Why Your Business Should Consider Hiring Remote Workers

Times they are a changin’, and long gone are the days of every business requiring a large, expensive-to-run office space to house all of its staff. Sure, there remains a purpose for offices; some organisations still need a central hub, and it is always beneficial to bring your teams together regularly to strategise and collaborate. However, now that technology has moved forward, communication can span buildings, towns, cities — even continents.

With the implementation of a company infrastructure that is designed to suit remote working, and processes that make productivity, communication, and assessment easy, you open up a number of opportunities for your business.

There is also a range of enabling tools and programs, such as instant messaging clients and video calling platforms, that mean you can keep in touch with staff no matter where they are. This opens the door to hiring skilled employees who work away from your organisation’s HQ.

Traditional business owners reading this might be wondering, “why should I change what I’ve done for years?” Good question — here’s just a few reasons that may satisfy your query:

Employ Anyone, Anywhere

Every job that involves the employee commuting to a set place of work is limited in scope. Only candidates from the local area, or who are willing to relocate, will apply for the role, immediately minimising the talent pool available to you. However, remote workers can be located in any town, city, or even country, which vastly increases the chances of you finding the perfect candidate for the job.

Reduce Your Overheads

From water and electric bills to rent and contents insurance, there are an array of costs and charges that organisations pay to run and maintain their office space. Although replacing two on-site employees with remote workers won’t see your costs drop too much, a larger-scale transition to a remote workforce could allow you to downsize to smaller, less-expensive premises. The reduction in rent will also be accompanied by decreasing running costs, further widening profit margins for your organisation.

Increase Productivity

Despite their prevalence as the working environment of choice for most businesses, offices are inherently disruptive and inefficient places to work. Constant interruptions caused by ringing phones and loud colleagues affect concentration and limit productivity. On the other hand, working remotely allows staff to find their environment of optimum productivity; maximising their output and improving the standard of their work.

Now you know how hiring remote workers can benefit your business, you want to know how to adapt, right? Well, with the implementation of a comprehensive yet simple infrastructure, you can start to make changes right away.

Some business owners are concerned about a lack of supervision and worry that staff may not flourish in an informal working environment. However, by utilising key performance indicators (KPIs), you are able to monitor the performance and productivity of remote employees to ensure they are earning their keep.

Key Challenges

The recruitment industry is geared towards having employees work on-premise. When you advertise your next role with an agency or online job board, you’ll quickly realise that you can’t choose a national search radius never mind global. Allowing people to apply through your website and advertising the position on social media will overcome these limiting boundaries.

Another worry for some organisations is a lack of interaction, but that can easily be negotiated by using technology. Schedule frequent video calls and meetings and be prepared to converse regularly using an instant messaging client to keep in touch. Remote workers generally over communicate with each other which helps keep everyone in touch with business activities.

At Eduprise, we implement scalable, easy-to-use infrastructures for multi-academy trusts, allowing them to deliver effective and engaging communications even as they grow. With our framework in place, MATs are able to multiply in size without having to worry that their marketing materials and both internal and external communications will not be able to cope with such rapid growth.