As much as it saves on overheads, building a remote workforce requires a little bit more planning and organisation than just hiring people who like to work in their pyjamas.
It’s a unique structure with its own unique perks and drawbacks.
You have to know how to build a remote team from the get-go if you want to see success and efficient scaling.
From the pros and cons to tools for the job, let’s take a look at everything you need to know.
What Is A Remote Team?
A remote team is basically just a group of employees who don’t work in a single location.
Benefits Of A Remote Team
Having a virtual team comes with a bunch of benefits. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Access To Global Talent
Having a remote team allows you to hire talent from around the world, which makes it easier to find remote employees who are experts in their fields.
More Flexibility
Remote workers have a lot of flexibility. As a result, they have a better work-life balance, which contributes to better employee engagement and retention.
Saved Costs
Businesses made up of remote team members often have reduced overhead costs, since they don’t have to pay for office spaces. On top of that, there are also costs saved on commuting.
Environmental Impact
Because you’re not taking up office space or commuting to work, remote working also has a positive impact on the environment.
Downsides Of Remote Teams
While there are a bunch of benefits to having remote teams, there are also a few downsides. Let’s take a look at those.
Communication Challenges
Successful virtual teams are categorised by incredibly good communication channels. If you don’t make sure there’s strong communication, you may hit a snag.
Differences In Time Zones
Teams spread around the world may struggle to collaborate effectively because of the time zone differences.
Security Concerns
Remote working also raises the possible issue of security concerns, since everybody’s accessing sensitive information from different parts of the globe. Team members working remotely must have strong cybersecurity to overcome this hurdle.
What To Consider Before Building A Remote Work Team
Now that you know the pros and cons, it’s time to look at what you should consider before you start working remotely. Here’s what you should keep in mind.
The Nature Of The Work
What we mean by this point is that you should take a look at how much work you can do in a remote environment, and if there’s anything that you need to handle on site.
Team Roles & Responsibilities
Virtual teams do well when the whole team knows exactly what every person needs to do at any given time. Defining those roles and responsibilities helps set expectations and make sure everybody’s accountable.
Communication Tools
You’ll have to make sure you have the right tools in place to ensure smooth communication across the board.
For example, not everyone may be able to attend video calls, so it might be important to look at setting up a Slack channel to stay connected.
Time Tracking Tools
If you do bill hourly, you should also make sure that you’ve got the right tools to manage every team member during working hours so that you don’t under or over-bill your clients.
Project Management Softwares
Project management tools and software like ClickUp and Monday.com are vital in ensuring everybody meets deadlines and has a clear idea of what’s due when.
Performance Metrics
A strong remote team knows exactly what’s expected on a monthly, weekly, and daily level as far as key performance indicators (KPIs) go. You should set regular (and realistic) KPIs for every team member so that you don’t fall behind.
Establishing Clear Channels Of Communication
Clear communication is the backbone of all remote companies. If you want your team to work remotely, you’ll need to make sure that you have super clear channels of communication.
A few things you can do are:
- Set up weekly meetings
- Have a regular 1-1 video chat with each employee to make sure they’re happy and completing work on schedule.
Look For Remote Team Building Activities
With all of the points above, you’ll set up a super strong team that’s fully remote. But you should also look at opportunities for team bonding.
These can be as simple as asking how everybody’s weekend was during weekly team meetings, sending care packages that everybody opens on a video call, adding a little bit extra to their paychecks for their internet bills, or just getting together at 4 PM on a Friday to have a drink and chat.
If you want to invite everybody to take part in a group yoga session, or play hangman once a week, you can do that too. Let your imagination run wild and come up with some fun ways to build team spirit!
Encourage People To Provide Feedback.
This point is so incredibly important for in-house teams as well as for those in a remote company. Encouraging your team members to give you open, honest feedback is great for:
- Building a great company culture
- Making your employees feel heard on a personal level
- Incorporating different perspectives
You can do this by creating an anonymous feedback survey, creating a suggestion box email, or having regular meetings that focus on feedback and internal processes.
Should I Start Looking At Building Remote Teams?
Thanks to COVID, the future of many businesses has become fully remote. If you want to cut costs, increase productivity, and access a wider pool of talent than ever before, it may be a great idea to focus on remote work.
With that being said, you’ll have to be willing to focus on all of the points above. If you don’t, you’ll quickly hit a snag.
If you do, though… You’ll find that your team’s output, retention, and overall communication goes through the roof!