Remote Worker Insights: How to Hire, Manage, and Thrive

Remote work causes a range of reactions. Some employers believe that it is incredibly helpful. Others do not trust it. Since COVID-19, however, a lot of employers have tried remote work, and for many, the experience was positive despite the circumstances. We want to discuss what a remote worker is and what that means for you as a business. It should help you decide if you need remote workers.

Remote Worker: A Definition

Remote workers operate outside of the office. They can work in many different locations, from their homes to libraries to coffee shops. The important part is that they do not work at the employer’s office.

A remote work environment, in turn, is not just the physical location selected by the worker. It also includes all the infrastructure enabling this mode of work: for example, the relevant technology. Policies and rules that make remote work possible can also be considered part of the environment. 

There are tangible benefits to hiring remote workers. Let us consider a few main ones. 

Key Benefits

• Reduced costs. That is true for the employer and the worker. A client who employs a fully remote team does not have to rent any office space! Although even a partially remote team means a lot of savings on equipment and space. In addition, paying freelancers for work done on demand is generally cheaper than paying an employee with benefits. Although sometimes, remote workers are also employees. As for remote workers, they do not have to spend money on commuting or eating out, which is typically more expensive than eating at home. 
• Global talent. As a client who employs remote workers, you get access to talent globally. You are no longer limited by the people within the commuting distance from your office. That means you can hire the most suitable remote workers, which gives you an important competitive advantage. 
• Flexibility. Remote workers are often flexible in their hours and can be hired to provide services on demand. It is not true for all remote workers; for example, remote employees do have regular shifts. But overall, you can manage a team of remote workers with greater flexibility. You can also employ remote workers to scale your activity. For example, if you are rapidly growing, your in-house team might outsource some duties to remote workers. It is easier to avoid being under- or overstaffed as a result.
• Productivity. As reported by Forbes, remote workers are more productive, although depending on the source, it might not be by a lot. Still, even 5% more productivity is an advantage!
• Happier employees. Remote employees are evidenced to be happier than those working from the office. It might be because of the comfortable environment. 

People are more productive working from home than people would have expected.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO

Main Disadvantages 

• A different mode of communication. After all, communication through technical means is often considered less effective than face-to-face discussions. However, as your team gets used to the technology, this issue should become less of a problem. 
• Technology issues. Such problems can be prominent in the office as well! But for remote teams, a technical issue can disable one’s contributions for the day. Fortunately, it is not common for many workers to have such issues at once when they are geographically dispersed. 
• Geographical and cultural differences. When a team is global, it is often even more diverse than a local one. That means you need to be especially knowledgeable about cultural differences and train your employees to be culturally sensitive as well.
• Less control. You cannot directly supervise and check what your employees are doing in person. However, there are solutions (in particular, time tracking services).
• Local legislation and taxes. To hire a person from another country, you or your HR manager need to be aware of local regulations. You can also outsource that part of your operations. In addition, certain types of remote workers pay their taxes on their own.
• Reduced interactions. It is especially true for completely remote teams. If people interact only for work, they may struggle to form bonds the way they would visiting an office regularly. That can reduce the team’s cohesion and the loyalty of the individuals within it. Team-building activities can help improve that. However, remote employees are also shown to have stronger commitment, which means that this issue might not arise.

Disadvantages for Individuals

• Issues with loneliness. Due to the reduced communication, your remote workers can struggle with loneliness. You can combat that by using team-building activities. Face-to-face meetings can also be helpful.
• Work-life balance issues. Sometimes, remote workers find it difficult to draw a line between working hours and free time. They always feel on call. That issue can be solved through different measures like specific schedules and respect for the workers’ free time.

Overall, there are downsides to remote work, but they can be generally mitigated with proper management. 

Remote Worker Types

There exist a few types of remote workers. Their differences range from small to quite substantial. When hiring a remote worker, make sure to know what type of worker you need. 

Freelancers

This type of remote worker works for themselves. They are not your employees. You only hire them to perform a task or a series of tasks. An example is writing articles for your blog. A freelancer is paid only for the service or product they provide, and they do not have benefits. They are a good, cost-effective option. They are especially useful if you have a one-time task that your team cannot handle.

Freelancers can be found on freelancing platforms, like Insolvo. They can also be contacted personally if you find their websites online or get a recommendation. However, platforms are generally the safer option because they typically guarantee the result or a refund.

Note that freelancers typically have multiple clients at once. That may affect their availability.

Contractors

Contractors have a contract with you, determining the scope of their work, remuneration, and the timeline of their employment. However, they are not permanent employees; in fact, they are often self-employed like freelancers or have a company of their own. Usually, you hire them for a fixed period of time to solve a particular issue. For example, a contractor might develop a website for you. Depending on the country and the specifics of your contract, contractors might be eligible for benefits. This type of remote worker is the middle ground between a freelancer and an employee.

Choosing this mode of work can help to avoid hiring. That is very helpful for foreign tax management as the contractors pay their own taxes. They come with greater commitment than a freelancer (on their part) but fewer responsibilities than an employee (for you as the client). Contractors can have multiple clients. The contract can be renewed if you like working with a particular contractor. Contractors usually receive greater pay than employees, but they are often not eligible for benefits employees have.

Full-Time Remote Employees

These are just employees who work somewhere other than the office. They are a long-term part of your team, and they usually work only for you. Employees have a set schedule (unless you make it flexible) and get paid regularly. They are also typically eligible for benefits like sick pay. Depending on your country, that might mean more or less responsibility on your side. You will be saving on office space and equipment if you have a remote team. 

Keep in mind that some remote workers may require help and funding for their workplace. Providing laptops or paying for the Internet connection and other software and equipment can also be a good way of ensuring that your employees have a workplace that can satisfy job requirements. It reduces the advantages of remote work somewhat. Still, it can be worth it to provide your workers with all they need to bring you results. This approach to providing equipment is rarely applied to freelancers or contractors.

The main issue of remote employment is communication. You have a variety of tools to enable it, but it might not be the same as face-to-face communication at the office. It is also more difficult to create a feeling of belonging in remote employees. However, you can always help that with team-building exercises. 

Virtual Assistants

Virtual Assistants (VAs) assist with the everyday activities of a business. VAs can be lifesavers for small businesses that need help with administrative tasks. Think bookkeeping, scheduling, and in some instances, even social media management. This work is ongoing, so the working relationship in this case is more long-term. A VA can be a freelancer or an employee.

Sometimes, a business needs more than one VA. In that case, a team of VAs can be hired. They will provide support in numerous fields. They will also make sure that you always have a VA to rely on, even if one VA is unavailable. This option is very helpful in case you need scalability. 

Remote Worker Tools

There are drawbacks and limitations to remote work. It can be considered challenging. However, there exist tools which help to deal with all those issues. Here are the key instruments that can make your remote team experience better.

• Communication tools. These should be the first priority of any person looking to hire remote workers. Fortunately, there are a lot of communication solutions for global teams. Examples include Slack and Teams, as well as Zoom and Google Meet. They enable day-to-day communication and meetings, which makes them indispensable for remote teams.
• Task management. Task management services help a team to monitor their tasks. An example is Asana — it allows assigning and keeping track of tasks and their completion. When you do not have a lot of employees, it might be excessive. But it helps a lot when there are many moving parts.
• Collaborative tools. Nowadays, there exist tools that enable teams to work on one project in real time from different corners of the world. For example, Google Docs allow this sort of collaboration. The regularly updated files also make sure that your workers are not in danger of poring over an outdated file. Figma also allows real-time collaboration. Such tools are very useful for remote teams.
• Time tracking. Some tools (for example, Time Doctor and TopTracker) can check and record the time workers spend on their tasks. Use them to calculate remuneration if you pay per hour. It is a very convenient way to organize work and ensure accountability. Note that some employees feel like time tracking is invasive! Make sure to be upfront about wanting to use this software during the hiring process.

Remote Worker Recommendations 

Despite the helpful tools and advantages of remote work, there are certain challenges to managing such a team. Those are typically different from the issues of a regular team, managing which is already challenging. Here are a few recommendations on how to make the process easier.

• Good communication. You might have all the right tools, but if you cannot use them effectively, they can only do so much. Learn to use the communication channels of your company.
• Clarity from the very beginning. Be clear with your workers about everything, from tasks to their salary. They should be able to ask you things that were not that clear as well, so make sure you are approachable. 
• Do not forget about feedback! In many cases, remote employees are likely to keep working for you. So make sure that they understand what you want from them.
• Build relationships. So that remote workers do not feel like they are excluded from corporate life, work on your relationships with them. Help them build relationships with other workers as well! Team-building activities should help. Similarly useful are “watercooler” channels on your preferred messaging tool. Let employees discuss their lives through such channels. Make sure that the workers are engaged and motivated. 
• Promote a healthy work-life balance. Do not demand that a person is always on call unless it is absolutely necessary. Establish schedules with time off. Determine reasonable deadlines. Take care of your workers so that they can take care of your business.

Hiring a remote worker is a serious decision. Look into the ways of making the experience as positive as possible for both you and the worker.

In Conclusion

Overall, the advantages of hiring a remote worker include reduced costs, increased productivity, greater worker satisfaction and flexibility, as well as access to global talent. There are drawbacks too, including means of communication, miscommunications, and having to study the legislation of other countries if you are trying to hire someone from them. Remote workers include freelancers, contractors, and employees. VAs can be freelancers or employees. You are most responsible for your employees and least responsible for freelancers. However, it is good practice to use special tools and management techniques to make the experience of working with you as nice as possible for any remote worker.