In this time of #wfh and #stayhome, a lot of companies are having to adjust to moving their workforce to remote, and some have never offered those options before. In a recent study by Gartner, 74% of CFOs want staff to work from home permanently. We think it’s time to adjust not only to the social distancing rigor but also to embrace the advantages that the digital world and abundant remote-work resources could bring.

This could mean more freedom for your workforce, but also a financial benefit for the organization for not having to rent massive office spaces, not having to pay commuting stipends, not suffering employee loss of productivity due to car accidents that happen to and from work. Here are some practical tips for successfully managing a remote team in this quick overview of a more in-depth article/ebook from Mavenlink.

The Future of Work

The shift into remote work has highlighted the critical nature of embracing an online workforce. Thankfully, the digital age has already driven many businesses to set structures in place to support this change.

Remote work has altered nearly every aspect of business, and both employers and their workforces have been redefining how and where work gets done. Today, high-performing organizations operate more like empowered networks than traditional corporate hierarchies. And through all of this change, a new class of employee has emerged: the remote worker.

According to the Wall Street Journal, two-thirds of companies were allowing employees to work at home occasionally, and 38% allow some workers to do so regularly. Now, these rates are suddenly and drastically increasing and businesses are likely to experience more permanent shifts to remote work.

Once a company makes the decision to embrace remote work, they immediately break down the barriers to hiring talent within their geographic vicinity. Imagine if every time you hired, you hired the absolute best person for the role, regardless of where they were located. You would be able to recruit the best of the best. Expanding into other geographies diversifies thoughts and opinions—and diversity is a hallmark of the most innovative and successful companies.

While some are still debating the merits, we say remote work is not only needed right now, but is critical to sustained success. As such, you need a strategy. The following ebook will offer an analysis of the trends driving the need for remote work, as well as provide you with practical tips to successfully manage a remote team.

 

1. Why you need a remote work policy
   1. Remote work helps companies respond to sudden industry changes.
   2. Companies that offer remote work options are more attractive.
   3. Remote workers allow an organization to tap highly specialized skills.
   4. Work is increasingly project-based.
2. Tips for successfully managing a remote workforce
   1. Set expectations about communication.
   2. Share goals and successes.
   3. Meet face-to-face [although we don’t suggest this in the time of #covid19]
   4. Be proactive and impromptu.
   5. Get to know your team personally.
3. The role fo technology
   1. use tech to facilitate communication, collaboration, participation and completion of projects
   2. among the ones mentioned in the study: Slack, G-Suite, Dropbox, Google Hangouts, Mavenlink, Instagram.
   3. the ones that we would like to add: Asana, Skype for Business, Zoom, MeetEdgar, KanbanTool, TrackingTime
4. Conclusion: remote work is revolutionary.

Check out why, and how to make this transition easier, and permanent for most of your workforce in the full-length ebook/report done by Mavenlink.