When COVID hit and spread across the world causing the pandemic that is still ongoing, many businesses had to shut their doors. There were enforced lockdowns and non-essential businesses were not allowed to open. Many companies chose to test out remote working during these periods to try and continue operating as normally as possible.
For many workers and businesses, the experiment proved successful and a great deal of them are continuing to work this way. Other businesses that are only starting up now are also exploring remote working options.
Clearly, many employment positions wouldn’t allow this type of working method, but there are plenty that do, and this is changing the employment and business landscape in many industries.
Why Should Businesses Use Remote Workers?
There are plenty of benefits to businesses and their employees in working this way and perhaps surprisingly, the environment wins too. When enforced confinements were put into place in different countries, there were much fewer people commuting to work, therefore there were also much fewer car emissions.
Studies show that there was a temporary reduction in global CO2 emission during the Covid lockdowns, and this could perhaps be replicated to a certain degree by increasing the number of remote workers.
Workers themselves get to spend less time on trains, buses, or in cars. Remote working also offers the chance for more quality time and less waste on travel.
The Benefits of Remote Working for the Employee
Depending on how the worker is employed, they may gain a number of benefits from choosing this type of work. Remote working doesn’t always mean performing work tasks from home. A business could employ a team of remote workers in another country, and those employees may still need to travel to an office.
However, in general, remote workers may benefit from the following:
- Less travel time
- More flexible work hours (perhaps based around core hours)
- More time for themselves and their family
- Less expenditure – lunches, travel, office attire
- Possible health benefits – less chance of catching colds, etc. on public transport or in the office
There are also some negatives including less social or human interaction with teammates. However, many remote workers have stated that they prefer this way of working.
Benefits of Remote Working for Businesses
One of the biggest benefits is cost savings, and these can be far and wide. Less office space is needed and this is now visible as more empty offices are appearing.
The City of London is planning to turn offices into homes post-Covid, and New York and other cities are doing the same as more empty spaces open up. Remote working could go some way to helping with the housing crisis facing many countries and cities.
Businesses can benefit from workers who are happier and more alert. An employee who hasn’t traveled an hour or more into work on a cramped bus, followed by a train, and then the subway, with a hurried walk after, is likely to feel more refreshed and ready to work.
If a business decides to set up remote teams in other countries then there will be different benefits available.
Building a Remote Team that Works
Some companies have spotted a way to help other businesses with their remote working needs. If a business was new to this way of working they would need to know how to successfully manage a remote working team, and this learning curve could take time.
However, a business could use the experience and tools of an outsourcing recruitment company instead. These firms listen to their client’s needs, find suitable employees, and then put together a team that will match the standards that the client expects.
The team will operate from a location overseas and be monitored by the firm you choose to run the team. They will mentor the staff, pay them, and arrange health insurance, and social security deductions. They also organize social events and have employee retention programs to encourage a longer working relationship.
Where Are These Remote Team Builders Based?
Often they may be found in Southeast Asia in countries such as the Philippines where English is spoken widely and to a very high standard. The benefit of operating from the Philippines is that the country is only two hours ahead of Australia, and the costs of operating a business are lower.
The cost benefits are passed on to the client and, on average, a firm that decides to use a company to put together a remote team may save over 25,000 AUD per employee. In a time where COVID has seen thousands of businesses hit the wall, any cost-saving a company can make, without a drop in quality, should be looked at.
The full benefits and the way outsourcing recruitment firms work can be found by clicking on https://www.delonixteams.com/ and there is more information available on the net too.
What Types of Workers Could Be Found?
Of course, there is no point in trying to build a remote team if the recruitment company cannot find staff to match your requirements. Typically, a good outsourcing company will already have hundreds of employees and may be able to find someone in their offices to assist with your needs.
If they don’t have anyone available then they will recruit locally to find the best match for their operation and yours so everything aligns correctly. When it comes to the type of staff employed remotely there isn’t a one hat fits all approach, but typically you might see some of the following:
- Graphic designers
- Web developers and coders
- Virtual assistants
- Appointment setters
- Accountants and bookkeepers
- Sales representatives
- Social media marketers
- Customer support
If you had different requirements, then the company would advertise that position and recruit for you.
Where Will Your New Employee or Team Operate?
One of the reasons that this new style of working has attracted outsourcing companies is that working from home doesn’t always work.
Imagine that you had five employees managing your social media platforms, customer service, general admin, and digital marketing. These five people are all working from their respective homes which means it can be difficult to keep track of progress and communication between your team can sometimes be difficult.
There are many tools that you could use to set up and track remote work, and these include time-management tools and the like. However, as many have found, successfully managing remote workers can be tiring and not always effective. By using a company to build a team, you would then have them all together in one place.
A single employee would have their own workspace in a shared office environment, but a team could occupy their own private office. Team communication would improve, their team bonding would benefit you, and you know where everyone is.
Summary
Remote working surged in popularity during the pandemic and it shows no signs of going away. But that doesn’t mean the best option is to have employees working from home.
Setting up a remote team means that a business would gain many of the benefits of home workers but lose some of the disadvantages. Expensive office space in Australia, America, or the UK wouldn’t be needed, and you would still have excellent communication with your team, despite them being in another country.
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