In the last decade, the remote workforce has experienced tremendous growth and it shows no signs of slowing. By 2016, 63 million workers -more than a third of the total workforce– are expected to be working remotely. Not only are more people working at least occasionally from home, but more companies are staffing entirely distributed teams.
Being a remote company comes with obvious benefits when it comes to growth: you can interview and hire anyone anywhere, which not only speeds up the hiring process but means you can recruit top talent all around the world. But it also comes with its unique set of challenges about which you need to be aware. Here is some advice to help distributed companies manage growth most effectively.
- Hire the right remote candidate.
Not every person well-suited for a job is also well-suited to take on that job remotely. Setting one’s own hours can be really exciting, especially to the first-time remote worker who is sick of the 9-5 office routine. However, you need to make sure that that excitement is also backed by a self-motivated work ethic. Some people thrive most when their boss is physically breathing down their neck; these aren’t going to make the best candidates for your remote company. You therefore need to screen for specific personality traits and drive. If you employ someone with the right skills but the wrong work ethic, you’ll have wasted money and time. Find the right remote candidate, and you’ll save those resources to invest in further growth.
- Set clear expectations.
Recall your first office experience: how many times did you employ the age-old advice of “faking it ‘till you make it” by taking cues from those around you? New hires –especially those new to working remotely– will undoubtedly be confused about how many hours to work and when they should be available, especially when communicating across timezones. Be clear about what methods of communication are preferred (video conferencing, skype calls, gchat, email) and how often you expect them to check-in.
- Have great communication channels.
Nothing can feel more frustrating than slow internet or a skype call that cuts out every thirty seconds. When this is not just for netflix but actually for your job, it can be that much more irksome, if not also debilitating for your productivity. As part of your onboarding process, make sure new hires are immediately clear on what technologies the company uses, how to test and strengthen your internet connection, and how the channels of communication operate within and between teams. This will save time, energy, and many headaches down the road.
- Err on over-communication.
On that note, make sure all employees know that questions are always welcome, and that there are plenty of resources and people willing to discuss anything. And this doesn’t just go for new hires. Hopefully, your employees are über dedicated to their work, but everyone needs to be reminded to take a breather here and there. One of the best parts of working remotely is that it affords people the opportunity to foster a better work-life balance, but when you have the opportunity to work whenever, sometimes people forget about the latter part of that equation. Checking in with each other often not only helps the bottom line, but it also helps remote workers stay productive in the long term. Make sure employees communicate with each other, not just to get the task at hand done, but also as a way to check-in and prevent burnout down the road.
- Grow a community, not just a company.
Entrepreneur Jay Shapiro argues that the watercooler is to blame for urbanization. What he means is that for so long, it was assumed that in order for people to produce good work, they must collaborate, and in order to collaborate, workers must be physically together. Cue the mass-migration to the city. Technology changes things– video conferencing and instant messaging makes collaboration worldwide a breeze. But there are other important aspects of the watercooler hangout that you need to foster as you grow your business. Put effort into making employees feel like their work is part of their identity, so much so that even if they aren’t physically around other employees, they feel pride in sharing the same outlook and goals. Employees who feel like they are part of a workplace community will be more productive in their work and more satisfied with company.
- Develop core values
One way to grow your community is by defining and consistently returning to your core values. Employees at all levels of the company should be able to talk confidently to anyone within or outside of the company about these values. They should help drive work at each level, helping employees establish priorities and relate every task to the bottom line. A shared commitment to these principles will keep the small-team feel in an expanding company and will promote a unique and positive company culture.
- Create opportunities to engage in person
While google hangouts and skype are great, it can be really nice to bounce ideas off of a co-worker over coffee or grab a beer together to unwind after a solo grind-session. Create community events for remote workers to meet up and socialize. If you’re workforce is completely distributed, chances are that at least some of your employees are using the opportunity to set their own schedule to also travel. While being in a new location is invigorating, it can also at times be lonely on the road and a company-organized meet-up can be a great way to connect with people.
In many ways, growing a remote company is like growing any other company: you have to find the right people, train them well, and make sure they feel welcome in their new positions. But with a remote company, the stakes are just that much higher – because it isn’t the norm to interact face-to-face, you must be more diligent with each of these steps.
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