In the digital age, hiring remote workers has become increasingly more common. Whether you’re saving overhead on office space or simply looking at a wider pool of talent to find the right fit, hiring employees in other parts of the country (or even world!) can be a great solution for your business. However, working with remote staff also comes with these unique challenges. Follow these tips for working with remote staff members to set you and your team up for success, regardless of where in the world you are completing your tasks.
Make the Best of Time Zone Differences
When asked about your reservations regarding hiring remote staff, one of the first things that may come to mind is the difficulties of working in multiple time zones. However, this can actually benefit your business, as you have more “open” hours for your business, and tasks can be completed by your staff when you are not “at work.”
When working with employees in different time zones, you’ll want to make sure that you leave instructions and directives on what needs to get done in the time period when your workers are “in office,” but your office hours are closed. Making sure that each team member knows what needs to be accomplished minimizes wasted time as well as emails and calls that you have to take outside of normal working hours, and maximizes the productivity of your team!
However, it is also essential to have some office hours that overlap for team meetings, calls with clients, and for quick and efficient communication. A good rule of thumb is to make sure that you and each of your staff members have at least a few hours each day where you are both working.
Communication is Key
When working with remote staff members, communication is key. You’ll want to make your expectations for projects and tasks as clear as possible so that there is no room for misinterpretation.
Holding meetings often can help to curb any miscommunication that does occur and get projects on the right track before errors become too big to handle. You can also use an online chat system to communicate with your employees. This ensures that you are able to have discussions quickly, but also keep everything on the written record for your reference later.
You’ll also want to make use of an online project management software to track progress on your staff’s work, share relevant files, and give feedback for revisions.
Value Your Remote Staff
According to Accounting Web, when you’re not interacting with every staff member face-to-face each day, it can be easy to undervalue their work. Remember that your remote employees are just as valuable as your in-person team, and you should treat both equally! Avoid thinking of your remote workers as a temporary solution or replaceable; instead, focus on building connection, helping them improve as individuals as well as a part of your business, and fostering a team environment!
Hiring remote staff has many benefits, from being able to find the right niche experts when they might not exist in your local pool of talent, to having more open hours for your business. Communication with your team, valuing their work, and making the most of your different schedules will help you to use them to your best advantage and will strengthen your business immeasurably.
