5 Ways to Recruit and Manage a Powerhouse Remote Team
Even before the separation and isolation caused by COVID-19, the workforce was trending more and more toward virtual. Five million Americans worked remotely at least half the time in 2018, said Global Workplace Analytics, and that number is projected to skyrocket by 2025. So what may feel like a temporary situation right now could easily turn into a standard way of business for both companies and professionals.
So how do you tackle managing the virtual team? How do projects get completed when everyone is remote? How do you know people are working if you can’t peek out at them every once in a while? Putting together a productive remote team takes almost as much finesse as managing them. Many of the experienced virtual assistants at The Hour have helped small business owners go virtual and excel. Here are some of their best tips for creating, sustaining, and empowering virtual teams.
Be sure you know your legalese.
Are your teams made up of contractors, employees, or a blend of both? Did you put up any collateral or capital to fund your business startup? Are your private and professional assets separate and safe? You need to know the answers to these questions and their impact on your financial stability. One of the first ways to nail down your legality is to form an LLC. If you are already bogged down by paperwork, don’t let that prevent you from protecting yourself and your assets. You can hire a lawyer or a formation company to handle the filing for you — the latter being the more cost-effective option.
Create an onboarding class.
Even your contractors will need to have access to some software and an understanding of your company’s cultural norms. Creating a video onboarding class can help get them set up and familiar with the project management tools, communication platforms, and document editing software they will need to use. You can even hire a virtual human resources professional to create the whole package.
Establish regular “office hours.”
The virtual world is a godsend to people who need a flexible schedule, and it also helps gig economy professionals balance multiple workloads. But there is a need for some working norms around communication and time in the office. This could be an agreed-upon daily window where people can schedule meetings. It could be through video conferencing. It could even be framed as blackout times — days and hours where it is not okay to communicate.
Hire the right professionals.
With the wide range of possibilities from the gig economy, you can hire virtual professionals for assistants, recruitment, data entry, marketing, social media and web design, reception, e-commerce assistance, accounting, and more. You don’t need to settle for one person lacking some of these essential skills. Using recruitment firms like The Hour can connect you right away to a skilled, quality virtual professional for project-based, hourly, or retainer work.
Excite everyone about your business goals.
Nothing produces successful businesses like empowered teams. The people working for you — no matter the distance — really need to believe in what you do and buy into its importance. Help everyone feel personally accountable for each success, or step toward success. Consider team-building activities to keep everyone collaborating well and supporting each other.
Small businesses benefit from specialization — your product or service is specialized and your one-on-one customer care is specialized. You need a remote team filled with competent professionals — it can make or break your business success. If you want to hire the best of the best for full-time, part-time, contract, or hourly work, learn more about how The Hour can help supplement your personnel needs. Reach out to request a consultation — 1-888-505-6485.