What’s fractional employment and how’s it different from freelancing?

Fractional employment is a modern take on the traditional 9-to-5 job, but with more flexibility and freedom. Fractional employment benefits both employers and employees, transforming the traditional workplace, while allowing businesses to hire individuals with deep expertise for certain positions. 

But what exactly is fractional employment? In this article, we’ll break down fractional employment: what it is, what makes it different from freelancing, and why you should consider it as your next career move.

What is fractional employment?

Fractional employment is when an employee works for a “fraction” of the time of a full-time employee. Similar to freelancing, fractional employment provides workers with a lot of flexibility and autonomy. 

But it differs in that it’s more involved with the company compared to freelancing. Fractional employees are not project-based; they work as part-time employees, contributing a fixed number of hours to the company. 

As such, they have a better understanding of the company’s goals and have regular conversations with its team members.

Founders who require assistance in expanding their business but do not have adequate workload or funds for a permanent hire often resort to the fractional employment model. 

This enables them to bring onboard employees with specialized knowledge, particularly those seeking additional sources of income as a side job.

While some turn to part-time or freelancing, others are turning to fractional employment, an option that brings the best of both worlds: the flexibility of a freelance position with the meaningful experiences of a full-time one.

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As we’ve mentioned, fractional employment has benefits similar to freelancing: flexibility, autonomy, and of course, extra income. But a unique benefit that fractional employment offers is the opportunity to touch different projects outside of a regular 9-5.

Working fractionally often opens the eyes of employees to see different perspectives and solutions that they can bring into other areas, including their full time job. 

Not only that, but the experience hones their knowledge and skills, making them more competitive in the job market and overall, furthering their career.

How do I know if fractional employment is for me?

These are a few indicators that fractional employment would work for you.

You have a remote job

Fractional employment works best for people with a full-time position that is remote and provides a lot of flexibility. 

While it won’t be as often as a full-time position, meetings are still required of a fractional role, and it would be tough to attend them if you’re working in an office.

You’re well integrated into your full-time role

Consider your level of comfort with your day job—if you’ve just started a new role, then it’s likely you won’t have the headspace or rapport with your team to take on additional projects. 

Also consider your direct reports; if you have more than one direct report at your full-time job, it’s likely that you’ll have less ability to craft your schedule and balance working fractionally.

You enjoy a specific part of your job

Fractional employment is a great option for people who enjoy doing a specific part of their job and would like to get more exposure in that area, while honing their knowledge. 

Fractional work gives you the chance to gain more reps in areas you want to; for example, if you’re interested in strategy and would like to get more experience in it, you could look for fractional work that deals more with strategizing and delegating others to do executional work as opposed to a full-time job where you might have to juggle both.

In a recent interview with one of our fractional Heads of Growth, Eva, she outlined this exact point:

“The way I see working fractionally and why it’s great is that it captures the part that I really like, and I can just do that part.”

Eva really enjoys being a part of a company’s growth through advising them, rather than executional work. At Divisional, she’s paired with clients that let her do the part of the job she loves.

You can solve specific problems

Lastly, fractional employment works best for those that are suited for specific types of problems that an employer will encounter. 

Fractional work often involves ambiguity, where you are required to solve a problem with minimal time and communicate the resources you need. 

You won’t be given the same leeway as your full-time job, as employers will expect you to ramp up quickly and make an impact. 

If you don’t feel well-equipped to tackle problems, then working fractionally might not be the best idea.

What’s the difference between fractional and freelance?

The key thing that differentiates fractional employment from freelancing is its approach. Since freelancing is mostly project-based and the outcome of freelance work relies heavily on client requests, these workers are often seen as “separate” from the rest of the company. 

On the other hand, fractional employees are often integral members of the team, and their impact is closer to that of a full-time employee, just without the same time commitment. In fact, fractional workers are not only part of the team, but can manage them. 

If you have a good fractional resource, they can manage other team members such as writers and VAs. They help to free your time and headspace up to tackle other things, as opposed to simply taking execution off your plate.

Fractional hires are also able to deal with ambiguity in a company and chart a path of how they’ll make an impact. 

Again, fractional isn’t transactional in the way that freelance is; remember when we said freelancing sometimes leaves its workers feeling unfulfilled? 

Fractional employment is the opposite of this—these employees are embedded within the company and are invested in (and held accountable to) its success.

What is freelancing?

A freelancer is an individual who works for themselves, as opposed to a company or employer.  

They are hired by clients as an independent contractor on a short-term, per-project or per-job basis. Freelancers can be thought of as a part-time worker with a company that has other projects to focus on as well.

Roles that are transactional are typically a better fit for freelancing. These roles can be done autonomously, where the freelancer isn’t blocked by the rest of the team, and the employer can scope the work to a short-term project. 

For example, copywriting is a great role for freelancing as a writer can be paid on a per-article basis, and outside of a brief, minimal collaboration is needed from other members of the company. 

On the other hand, product management wouldn’t suit freelancing, as product managers need to have a strong understanding of the business and be well-integrated with the rest of the team (developers, engineers, etc.).

The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

There are many benefits that come with freelance employment. Freelancers can work remotely as they don’t rely on resources provided by their employer (i.e. use your own laptop). 

They have the flexibility to create their own work schedule, giving them better work-life balance. Freelancers also have the final say in what they work on; a full-time employee is generally expected to do the work given to them, but a freelancer has the choice of what the projects to take on. 

And because they work for themselves, freelancers are able to set their own rates, giving them full control over how much they earn for their work.

While freelancing does have many benefits, it also has its cons. A major one is the lack of job stability; because freelance work is mostly short-term and on a per-project basis, freelancers can’t always be certain about their income and whether they’ll have work in the future. 

Freelancers also miss out on benefits, insurance, and retirement plans that are often offered by employers to full-time employees. 

Additionally, freelancers often do not get full visibility on a whole project; they only see the specific parts that their work is directly related to, which can lead to feeling less fulfilled with their work.

Freelancing vs. Self-employed

Freelance work is similar to being self-employed in some regards, like in the level of autonomy and freedom it offers, but different in others. 

It’s important to understand that freelancers are always self-employed, but self-employed professionals aren’t always freelancers. 

In fact, most self-employed professionals are actually entrepreneurs and/or business owners. The key differences between the two are outlined in below.

Another important thing to note is that being self-employed doesn’t necessarily mean a person doesn’t have a day job; in some cases, a person might choose to maintain their 9-5 as a main source of income, while doing work on the side. 

A person could technically do all three: work a day job, freelance for clients, and upkeep their own business. From a legal perspective, self-employed individuals are required to pay taxes on income earned while freelancing or from their business.

Can I work fractionally while employed full-time?

One of the best parts of fractional employment is that its flexibility allows a person to work a full-time position at the same time. 

When a company hires you for fractional employment, they know that you have a full-time role elsewhere, and will only be able to work certain hours. At Divisional, we understand the responsibilities that our team has in their regular 9-5, so we never place them with a client that’d be competitive with their full-time role.

Final thoughts

Overall, fractional employment is a great way to gain experience, hone your skills, and earn extra income. If fractional employment is something you can see yourself doing, Divisional may be the place for you. Get in touch with us today!