Today, as the technology has improved, and costs keep rising, remote workers are being brought on more and more by all types of businesses. It has become an attractive opportunity for workers for work/life balance, as well as becoming a necessity for the changing business landscape. Today, we will look at the onboarding process of remote workers and the technology involved in making this work well.
Remote workers now are a massive part of the modern economy and are growing by the day. In fact some estimates suggest that we’re only a few years away from half of the workers that work full time will be remote workers. Up until today, one problem was that the technology that facilitates access to this new workforce didn’t allow for the type of oversight many business owners want to have over their staff. That said, it’s hard to argue with the overall cost reduction of having a remote staff.
Expertise
You’d think it would be cost, and that is a defining characteristic, but the number one consideration whether or not to onboard remote workers is definitely a lack of direct access to a specific expertise.
In a loose sense it’s a lot like the outsourcing we do here at ActiveCo! Essentially a person (or group, in our case) has a very specific expertise, and that skill-set is in demand. Having access to that type of expertise, even if the relationship is forged over the Internet, can really move your company’s initiatives ahead.However, having that expertize off-site can hinder the opportunity to teach others, as your team grows best when they are learning from one another.
This last statement makes team-building exercises even more important than ever, specifically ensuring that your remote team members are included. There may also be satellite offices in need of familiarity. Having them join these events, meetings, exercises, etc, can come at a cost but not doing them is ultimately working against you and your team.
Cost
It’s expensive to buy hardware and run networking, and rent a building, and power it, and heat/cool it, and all the other expenses most businesses roll into their monthly or quarterly budgets. By lowering capital costs (and operational costs), you’ll have more capital to reinvest in your business; or, you could take a vacation!
When you are able to see these remote individuals, it may often be during “executive time” for lack of a better term for your time. You may find yourself (as an owner) only able to engage with these team members by putting your own time on hold, or, in cases where you host an event or seminar, the entire company’s time.
How do you manage employee time & engagement? ActiveCo has tools that help. Verifying work engagement is a difficult task that can keep many business owners from hiring remote users, even if they feel it would be to the company’s benefit. Employee Engagement Software is a part of one of our custom software applications that may be worth a conversation. Interested for more details? Click Here.
Other Variables
Firstly, your new staff won’t cost you as much money, so you’ll have more capital that you can re-invest back into your business (and technology).
Secondly, your new staff will be happier. It’s been proven that people that have flexibility to work from home tend to be more engaged and hold a more positive opinion of their job.
Lastly, with the combination of saving money on commuting and other expenses, with their happiness of their job, employee turnover is reduced significantly.
Every business is looking for workers that can help take their business to the next level, and frequently, they are found (and are available) online. If you would like more information about onboarding your remote workers, or if you have any other business-IT-related questions, contact the IT professionals at COMPANYNAME today at PHONENUMBER.
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