For business owners, allowing employees to work remotely offers many benefits. As discussed in https://www.flexjobs.com/remote-work-increases-productivity/, remote workers can actually increase productivity, which can be hugely beneficial for any company. Remote working is popular with employees and offers them some flexibility. Employers also have the chance to hire the best candidates from anywhere in the world. As a result, it’s no surprise more and more companies are embracing the change and adopting remote working practices.
However, there is one concern any business owner contemplating a switch to remote working often experiences: communication. Having remote workers restricts the ability for staff members to discuss work, projects, and deadlines in-person. Many entrepreneurs suspect this may inhibit communication. If you have wanted to hire remote workers but have worried about this issue, here are a few solutions you should consider.
Directly introduce staff members to one another
In a conventional office environment, employees tend to naturally get to know one another. This is true even if they don’t work directly together. They have the chance to socialize over lunch, or simply learn one another’s names and job titles over the course of general chat. However, remote teams do not have this luxury. It’s helpful to take the time to ensure all staff members are introduced and familiar with one another’s job titles and roles. Ideally, these introductory sessions should be repeated every time you add a new team member. A simple live in-person or video conversation involving your entire staff should usually suffice in this regard.
Create a dedicated app
Apps are a great way to bring together the most crucial aspects of your business. This format is easy to use and can be accessible to all employees, regardless of their location. You could work with the companies such as Xibis, https://www.xibis.com/services/ios-app-development and create an app that allows employees to track project progress, discuss task-specific matters of importance with ease, or simply talk with one another about ongoing work. What’s more, all of this can be achieved without the need to rely on unpredictable third-party services. You can simply encourage employees to use your own app and be confident that all work-related discussions can be held effectively.
Set a “business time” to avoid deadline miscommunication
Deadline problems can exist in any company. They, however, more likely to occur if you’re working with a global staff who live in different time zones. For example, if an advertising manager living in the UK is waiting for a New York-based copywriter to finish a piece, they might request it be submitted “by 3 pm on Tuesday”. For the copywriter in New York, their idea of “3 pm on Tuesday” could be 8 pm on Tuesday for the advertising manager in the UK. By that time the advertising executive in the UK has long finished work for the day. Both employees neglected to consider the five-hour time difference.
To avoid this kind of confusion, it is usually best to set a “business time” that applies across the business. These are the core hours of the day, or evening, employees will work and communicate. For the sake of ease, it’s usually best to use your own time zone as the official “business time”.
If you have thought about hiring remote staff for your business, but have hesitated over concerns regarding communication, the ideas above could help to calm these concerns. This will allow your company to take part in the remote working revolution. Here’s to YOUR success!
Carolyn R. Owens has over 25 years of proven experience and serves as a Career Strategist, Leadership and Life Coach. She is the Chairwoman and CEO of Infinity Coaching, Inc. where they help you up-level your skills so you can up-level your income. Infinity Coaching, Inc. provides one-on-one and group coaching, organizational training, and personality assessments. Carolyn is certified to give both The Energy Leadership Index Assessment and Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Assessment. You can find out more about both assessments and other products and services at https://infinitycoaching.net.
