The government completely disrupted business when it shut down the economy trying to control the spread of COVID-19, but the private sector adapted, decentralized, and found a whole new normal.
Remote working—one of the few productive results of the lockouts—is here to stay and more businesses are opting into the connected workplace.
Employers are realizing benefits from remote work that include increased productivity, reduction in overhead expenses such as rent, utilities and office supplies, business continuity in the event of unforeseen emergencies. Employees find working-from-wherever leads to an improved work-life balance, flexibility, and autonomy.
The key to making it all work, of course, is a strong communication strategy that ensures all members of the team have access to the tools to support productive employee interaction and understand their contribution to the company’s goals and daily routines.
Some things to remember when starting a remote business or extending the “work-from-home” opportunities for employees include:
- Invest in the right tools and technology
A successful de-centralized workforce needs access to stable video conferencing platforms, project management software, and cloud-based file sharing. Just having the right tech isn’t sufficient; employees need to be trained on how to use it safely and effectively.
That means employers must prioritize cybersecurity. Connected devices are vulnerable to cyberthreats, and anything that gets inside the VPN or firewall can quickly spread to all other devices. So, establish strong security measures, and ensure your employees understand that their compliance is critical to protecting your business and clients.
If you’re in an office and something goes wrong, you have all your colleagues around you and an IT team around the corner ready to help you out with whatever issue arises. Though you can have this same service remotely, making sure you have good tech in the first place can reduce the number of problems you face altogether.
Investing in technology and cybersecurity is just that, an investment. The upfront costs, however, has the potential to cut costs significantly.
Though it might cost more, just think about all the money that you save thanks to working from home.
- Invest in IT support
Technology is great when it works, but if something can go wrong, it will. And when it does, it can shut down the entire remote operation.
Having a good remote IT team or service provider can be all you need in this case. Businesses like bridgehampton provide great services built for the modern world and a modern way of working.
- Hire the right people
People got used to working from home during the COVID lockouts, and remote, hybrid, and in-office options is an excellent tool for recruiting, hiring, and retaining top talent.
Still, it is important to develop a daily routine that works for your team. This will help to keep everyone on track and promote productivity.
Though many people might take a position with you, even if they don’t like working from home, they may not be working to their best ability when on the job. Hiring like-minded people with a positive view of remote working can make a difference in this type of business.
- Create a strong company culture
This is undoubtedly one of the most important things to have when it comes to starting your own remote business.
Part of that involves ensure that all team members—regardless of where they are working—have a clear understanding of their roles, responsibilities, and deadlines. An equally important part of a establishing a teamwork mindset is social interaction and team building, so encourage employees to invest some of their time in those activities.
Be flexible—not so much that you lose control of your virtual workplace—but sufficiently that you give your team to synch with your company’s WFH policies and procedures and develop a rhythm that accommodates all the members’ needs.
Starting a new business can be exciting and daunting. There are so many elements to think of and a lot to consider. This is more the case when starting a fully remote business though, as there are certain things you need to have in place if you want it to be a success.