From Recruiter, Matthew Kosinski discusses why independent contractors are good for some businesses. While he is skeptical of the sharing economy, independent contractors can be appropriate in some circumstances. He writes:
I’m wary of the sharing economy, because I think it gives unscrupulous companies an excuse to shift more risk onto the shoulders of their pseudo-employees. But I also recognize that, deployed responsibly, an independent contractor model can be a reasonable, successful way to run a business — and it can be a lucrative way to make a living for the contractors themselves.
Not every company hiring independent contractors is doing so in order to exploit the labor force. In fact, some companies are hiring independent contractors because it makes sense for them, their clients, and their workers.
To learn more about the benefits of hiring independent contractors , I spoke to Lisa Zeeveld, CFO of virtual assistant company eaHELP.
Unlike Zirtual, eaHELP hires its virtual assistants as independent contractors, hence why I felt Zeeveld would be a great source for this article….
Why Independent Contractors Are Good for Business
“For us, [independent contractors] have always made sense,” Zeeveld says. “We created this company to have an arm’s-length relationship with our clients and our [virtual assistants].”
According to Zeeveld, eaHELP finds that its virtual assistants, or VAs, want freedom and flexibility. They want to have a lot of different partnerships with different clients and organizations. VAs, Zeeveld says, can’t find this sort of freedom under the traditional W-2 model — but they can find it as independent contractors.
Similarly, Zeeveld notes that hiring VAs as independent contractors, instead of as full-time employees, gives eaHELP it’s own freedom and flexibility, which is necessary for the company’s continued well-being….
Read the full story at Why Independent Contractors Are Good for Business
