Interview with a remote working expert

Petra Jankulovski, Offshore Staffing Solutions Consultant for Remote Staff spoke to us about her experience…

Firstly, tell us a little bit about yourself and your work!

My experience has been around helping businesses to improve their customer service processes.

What made you take the leap into consultancy for remote working companies?

A common concern with most SMEs was the lack of resources to hire high-quality customer service staff locally. Once I learned of this pain point, I started looking into offshore outsourcing and the remote work landscape.

What do you think is the biggest fear companies have about adopting remote working?

Most fears about remote work stem from a lack of trust. It’s the age-old question for control freaks everywhere:

“If I can’t see them at their desks, how will I know they’re actually working?”

People have an amazing ability to live down to low expectations. If you run your company with the conviction that everyone’s slacking off, your staff will put all their ingenuity into proving you right. If you view those who work under you as responsible adults who will push themselves to excel even when you’re not breathing down their necks, they’ll delight you in return.

If you’re struggling with trust issues with your employees, that just means you made a poor hiring decision. Either learn to trust the people you’re working with or find some other people to work with.

What do you think are the best benefits of remote working?

For employers, you get to cut costs, you get access to a much bigger talent pool, you can quickly and easily hire someone for one-time jobs, and you minimise physical office requirements.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in this area?

Convincing business owners who are used to going at it alone to leverage the rapidly expanding global workforce.

Remote workers can help them go from stressed-out, overworked entrepreneurs to radically transform their businesses and lives.

Is there anything you wish you could say about remote working? Or a story you’d like to tell?

Past generations have been bred on the idea that good work only happens from 9 am to 5 pm in offices around the city. They continue to resist the idea that it could be any different.

Newsflash: IT CAN AND IT WILL AND IT’S ALREADY HAPPENING!

The future belongs to those who get it. Do you think millennials, raised on social media and texting, will be sentimental about the old days of Monday morning boardroom meetings?

Remote working is the PRESENT and FUTURE of work.

What advice do you have?

For employers, always remember that your remote workers are people, not a program. Although you may never get to see them in person face-to-face, they still deserve the same respect you would give any human being. Treat them the same way you would treat your valued onsite employees.

If you’d like to talk to us about how to encourage remote working at your company, feel free to contact us.

If you’re looking to hire, speak to Petra!