Whenever I’ve hired a freelancer, my biggest concern has been getting in touch with them at critical times. With an employee you know exactly where they are – in your office, and when they are there – during business hours. This affords some level of comfort for when a rush job or critical change comes in. A freelancer on the other hand is often not onsite and may be working odd hours.
What this means is that freelancers who were always available for contact and who could respond if my needs were urgent were *vastly* preferable to say someone who only replied emails a day later or who never seemed to answer their phone.
As a freelancer it’s great to temper your free work hours with a policy of always being available for contact, a little like a doctor on call.
On the flipside if you do however find yourself answering client calls after hours unless there is a dire emergency make it clear that while you are contactable you are not necessarily on the job. Clients can very quickly get used to having you do things overnight and you must be careful to discourage that sort of habit forming.
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