Stop Hiring for Hours, Start Hiring for Results – Episode 42 With Michael Morris

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Michael Morris is the Global Head of Platform and Talent at Randstad Digital, former CEO of Topcoder, and co-founder of Torc, with over 20 years of experience connecting companies with exceptional independent professionals.

Key Takeaways

1. Stop forcing exceptional talent into 40-hour workweeks: Michael works with a fractional data scientist in Brazil who delivers outstanding results in just 20 hours a week. Yet many companies would rather hire someone for 40 hours, even if that means losing access to a better professional. Hire for the expertise you need, not the hours you want to control.
2. Measure what people deliver, not how long they work: Traditional hourly models can reward inefficiency: a developer who takes longer or makes more mistakes may generate more billable hours. Define measurable outcomes and reward professionals for the value they create rather than the time they spend creating it.
3. Remove hiring requirements that unnecessarily limit your talent pool: Requiring professionals to live within 60 miles of an office, have a particular degree, or follow fixed working hours can exclude exceptional candidates. Start with the problem you need solved and identify which requirements are genuinely necessary.
4. Separate real risks from the fear of working differently: Intellectual property, compliance, and data security are legitimate concerns, but they don’t automatically make freelancers too risky. Identify the specific risk, evaluate its impact, and establish safeguards rather than rejecting an entire working model.
5. Build loyalty through opportunities, not employment contracts: Michael has maintained relationships with independent professionals for 5–10 years without requiring full-time employment. The foundation is simple: interesting projects, mutual trust, strong results, and the freedom to choose how to work.

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The best talent doesn’t always want a full-time job

Imagine finding an exceptional data scientist who can deliver exactly what your company needs. They’re experienced, their work is outstanding, and they’re available for 20 hours a week.

Would you hire them?

For many companies, the answer might be no. Not because the expert isn’t good enough, but because the company wants someone available for 40 hours.

Michael Morris, Global Head of Platform and Talent at Randstad Digital, has firsthand experience with this situation. He works with an exceptional fractional data scientist based in Brazil whose results significantly exceeded what he had achieved before working with them.

Yet he sees companies worrying about what such a professional might do during the remaining 20 hours. Could they be working for a competitor? What if they’re not fully committed?

Michael has a different perspective: If you insist on hiring someone full-time when they only want to work part-time, you might simply lose access to that person.

And this is just one example of a much bigger problem.

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Are we paying for work or for results?

Michael has spent more than two decades building businesses that connect companies with independent experts, including Topcoder and Torc. One frustration has stayed with him throughout those years: how we reward professional work.

Early in his career, he worked as a software developer and consultant. He noticed something rather strange. If he took longer to complete a task, or made more mistakes that required additional hours to fix, his company could earn more money.

In other words, greater efficiency could mean less revenue.

At Topcoder, he helped build a different approach. Professionals across approximately 40–50 countries were compensated based on their output rather than the number of hours spent producing it.

The idea was simple: reward people for what they accomplish.

That doesn’t mean hourly contracts are always wrong. But when companies treat time spent working as their primary measure of value, they risk overlooking professionals capable of delivering exceptional results in significantly less time.

The problem might not be freelancers. It might be management.

Another challenge is trust.

Some managers feel more comfortable when employees are physically present. They can see people working, speak to them whenever necessary, and feel reassured that everything is under control.

But does seeing someone sitting at a desk actually tell you how productive they are?

Michael calls this a 70-year-old management structure.

In software development, for example, companies already have access to information about contributions, project progress, code quality, and delivery. Yet many organizations still rely on physical presence rather than clearly defined performance measures.

For companies that want to collaborate successfully with independent experts, this creates an opportunity to rethink their management practices.

Instead of asking whether a freelancer is working eight hours a day, ask whether they’re delivering the agreed results, meeting deadlines, and helping the business move forward.

The goal isn’t to monitor freelancers more closely. It’s to become better at understanding and measuring their contributions.

Freelancers aren’t risk-free. Neither is traditional hiring.

Of course, working with independent professionals comes with legitimate concerns.

Companies need to consider intellectual property, data security, compliance, communication, and the possibility that freelancers might be working with other clients.

Michael doesn’t suggest ignoring these risks. His argument is that companies must distinguish between actual risks and the fear of something unfamiliar.

A perceived risk often becomes a reason to reject an entire working model without examining the specific problem.

For instance, a company might worry about a freelancer working from another country. But instead of prohibiting international collaboration altogether, it could assess the relevant legal requirements, clarify intellectual property arrangements, and establish appropriate safeguards.

Michael has worked with independent professionals who moved between countries while continuing to deliver projects. These arrangements required attention to export laws and intellectual property transfers, but the challenges could be addressed.

The lesson? Understand the risk, assess its potential impact, and develop a way to manage it before deciding that something cannot be done.

The strongest professional relationships don’t need a 40-hour contract

Perhaps the most interesting part of Michael’s experience is how he thinks about loyalty.

Companies sometimes assume that a full-time contract creates commitment, while a freelancer working with multiple clients is less loyal.

But Michael has maintained relationships with independent professionals around the world for five to ten years.

These relationships weren’t sustained by requiring people to work exclusively for him. They were built through interesting projects, mutual respect, trust, and consistently strong results.

When professionals delivered exceptional work, he gave them more opportunities to work on exciting challenges. Both sides benefited, and the relationships continued.

It’s a reminder that loyalty doesn’t necessarily come from owning someone’s working hours. It can come from becoming a client that talented professionals genuinely want to keep working with.

The future isn’t freelance-only. It’s flexible.

Does all of this mean companies should stop hiring full-time employees?

Not at all.

Michael believes organizations need a mixture of skills, experience levels, and employment arrangements. Permanent employees remain essential, particularly for maintaining continuity, developing internal expertise, and supporting long-term operations.

But when companies need highly specialized skills, particularly for a specific challenge or a limited period, independent experts can become an invaluable addition.

The important part is recognizing that one working model doesn’t fit every professional or every business need.

And Michael’s final advice to companies is surprisingly simple: Ask your talent how they actually want to work.

You might discover that someone prefers a 30-hour week, wants to pursue a personal passion alongside professional projects, or enjoys the variety of collaborating with several clients.

Understanding these motivations can help companies create better working relationships and access professionals they might otherwise never be able to hire.

The future of work isn’t necessarily about replacing employees with freelancers. It’s about giving companies and professionals more ways to work successfully together.

Tips for success

1. Replace hours with outcomes.

For your next freelance project, define three measurable deliverables instead of requiring a fixed 40-hour workweek.

2. Ask about working preferences.

Before agreeing on a contract, ask the professional how many hours they want to work and what conditions help them deliver their best results.

3. Make one risk manageable.

Identify your biggest concern about freelance hiring, whether it’s IP, compliance, or communication, and define one concrete safeguard instead of rejecting the arrangement.