linkedin.com/in/Akshay Desai 
Remote work opportunities are not only a fad of today but it is a fact of the future. Since the pandemic emerged, more enterprises are going remote and remote-first businesses are dependent upon remote employment to get a talented and driven workforce. Though remote working is progressive, it actually escalates both the positive and negative aspects of the enterprise’s working culture.
Some of the interesting remote work stats show:
- 16% of companies in the world are 100% remote.
- 77% of remote workers say they’re more productive when working from home.
- 74% of workers say that having the option to work remotely would make them less likely to leave a company.
- 85% of managers believe that having teams with remote workers will become the new norm.
Building excellent remote teams might seem to be a difficult task, but with proper understanding and correct tools, any enterprise can reap tons of benefits. Any enterprise opting for remote work opportunities must know a proven method and some great tips to hire, build, and manage a team of remote resources. Enterprises have found that remote work increases productivity and reduces their bottom line.
- 77% of remote employees say they’re more productive when working from home
- PayScale analyzed thousands of salaries and determined that remote workers make 8.3% more than non-remote workers with the same job and qualifications
- By offering more remote work options, Dell saved $12 million a year in office space costs.
Hiring remote resources is not an easy task. It gets even trickier when a company is hiring an entire team of remote designers, developers, and marketers based on merely resumes and few video interviews. Here are few qualities to look upon before hiring a remote team:
Hire the Right Resources
Proactive Resources
Be it designers or developers or marketers, companies must go for employees who are enthusiastic about working and bringing out their best in any project. The candidates must be willing to go for challenging tasks rather than just disinterestedly working upon them. Such candidates will be eager to ask questions, solve problems, learn the latest technologies, give ideas and suggestions, etc. A group of such similar-minded individuals can be hired to build a great remote team.
Responsible Resources
Secondly, go for such individuals who are ready to take responsibility. It is almost not possible to guess whether a candidate is responsible or not just from their resume. But asking questions about how they will plan the day, prioritize their tasks, make reports, deal with deadlines, meetings, etc can help a lot. Even if something goes wrong at the end of the day, the candidate must accept it and try to solve it as a part of his/her responsibility for the work.
Eager to push off their comfort zone
New technologies bounce up very frequently in the tech world. Enterprises must select candidates who are self-learners. They should be eager to adapt to new technologies. There are various new tools, prototypes, designs, coming to the market. A designer must have a passion for exploring and learning them. For developers, there are a lot of improved codes, and evolving technologies. Similarly, marketing trends are varying & emerging regularly. In such a scenario, remote resources must be enthusiastic about pushing off their comfort zones.
Hire Resources the Correct Way
On-site interviews are not possible in remote working opportunities. Enterprises can simply master the art of video interviewing and explore creative ways to highlight their company culture so the candidates can have a clear idea about the company and its goals from anywhere. Here are few tips for successful remote interviews:
“There has been a 67% increase in the use of video interviews from 2020 – 2021”
Employers must set clear expectations before hiring, ensure smooth onboarding experience and define roles as well as responsibilities of the remote team. The employers must also ensure high performance and secure smooth remote cooperation so that the remote team works just like an in-house team along with improved efficiency and productivity.
Onboard Remote Employees
A successful virtual onboarding experience is based upon two things: creating good communication and assisting new remote hires to set up with the technology they require.
‘88% of the enterprise don’t onboard well’
Confirm your new hires are set up for success
The enterprise can order necessary equipment, set up internal systems, provide various logins, and confirm the remote employee’s at-home space is ready before their first day.
Remote onboarding roadmap
The enterprise can also set clear expectations from new hires by providing them a detailed schedule of the work.
Schedule a virtual meet-and-greet with the wider team
Virtual Opportunities can be created to enable new employees to meet the entire team or company so they can begin to form team bonds.
Set up regular check-ins
Regular check-ins with the manager or team lead can be arranged to help new employees feel included. Enterprise can also encourage coworkers to set up and join get-to-know-you sessions.
Build a Successful Remote Team
From design, development to marketing, there are no golden rules to build a successful remote team. It requires consistent efforts and the most productive state of each team member towards their responsibilities.
Educate
The enterprise must ensure that each employee clearly knows their roles and responsibilities so they can be prepared for any deadlines and goals. The employees can be able to bring solutions to possible risks and manage them.
Engage
‘Disengaged employees cost US companies around $450-500 billion each year’ Employees will feel included and freely share their thoughts and concerns when they are encouraged. Companies can simply invite key team members to join strategic planning meetings, informal talks, conduct certain activities, and drive initiatives to engage their employees.
Inspire
Only 15% of employees worldwide feel motivated. Employees who feel heard are 4.6 times more likely to perform at their best. Employees need regular motivation, recognition and inspiration to perform better. Employers or team leads must inspire their employees to reach new heights in their career by learning the latest technologies. Every enterprise must offer various opportunities along with milestones, setting up right expectations and constantly pushing them to utilize their full potential.
Provide the Tools Your Team Needs
As there is a rapid shift towards remote work, remote employees are finding it difficult to manage and track everyday tasks, collaboration, productivity, employee happiness, etc. Moreover, remote employees should be provided with the necessary tools to help them work quicker and easier. The organization must ask and provide the employee with certain tools they lack. Some of the best tools to manage remote teams are:
Best Project Management Tools: Asana, Trello, Allthings
Remote Team Collaboration Tools For Designers: Figma, InVision
Tools To Measure Remote Team’s Productivity: TimeDoctor, Roadmap, Timely
Promote the Сulture of Mentoring & Innovation
Design, development, and marketing trends evolve constantly. It requires professionals who can develop continuously, enhance their expertise, and adapt quickly. Enterprises can escalate leadership and development inside their teams by promoting the culture of mentoring. Mentoring should not just be limited to junior/ new members but it should also include senior members. Every team member can learn from one another and mentor one another. Designers, developers, and digital marketers can continuously learn new skills, techniques, usages of tools, from one another and create a shared value for the enterprise.
Wrapping Up
Every enterprise can easily travel the road of remote work by adopting and implementing smart ideas. They can implement strategies, make correct use of various tools & technologies, build a productive remote team, manage the remote employees, and still be on the front-line. It’s all about accepting the new normal and challenging it with better and powerful strategies.
