterprise models to get work completed with outside skills” while adding that “the path to transforming existing rules and tactics,” geared toward everyday employees, is largely undefined. Microsoft and its clients relied on collaboration software designed for their human beings with internal clearance to join the conversation. It was time for both events to trap up with the marketplace. The 365 Freelance Toolkit might offer the way.
The Toolkit is defined to build on customers’ present use of the Microsoft 365 software program by adapting that software for freelancer participation. Specifically, this involves employing contemporary software programs and providing tools and first-class practices to help customers scale up their use of freelance applications. The Toolkit additionally draws on Microsoft’s internal experience using freelancers in 4 key regions: inner communique, team-wide collaboration, facts analytics, and workflow automation.
Internal conversation
First, customers want a space for full-time personnel to study, engage with freelancers, and share statistics and quality practices. Microsoft affords this through a custom-designed model of their present SharePoint software.
Team-huge collaboration
This will permit freelancers full access to and participation in applicable group member communications “even as making sure freelancers will not have wholesale get right of entry to the organization environment.” This might be furnished through the Microsoft Teams software program device. These will allow administrators to establish, song, and reply to key performance indicators and to integrate employees and freelancers inside the analytics provided. This commercial enterprise intelligence could be furnished via the Power BI monitoring machine.
Workflow automation
This covers software programs’ provision, compliance, and monitoring, largely automating and thereby allowing a “frictionless system” for employees to paint with freelancers. This will use Microsoft Flow to streamline program sports. Other outstanding functions of the facts to be had up to now are tips on fine practices primarily based on Microsoft’s personal experience and the assertion that their release associate for the Toolkit is the global freelance market Upwork. Microsoft’s inner team spoke enthusiastically about the adjustments the Toolkit can carry.
Liane Scult, Microsoft’s first-ever senior freelance application manager, created the answer that drove Microsoft’s inner freelance software from zero to more than 2,000 assignments; feedback: “At first, the freelance program was just a clean sheet of paper. That has become a big guess with a clean name to action: build a freelance technology approach to empower establishments throughout the planet to realize the benefits of the gig economy. I have been a freelancer, a supplier/provider, and a complete-time worker. I ought to see the complete landscape because I had traversed it. I also had a background in Microsoft’s hacking and innovation way of life. So, I centered on building for our expertise and clients—examining what we all on all sides of the gig financial system might want. Today, we continue to refine our Toolkit with this 360-diploma mindset to enhance the experience for all.”
Matthew Mottola, assignment manager for the Toolkit task, offers: “When I talked with our customers, it became clear that there has been no personal manner. Every corporation turned to growing new techniques instead of leveraging their already-used gear. Thus, the Toolkit was born—a curation of Microsoft 365 equipment, with particular freelance software templates—that replied to our customers’ query: “How can we release and scale a freelance program with the Microsoft gear we already have?” The toolToolkitls our clients: “Here’s what we’re doing, and you can do it, too.” This is a vital point. You don’t have to retool; you could use what you have already got using getting access to our toolkit platform. That’s the beauty of it: it’s organic, it can be customized, and it’s green. We constructed the Microsoft 365 Toolkit to satisfy you wherein you are and to adapt with you as larger virtual trends spread.”
