Hi Tech and Freelancing

by shashikant shukla Shashi: Digital Marketing Expert

With internet penetration going up to nearly 45% in 2021 from just 4% in 2001, more and more companies, especially the smaller players, are looking for freelance workers to work on multiple projects from remote locations.

It’s easy on the pocket and convenient, with freelance options eliminating the need for full-time worker benefits, office space, and infrastructure.

Then, emails as well as high speed internet connectivity and videoconferencing facilities allow people to work from remote locations, something that has become the “new normal” after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Gigs are getting to be popular with millennials as they enjoy their free time and assignments of choice (in most cases) that come with freelance work.

In its January 2021 report, the industry body Association of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) states: “With talent pools today becoming way more diverse in their age constitution and with millennials and Gen Z workers increasingly becoming part of the country’s workforce, many have begun preferring to become part of the gig economy.”

The number of gig workers is also likely to increase, the report says, as companies undergo business transformation because of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation.

New job profiles are likely to be created because of the new AI and automation technologies pushing hirers to renew their hunt for workers who fit the bill. “Instead of hiring outright for such positions, it’ll be possible for companies to just reach out to talent on a more project-like basis” reads the report.

Rise of Flexi jobs in artificial intelligence and machine learning

For several companies it has been almost 15 months since their workforce started working from home. This has meant that all through the most forgettable COVID-19 journey, employees have been on the information highway which in turn has led too many companies developing and strengthening their machine learning solutions.

Clearly, the winner all the way has been AI and machine learning.

According to World Economic Forum's The Future of Jobs Report 2020, as many as 50% of businesses have decided to focus on accelerating automation in their organisations.

Another study from PwC has said that Indian companies and the economy will be among the biggest beneficiaries of AI investments when compared to most countries in the world due to the availability of a strong, talented, and highly technically qualified labour market.

A report by global job site Indeed has also echoed a similar view. Job searches related to AI saw 20% during the March-July 2020 period amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Several companies, both within the technology sector and beyond, are seeking talent with specialised skills required to develop and implement machine learning solutions to post-COVID-19 requirements, the report said.

To cite an example, global company Cisco has developed an artificial intelligence tool called Network Visualizer to help the firm reimagine the future of work. According to a media report, the company spokesperson was quoted as saying that this has helped the company understand how its people think and work and it has also enabled it to incentivize its employees, find pools of hidden talent around the globe and develop new ways to stimulate innovation.

Can freelancers be trusted to keep systems secure?

Work from home and freelance options have created a new dilemma for organisations when it comes to securing their systems and data. Remote work allowing freelancers access to company systems and data can pose risks that companies can ill afford.

James Christiansen, US-based software company Netskope’s vice president of cloud security transformation has said that the regular practice in a traditional the workplace was to hire contractors from firms that were vetted and run background checks on them. To access a company’s systems, regular vendors were required to use encrypted tunnels, have endpoint security controls in place such as endpoint detection and response (EDR), encrypted hard-drives, patch management and strong passwords.

An endpoint is a device that’s at the end of a network, such as a desktop or laptop. EDR, an integrated endpoint and security solution involves real-time continuous monitoring and collection of endpoint data with an automated response based on rules and analysis capabilities.

No such controls apply to gig workers, many of whom use their own devices in a ‘bring your own device (BYOD)’ environment. Often, they work with multiple gigs that do not have very secure systems, increasing the vulnerability of all networks.

So while hiring, Christiansen has said, companies have to check how much access freelancers have to sensitive information and how securely data is accessed.

It also makes sense to check where else the temporary hires are working, especially if it’s rival companies.

While there are advantages to hiring experts to do specialised projects, the threat of freelancers with zero loyalty to the company using and reusing the research work they have been assigned could be very real. They could also steal innovative software development ideas or infect a system.

So how can such problems be addressed?

Contracts: Robust contracts should be in place, Martijn Verbree, Partner, Cyber Security in Corporates, KPMG in the UK, has advised. Credentials of all remote workers should be checked and IT departments informed when their projects are completed.

Onboarding: A comprehensive onboarding process, as rigorous and detailed as the ones adopted for full-time employees, is a solution, writes Hiroyuki Imamura, senior vice president and general manager of marketing for the Business Imaging and Communications Group of Canon USA., Inc, in SecurityInfoWatch.com, a site devoted to cybersecurity and safety.

Training: Companies should also conduct regular information security refresher training and checks to monitor compliance, adds Imamura.

Technology evolves quickly, being informed and cautious does help.

Being selective: Temporary workers should also be given access to information selectively, with regular employees in the organisation informed about the freelancer’s assignment and how much information he or she can access while completing the project.

Quick response: Responding to a data breach crisis or having preventive measures in place is also crucial. “Given how permeable businesses are becoming – with contractors, outsourcing, remote working, hosted, hybrid and cloud-based apps and systems – CIOs must understand that building a wall of defences is no longer enough,” says Darren Thomson, chief technical officer, EMEA, Symantec.

Strengthening authentication processes: Remote connections and freelancers’ devices should be strengthened. Workers should be made to go through a multilayered authentication process to access an organisation’s network, say experts.

Am I pricing my skills right?

When Robin Gupta, a 30-year-old artificial intelligence professional, decided to join the gig economy two years ago, the first challenge he faced was how to correctly set his price in the market. This was a hurdle because Gupta had never worked as a freelancer, and there was no one to guide him.

The market, he soon found, was highly fragmented, and gig professionals were happy to undercut each other. So Gupta’s rates had to be consistent with the value provided to his client and ensure proper remuneration for his skills, while remaining competitive in the gig marketplace.

As Gupta navigated the gig market in the next two years, he found there was enough work for serious technology professionals, and he needs to formulate his own system to price his skill correctly and at the right place.

There are two models that Gupta uses:

Hourly pricing

This is common among freelancers. With this method, a freelancer comes up with an hourly rate of work and then multiply that by the number of hours spent doing the work. Many organisations have a fixed hourly model for freelancers because they do a time assessment before giving out the project.

Project-based pricing

This is a good system for end-to-end projects. You evaluate the scope of the work, assess unexpected extra hours and need for other resources, calculate how much time will be spent on meetings, etc., and then present a consolidated amount to the client.

But setting your price is contingent on several other integral questions that Gupta asks himself and refines every three months:

How much money do I need to earn every month?

What other freelancers with the same experience level charge for such services?

What are the expenses do I have as a freelancer, such as Internet cost, meetings, etc?

Do I need to add to my skill set to get better work?

Why will the client hire me?

What are my tax liabilities?

What are my EMI/family liabilities?

Are these projects varied?

Once these questions are answered, then fix a yearly salary and divide it among projects. This will give you a fair idea of how many projects you need to take in a year and financial expectations from them.

“I ask these questions every three months to review my work-life balance and also check whether I am on the right track,” says Gupta.