Remote work is the gateway to a life of adventure. For many, taking a PC or smartphone on the road is all they need to stay productive during travel. Indeed, working remotely is a fantastic way to fund a long journey, which is why many people embrace the ability to work as they travel. Even companies are on board, with over 170 organizations in the United States operating 100 percent remote.
However, mostly we hear from workers about how fantastic it is to travel and work. We don’t usually hear about companies that support remote workers. If you are a small business embracing remote, how can you nurture a thriving work environment? Whether you’re a business specializing in blogging online, such as discussing NetBet UK, or a multi-national finance corporation, remote working is a way to connect with productive and interesting employees.
Here’s how to develop a functional remote environment for your small business.
Communication is King
For any company communication is important, but when you have remote workers it is vital! Chances are your employee will be in another location than your company and probably in another country. Maintaining a line of communication can keep everyone on the same page.
Modern online-based chat solutions are perfect for connections with remote workers. Whether this is Slack or Microsoft Teams for a more centralized professional communication line, or services like WhatsApp and Skype that allow more one-on-one contact. During work hours, remote employees can be constantly connected to these services providing a direct line of communication. If you are looking for excellent call quality, AVOXI is a certified service to manage communications and collaborate with your teams.
Off hours, email is a fantastic way to communicate on non-urgent matters. Of course, phones are vital and services like Skype allow users to make phone calls directly from the app. Although, because remote workers are usually out-of-country, email or online chat tools are more viable than phone.
Gather Company Information and Standards into a Single Location
It is advisable that companies using remote workers create a centralized knowledge base that employees can access. This could be a wiki, website, or task management solution like Trello. On this knowledge base should be information about company standards, commonly asked questions, and step-by-step instructions for completing the most important tasks within a business.
With a knowledge base, your employees can do a lot of work for themselves without needing to constantly ping team members with basic questions. This frees up communication for more dynamic conversations about strategy and growth. If it is something regarding daily job function, a knowledge base should have it covered.
Find the Right People
Of course, all your best efforts will be lost if you don’t connect with the remote workers that meet the needs of your business. While many people embrace remote working as a way to travel and remain productive, only a subset of these people will actually be adept at working on the move. It’s a rewarding but also demanding lifestyle.
When seeking the best remote workers for your business, look for the following qualities:
• Good communicator• Organized• Self-motivated• Fast learner• Patient
Access to Leadership
Among the regular problems remote workers face is that they often feel isolated from the company they work for. Consistent communication can remedy this issue, but it is also important that remote workers feel they have access to the people at the top.
In an office environment, a manager or even a CEO would be actively involved in day-to-day operations. It is admittedly more difficult for this interaction to be as personal when an employee is remote. However, business owners embracing remote should ensure they open their calendar to interact with workers who are not centralized.
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