Going remote has become increasingly common especially after the pandemic. But what is so special about it? Why are more and more companies preferring a fully remote company?
The answer is simple- it gives the employees a flexible schedule and a great incentive of staying at home with their loved ones and working. Not to mention the reduced hassles of traveling.
For organizations, it proves to be a more cost-effective measure as well. It reduces plenty of extra expenses that they have to pay when working in-office. The concept of remote business has been more fostered by the startup community.
As studies indicate, 77% of remote workers say they’re more productive when working from home.
Six tips companies should use to build a fully remote company
Remote working requires plenty of strategies and efforts to even start off, let alone be successful. Here are a few steps you should take to build a remote workspace:
Explain the benefits of remote working to your employees
Before taking any steps, the first thing you need to do is to make your employees understand the reason behind this shift. Until your employees are not convinced with the idea, it will be difficult for you to ensure maintained productivity and collaboration within the workspace.
Additionally, it can also take a toll on your employee retention rate. Your employees are the key essential of your organization’s success. Make sure that you give them an environment where they can excel and be at their best.
Hire people who are willing to work from home
Not everyone prefers a remote first culture. They would rather go for an on-site workspace where they can work alongside other coworkers. Hiring these people will create a gap between the company’s and the employees’ preferences. Hence, clarify this during the interview itself. For companies looking to bridge this gap effectively, partnering with remote people can be a strategic move. They specialize in helping businesses find candidates who are not only willing to work remotely but are also well-suited for remote environments. Ensure hiring only people who are willing to work from home while building your remote office is.
Remember to also figure out if that person is a suitable fit for remote working. You need to understand what would be a more logical approach for them while interviewing them.
Go async
Going async means to reduce as many dependencies as possible: less calls, lesser meetings, and ultimately, documentation of everything. Ensure that easily solvable issues are fixed through messages saving time and efforts for everyone.
It can be difficult to go async when you are a remote organization but it is one of the best ways to ensure better productivity, less burnouts, and more work done. Knowing how to communicate effectively at a remote company is necessary.
Give top priority to engagement
Your organization needs to be engaged if it plans to be completely distributed. Constantly working alone can lead to several burnouts and lower the productivity of the employees.
Therefore, they need to get a chance to interact with their teammates apart from work conversations. Hence, fully remote companies should conduct several engagement activities, foster a culture of rewards and recognitions, and more such initiatives to help overcome this issue.
Take feedback from your employees:
While setting up a remote work plan, you might not be doing everything right simply by assuming. Ask your employees what they expect out of you. And try your best to provide them with it.
This will make them feel valued within the organization. It will convince them that their opinion matters hence enhancing the overall experience of your employees. Conduct regular surveys and 1v1s to figure out the issues that your employees might be facing.
Familiarize employees with important tools
Not everyone is well-versed with the important tech tools that you would require to function in a remote setting. You need to have particular sessions and teach them how to use these tools on a daily basis for efficient functioning.
It can be around performance management, engagement tools, attendance management, and more. These tools are the key ingredients for the daily functioning of a remote workplace. It’s also important to make sure that all team members have access to specific software tools to perform their daily tasks. For example, if you’re going to onboard an influencer partnerships manager, ask them whether they need software to search for influencers, a dedicated email automation tool, or any analytics tools. It is mandatory that your employees have a good understanding of its usage.
It goes without saying, a remote first company requires a great amount of strategizing and management. It is not only the job of the upper management to make this change. The more important step is employees understanding this requirement and being able to welcome it whole-heartedly.
FAQ
What is a fully remote business?
A fully remote business indicates that all the employees follow the Work From Home (WFH), rather the Work from Anywhere (WFA) model. The company will not be providing any office space. Instead the employees are free to choose their own workplace and work from there.
How to make your business fully remote?
You can switch to a fully remote working company through these important measures:
- Explain the benefits of remote working to your employees
- Hire people who are willing to work from home
- Go async
- Give top priority to engagement
- Take feedback from your employees
- Familiarize employees with important tools
All of these points are elaborated in the above article.
How much does it cost to set up a home office?
The cost of your home office depends on your work essentials. Ideally it is the cost of a workspace (a table and a chair), a laptop, and some other utility tools like earphones, etc.
What are the key factors when working in a remote company?
The key factors of working in a remote workspace are:
- Effective communication
- Ideal engagement
- A culture of rewards and recognition
- Team building and collaboration
