I found myself among the spreadsheet files from contractors. They all work remotely. They are freelancers.
I spent most of the day looking for suitable files to get the code and design IP rights. Then I conducted several chats, where I found out the bank details because that was initially sent to me contained errors. And the worst thing is that I asked to send all these endless files before Wednesday to have time to attribute these transactions to VAT expenses.
It started harmlessly enough. Two developers from Poland and one freelance consultant from Malaysia. Standard payments, temporary contracts, my 20 minutes a month. But today, I was collecting documents for 28 people, half of whom will be replaced by entirely different specialists next month. And everything will happen again.
A manager from the bank called me and said that he was going to block the company’s account due to a suspicious number of transactions to individuals in seven different countries. And I don’t have any identification documents on my hands. I underestimated this process — I did not expect such a mess. I probably won’t say anything about other problems of this approach to working with a diverse remote team — it’s already quite a shame from the above.
The web link that changed everything
A colleague came to the rescue and sent in an enthusiastic story about a beautiful site where he manages payments to all of the company’s freelancers. I looked closely at this online service for a month and decided to try it on several charges. After three months, every contractor was signed up for this online service. If a manager comes in with a request to confirm the budget for the assistance of a freelance specialist, then the first thing I ask is if he invited him to Arbonum.
Now I periodically monitor the payout dashboard and download the documents I need. The bank only sees payments for online services. No foreigners, no panic. But if anything, there is also a verification of the identity of freelancers in the system.
There is also a check for connecting clients, and we also passed it. Moreover, the service has automated for us to obtain rights to the code. In dry terms, I spend less than 10 minutes a week on all remote teamwork.