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Want a Fully Remote Company? Read This First.

Want a Fully Remote Company? Read This First.

Remote staffing can be a smart, cost-effective choice, especially for rapidly growing companies. 

Fewer infrastructure costs, access to more talent, and expedited scaling are just a few of the benefits that fully remote companies enjoy.

And I should know: Bolton's own leadership team is 100% remote. With managers in Singapore, the U.S., and the Pacific, and an operations team located in our Manila HQ, we’re familiar with the advantages — and the challenges — of the remote model. 

Here are a few key factors to consider if you want to take your business fully remote:

Hiring for a remote company

Remote staffing expands your talent pool — you can hire employees from pretty much anywhere — but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.  

In addition to who you hire, you’ll also need to consider where you hire. Some markets are more cost-effective than others, and have high concentrations of in-demand skilled resources like developers, engineers, and customer support professionals. In some cases, building centralized teams in remote locations is a better strategy than going fully remote. 

You will also need to look for qualities that make for a great remote team members, like: 

  • Communication skills
  • Problem-solving skills
  • Familiarity with your tech stack 
  • Self-motivation
  • Previous experience working remotely 

Onboarding remote employees

A solid onboarding process makes new remote employees feel welcome and valued, and prepares them for success in their roles. 

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), onboarding is more important than many people realize. Companies with standardized onboarding processes experience 50% greater new-hire productivity, and employees who go through a structured onboarding program are 58% more likely to still be with the organization after three years.

New hires who go through a standardized, structured onboarding process are…

58% more likely to stay with the organization for at least 3 years2

And 50% more productive

1

Source: SHRM 

For remote workers, onboarding is even more vital. Give your remote employees what they need to succeed from the beginning by creating a robust onboarding process that establishes connections with remote workers and makes them feel like part of a team.

Also, if you're working with a partner to hire dedicated remote resources, make sure they work with you to develop custom onboarding processes, rather than forcing you into a one-size-fits-all model. 

Fully remote team management 

An effective onboarding process is a good start, but continuing to manage your remote employees post-onboarding is the key to continued success.

One of the most important aspects of remote team management is communication. If your remote employees feel like leadership is difficult to reach, that will negatively impact productivity, trust, and morale. In my experience, one of the most common complaints from remote employees is that they feel like they’ve been “ghosted” by their managers. 

Implement a streamlined system of communication and adhere to it, using platforms like Slack and Zoom to help keep everyone in the loop.

If your team spans multiple time zones like ours does, coordinate working hours as much as possible so there are windows of overlap. You can use apps like Spacetime to keep track of who will be online when, so you can easily schedule meetings for times when everyone can attend.

Establish performance metrics based on clear goals and expectations so you can keep track of your team’s progress and make course corrections as needed.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to have some fun! Part of building a great company culture for remote employees is creating a positive social atmosphere, whether that’s through company retreats, celebrations, or weekly video chats.

Over to you

There are certainly challenges that come along with setting up fully remote teams. But with the right strategies for hiring, onboarding, and management, you’ll end up with fantastic employees that are well worth the extra effort.

When you’re thoughtful about these elements, a remote company can still create a bond among teammates and offer fulfilment for everyone involved.

 

Talk with a growth expert about scaling your business.

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