Vincent Huguet, CEO of Malt, says, "The debate is no longer about if companies should work with freelancers, but how."
From inefficient onboarding to budget bleed: Data-backed solutions to improve freelancer relations and ROI
Whether you’re a hiring manager struggling to build strong relationships with outsourced talent or a contractor tired of working with companies with no sense of accountability when it comes to handling freelancer relations, this is for you.
The high cost of a “freelance immature” employer
Most companies are leaving money on the table. While the global freelance workforce is surging, 89% of firms are failing to see a real ROI because of fragmented hiring and red tape delays.
- The Profit Gap: “Trailblazer” firms see a 62% ROI, while laggards struggle at just 36%
- Speed Wins: Top companies launch projects in under 6 days; others take 15+ days and lose the best talent
- The Secret Sauce: Success isn’t just about hiring—it’s about centralised leadership (HR + Procurement) and automated compliance
Whether you’re a manager or a freelancer, business as usual is costing you. Read on to discover the pillars of freelance maturity and how to bridge the ROI gap.
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New data from Malt and Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) reveals that while the global freelance workforce is set to hit 1.57 billion by 2025, most companies are getting it wrong. A staggering 89% of organisations are failing to see a real return on their freelance spend. Why? Because they lack ‘freelance maturity’.
Vincent Huguet, CEO of Malt, says,: “The debate is no longer about if companies should work with freelancers, but how.”
If you’re a manager, this article is your roadmap to stop wasting budget. If you’re a freelancer, it’s the toolkit you need to spot high-value clients and position yourself as a strategic partner rather than just another line item.
What a mature freelancer-client relationship looks like
The Malt Freelance Maturity Report identifies an elite group of companies they call trailblazers. These aren’t just firms that hire freelancers; they are firms that have integrated them into the very fabric of their business.
The financial gap is eye-opening. Trailblazers see a 62% ROI on their freelance spend, compared to a measly 36% for the ‘Explorers’ (the least mature companies). Here’s how the leaders are doing it—and how you can too.
A mature strategy is defined by three core pillars: Centralisation, Compliance, and Measurement.
Centralised leadership
In many companies, hiring a freelancer is a fragmented mess. One department uses a credit card; another goes through procurement. Freelancers feel like afterthoughts.
In mature companies, the “freelance desk” isn’t hidden in a single department. From onboarding to accounts payable, freelancers are guided and respected. No invoices get lost, and freelancers can be reassured that their payment terms will be adhered to.
What does it look like?
91% of mature organisations have joint or centralised leadership between HR and Procurement.
- If you’re a manager, get HR and Procurement in the same room
- If you’re a freelancer, look for clients who have a clear, centralised onboarding process—it’s a sign they’ll be easier to work with and pay on time
The impact?
This prevents a data black hole where different departments hire different people at different rates without any oversight.
Speed and agility
Mature companies understand that top-tier independent talent is a perishable resource.
What does it look like?
Leaders launch projects in under 6 days.
- Hiring managers need to strip back the red tape
- Freelancers can help by having their compliance docs and portfolios ready to go to keep that momentum high
The impact?
By comparison, explorers (the least mature group) often take over 15 days, consistently losing the best experts to faster competitors.
Structured compliance & performance
Instead of worrying about legal risks on a case-by-case basis, mature firms bake protection into their systems.
Bake compliance into the system
The trailblazer move: 74% of leaders have automated compliance checks active from day one. They don’t panic about audits because the protection is built in.
The takeaway here is don’t let compliance be the enemy of innovation. Using platforms that handle the legal heavy lifting allows you to focus on the work, not the paperwork.
What does it look like?
In the UK and the EU, legal hurdles such as IR35 or the Platform Work Directive often deter companies from hiring great talent.
- 74% have a dedicated compliance process (such as automated IR35 or EU labour law checks) active from day one.
The impact?
They are 3 times more likely to track key engagement metrics. Only 12% of total companies use structured indicators to set objectives for freelancers—these are almost exclusively the mature ones. They ensure the freelancer-client contract is in line with the SOW and the contract throughout the engagement to avoid scope creep and disguised employment.
The ROI of maturity
The report reveals a financial divide between mature and immature strategies:
| Metric | Mature (Trailblazers) | Immature (Explorers) |
| Project Launch Time | < 6 Days | > 15 Days |
| ROI on Spend | 62% | 36% |
| Unified HR/Procurement | 91% | 27% |
| Compliance Readiness | 74% | 21% |
How can freelancers educate and drive the maturity curve?
Freelancers, you shouldn’t be considering your engagement as just a gap filler. You should be promoting yourself as the catalyst for their ROI for every project you’re engaged in. According to the Malt report, 88% of companies turn to you for specialised skills they simply can’t find elsewhere.
There are technologies, consultants, and frameworks that allow companies to engage freelancers safely. The problem isn’t capability. The problem is awareness.
–Ray Culver, staffing specialist
In other words, the tools exist. The education hasn’t caught up yet.
You can help your clients mature by:
- Scale strategically: Don’t just do the task; show them how your presence allows them to scale for peaks without the overhead of full-time hires
- Improve the freelancer experience: 84% of firms have no set process to re-engage freelancers they’ve already worked with. By being proactive and maintaining that relationship, you help them build a private talent pool that saves them time and money
👍If you have found a client who has built a professional and welcoming freelancer-client experience, give them a shout-out in the comments.
