by Tina Martin

Remote working used to be a cool perk offered by a handful of the most progressive companies, but it is now increasingly becoming the norm. This is especially the case in tech industries, which have always been at the forefront of new trends. Now, entrepreneurs and managers in all fields are changing the way they think about hiring and managing teams, with remote work at the forefront of their strategies.

Hiring Remotely

When you’re used to growing your team via traditional methods, it can be difficult to know where to begin with remote workers. Nowadays, you have several options when it comes to adding this arrangement to your team:

• Freelancer - The easiest way to start incorporating remote work into your business. Job boards that screen candidates make it easy to hire freelancers for a variety of roles, from graphic designer to virtual assistant. Freelancers are best for one-off or short-term projects.
• Semi-Remote Employee - According to Gallup, employee engagement is at its highest when there is a balance between remote and office working. Offering your most trusted staff some flexibility is a good way to ease yourself into remote managing.
• Fully Remote Employee - Finally, you can opt to hire someone who is fully remote. The biggest benefit of this is that you are not geographically limited - you can hire the best talent from anywhere in the world. On the other hand, you have to build a rapport from a distance.

Managing Remote Workers

The most important aspect of managing a successful remote team is communication. Without the constant face-to-face contact of office work, you need to find new ways to ensure your remote staff remains informed, motivated and connected to the team.

There is a plethora of very good online tools that have been designed to help teams collaborate remotely. These include Slack for chatting, Zoom for video conferencing, GitHub for software development, Trello for project management and Google Drive for file management, to name a few. You can also improve communication in smaller, simpler ways, by using a digital transcription service to transcribe video or audio from all your meetings, thereby ensuring your whole team is on the same page.

Remember that communication is not just about team productivity and workflow. You also need to make sure that you are actively combating burnout and loneliness. Research has shown that remote workers tend to overcompensate and work themselves to burnout, and that they also tend to feel lonely and isolated in their home offices. In order to avoid this, use your communication tools to check in regularly, have discussions about employee well-being, and, if possible, organize opportunities for the whole remote team to come together once in a while.

Best Industries For Remote Work

The list of jobs that can be fulfilled remotely is constantly growing, but certain sectors are more suited to it than others. Software and tech, for instance, is one of the best industries for this arrangement. Many of the top remote-oriented companies are in this area, mainly thanks to the fact that software development and similar work can be completed from anywhere.

That said, Business Insider points out many traditional industries have started to catch up, including legal, engineering, insurance and real estate. These industries saw an increase of over 50% in remote work in 2018. In other words, remote working is not just growing - it’s growing fast.

Before you go too far, it’s worth doing your homework when it comes to employment law. Freelancers and employees have different legal rights, and you want to make sure you are aware and compliant. Patriot Software explains there are important considerations relating to payroll and the application of company policies, and you might need to shift gears with fresh software solutions.

No one is saying that you should switch your entire operation to a remote one overnight. There are still many benefits to an office environment, both for the company and the worker. However, it is a smart move to start adapting to a remote style of work, even if you do so slowly. Start by hiring a freelancer for your next project or giving a handful of excellent employees more flexibility and, chances are, you will be delighted with the results.