Trying to push your career in a more exciting and fulfilling direction? Starting your own company could be your perfect path forward. And with so many talented people working from home, it’s easy to build a remote team to help your business thrive and grow.
Pulling together the right team can be a challenge, however. To help, M Alexander & Associates explains how to build and manage a successful remote workforce.
Why Remote?
Although there are plenty of advantages to working in person, remote work has a unique set of pros that business owners should consider. For example, when you have a fully remote workforce, you save a ton of money on office space. This is a huge cost cut and can be a particular boon for someone who’s just starting off.
A remote workforce also opens you up to hiring the best talent, no matter where they’re located. And since remote work is in demand right now, you’ll have a large talent pool to pick from. If that’s not enough to convince you to go remote, consider that recent research has shown that people who work from home are more productive.
If you feel uneasy hiring people you’ve never met in person, remember that video interviewing and background checks go a long way when it comes to easing those concerns. Remember, however, that there are rules when it comes to running background checks. Be sure to investigate the laws as they apply to you, and always inform candidates before diving into their background.
Before You Hire
If you’re just getting your business off the ground, there are a few to-dos you should cross off your list before you move onto the hiring stage. For example, if you plan to form a business entity for your company, it’s best to get this done before you start bringing employees in.
You’ll also need to decide exactly how up and running you want to be before you bring on new staff members. Some startups make the mistake of bringing on people in anticipation of building a workload, but this can backfire. You don’t want to have more employees than you have work to give - not only will you wind up with a bored, unproductive workforce, but you won’t have the income you need to pay them. Build up a foundation and make sure you have enough business to actually occupy the people you hire.
Instead of hiring full-time employees, consider bringing on freelancers to your team. These professionals can work at a moment’s notice and handle projects as they come up. You can find qualified freelancers through online job boards in fields such as email marketing services, web design, and app development. Simply look over their profiles, reviews, and rates before hiring.
Of course, there may be some tasks that are best left to an agency like M Alexander & Associates, particularly anything administrative that takes up too much of your time. By using professional services here, you can feel confident that meetings, deliverables and bookkeeping are expertly handled.
Remote Collaboration and Productivity
There are several tools you can use to boost productivity and facilitate collaboration between remote workers.
Create a process map to share with everyone that specifically outlines goals, timelines, directives and assigns stakeholders. This ensures everyone is on the same page.
Have employees use a shared project management system to easily share their progress on shared tasks.
Collaboration tools that allow you to video chat, voice call, and text help you manage all forms of communication in a single space.
Fostering Workplace Unity
Finally, it’s important to figure out how to foster unity and a sense of belonging in a virtual team. In a traditional office, people get plenty of incidental opportunities to know one another and bond. Working remotely, however, you have to make an intentional effort to build personal connections between employees. Teams work best when they’re made up of people who like and know one another, so be sure to give your employees the chance to do that.
For example, you can host virtual happy hours to facilitate some casual conversation. Although this might seem a little unnatural at first, with time, you’ll find everyone is able to unwind and get to know one another a little better. Eventually, you can even schedule an in-person destination meetup; not only will this give everyone a chance to actually meet, but it will also serve as a powerful recruitment incentive down the line.
Remote teams help your company access the best talent, give your employees the ability to work in the environment that’s best for them, and allow you to get your business off the ground without delay. We hope this article helps you get started!
Photo Credit: Pexels