Remote workers changed my small business
And five things I learned in the process
Two years ago, we were a “normal” company, with everyone working from a central location. Today, 50 percent of our team works remotely. What happened? Simply, we examined our operation and asked a tough question: “if all options were on the table, what changes could we make that would increase the creative output of our employees?”
I was not prepared for the dynamics this transition would introduce to our operation. Building a remote workforce has changed our culture, mostly for the better. It has boosted our efficiency, and it has created friction. It has positioned us for success, and it has tossed us some challenges.
Here are a few things I have learned thus far:
1) Remote work can work.
For a small business owner whose work ethic has always demanded “nose-to-the-grindstone” focus, I have been delighted to see our remote worker experiment unfold with relative success. It has been better for our clients to have someone in closer proximity to their operations, and the flexibility of working remotely has in general made our remote workers happier and more productive.
2) Top talent will notice.
When we added the phrase “remote working environment” to our most recent job listing, the quality of resumes coming in increased significantly. Removing the requirement of a daily physical presence, we were able to dip into a pool of top talent across the Southeast. Of the leading candidates, none of them would have applied if the job had required them to be on location, every day, at our office.
3) Integration must be intentional.
We didn’t realize it at the beginning, but we created two sets of employees when we added remote workers. Your remotes are not contractors. They are not vendors. They are employees, and you must work to integrate them into the team. At the same time, you must be certain your office-based employees understand the big picture and don’t feel as if others are receiving special treatment.
As hard as you try to build team cohesion, the differences between those who come into the office and those who don’t will be obvious — and your office-based employees will likely start thinking about how their jobs can be handled remotely, too. This is not a bad thing, but it raises questions that will have to be addressed in a way that the business can still function efficiently. After all, there will always be location-specific tasks to running a business, and someone has to handle those. There has to be “a place.” Mail has to arrive somewhere, UPS and FedEx need an address for deliveries, certain files and supplies must be centralized, etc.
4) The toolshed must be properly equipped.
The right tools are absolutely essential to building and managing a remote workforce. Online discussion, project management and collaboration tools are the engines behind an efficient and productive remote operation.
5) The system is the key.
Having the right tools is only part of the solution. The challenge is to build a system around those tools wherein every employee (no matter where he or she works) is using the tools in the same way to get the job done. Templates, lists and workflow outlines do not stifle creativity — they create an environment that allows creative workers to do their best work, free of the constraints of procedural ambiguity.
Building and managing a remote workforce (in whole, or as part of a hybrid staff) is something that small business owners must learn how to do. I believe that “a tipping point for remote work is coming,” as Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson write in their new book Remote.
If you own a small business and have not grappled with this issue yet, prepare yourself because it’s coming — especially if yours is a professional services company and does not rely on foot traffic. Creating a remote workforce presents challenges that must be addressed head on; fortunately, we are living in an age where it can also help you attract top talent, keep that talent happy and engaged, and provide the best service possible to your clients.
Does your small business employ remote workers? Comment to share what you’ve learned.
