Remote work has become increasingly common as businesses realize that they can enjoy increased productivity without significant costs. Businesses that have traditionally had employees based in an office are beginning to hire virtual workers to help alleviate some of the stresses of running a large company.
But what is a remote team?
A remote team is a team of employees that work together but from different locations. The employees may be based in different countries or even different cities.
What are the benefits of hiring a remote team?
A high productivity
A remote team is able to increase overall productivity by working from multiple locations. This is particularly important for employees who are traveling a lot.
Reduced costs
By hiring employees from other countries, you are able to save money. This is particularly important for businesses that operate globally.
Increased flexibility
A remote team gives you the flexibility to hire employees for shorter or longer periods of time. This allows you to hire employees for projects which require more staff for a shorter period of time.
Access to talent
You are able to hire employees who have worked on large projects before. This means that you are able to get specialist employees in fields that you may not have access to locally.
Improved morale
A remote team allows employees to give their full attention to each task. This is about focusing on the task at hand.
Does remote teamwork?
This is the question. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question. There are a number of key factors which will determine the success of your remote team.
geographic region
The geographic location of the employees is an important consideration. If an employee is in a foreign country, then there may be language barriers that would limit their productivity.
time zone
The time zone of the employees is also an important consideration. If an employee is in Asia, then they may have to work with different deadlines than their US-based colleagues.
communication technology
Businesses that operate in a global economy use a multitude of different communication technologies. These technologies allow employees to communicate in different ways.
Often, employees use a combination of technologies. Some use instant messaging such as Skype or Slack, others use video conferencing such as Google Hangouts or Skype, and others use voice calling such as Skype, Google Hangout, or FaceTime.
It is important to choose communication technology that works well for the specific team. This will avoid misunderstandings and ensure productivity.
Collaboration
A remote team requires a different level of collaboration than a traditional office-based team. A remote team requires constant communication. Frequently, this means that communication has to be scheduled in advance.
At the same time, remote teams require a high level of trust in each other. This is necessary because employees work across multiple locations and sometimes this requires them to work different hours.
To effectively collaborate, both members of the team must be on the same page. This means that both members of every team must communicate regularly to ensure that work is completed.
Managing a remote team
Virtually managing and hiring a remote team is very hard and in this fast-paced world, there is global hr management software to help with compliant hiring, managing, and payroll of remote teams that can be located anywhere in the world.
And one of the challenges for managers of a remote team is managing employees across multiple time zones. If a manager fires off an email at 2 am, it is unlikely that the recipient will be able to respond.
It is important to be responsive. This means that if an employee approaches you with a problem, you should be responsive to ensure that the problem can be resolved quickly.
It is also a good idea to make sure that you are responsive when it comes to feedback. If an employee is working on something, and they feel that they are not producing the desired result, it is important to listen to them.
It is also important to remember that your team is working for you. As an employer, you need to spend time and effort to ensure your employees are productive and happy.
