Many business owners were skeptical about remote teams. I mean, how can you measure the productivity of your employees when you can’t even see them? How do you ensure that they’re actually doing the work?
Then 2020 happened, and we had no choice. The COVID-19 pandemic essentially forced the majority of us to work at home. Most managers ended up embracing what used to be a foreign concept: managing distributed teams.
More than a year later, many businesses have managed to survive, largely due to the flexibility and productivity brought by remote working. However, myths about remote teams continue to abound despite these.
So, if you’re still unsure about hiring a remote team and adapting the WFH model for your business because of some assumptions, read on and find out if they actually hold water:
Myth 1: Remote teams are unproductive.
This is what most managers and business owners get wrong. Majority automatically equates physical absence with zero productivity. However, the pandemic proved that this isn’t true at all. Many workers still kept many businesses running despite working from home.
Besides, there are many kinds of software and online tools that you can use to monitor your staff’s progress. Hence, you can still supervise your remote staff accountable even if you can’t do so in person. You just need to find the right platform that suits yours and your remote team’s needs.
Myth 2: Remote workers lack skills.
Employers tend to value WFH employees less than their office-bound counterparts. It could be due to their lack of visibility or because they tend to thrive in a more informal set-up. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.
On the contrary, many remote workers can actually be even more productive. Working from home means you have to supervise yourself, and those who thrive are usually self-starters or highly-disciplined creatives. It’s no surprise then that there are many brilliant writers and graphic artists who prefer to work remotely.
Also, as an entrepreneur, you want the best people on your team. Why limit yourself to the best talent in your city or neighborhood when outsourcing allows you to expand your reach to other countries?
Myth 3: Qualified remote workers are hard to find.
Sure, maybe in the 90’s. But it’s 2021, and we’re now living in a highly globalised world. Technology and innovation have also come a long way since.
For instance, there are many platforms for sourcing remote talents online. There’s LinkedIn, onlinejobs, Remote Staff *wink*wink,* and so on. Any of them can enable reaching out to prospects quite easily.
Aside from online platforms, you can also ask for referrals from your social media network.
In a nutshell, highly-qualified remote workers are everywhere. You just need to know where to start looking.
Myth 4: Remote teams are difficult to manage.
Managing people will always be a challenge, especially when they’re thousands of miles away. However, it’s highly possible to manage remote teams efficiently and effectively with all the right strategies.
For example, you can use a messaging app like Slack to communicate with your staff both asynchronously and in real time. Project management applications like Trello and Basecamp, on the other hand, can help you keep track of your team’s progress and deadlines.
Also, focusing on your team’s actual results and performance will get you farther than fixating on outdated metrics like the actual amount of hours worked, for instance. Automate what you don’t need to monitor personally to make the most out of your distributed team.
Myth 5: Remote functions are limited to IT and data entry.
Look, it might be a no-brainer to outsource your IT and/or data entry functions. But you’re missing out if you think those are the only functions worth delegating remotely.
Sales, administration, marketing, and customer service can all be done mostly remotely. Think about it. Do you need to have people physically present to come up with social media campaigns or reach out to prospective clients? No. Best of all, these tasks can even be carried out by people based in different locations if you set them up properly.
The bottomline is, remote work is here to stay and the demand for it will continue to grow in the years to come. If you’re looking for a sign to start building your remote dream team, this is it.
Remote Staff has been helping AU entrepreneurs find, hire, and retain talented and skilled remote workers from the Philippines for 14 years and counting. On top of that, we also provide assistance on how to manage and keep track of your teams’ productivity using our in-house technology.
What are you waiting for? Call us today or schedule a call back and let’s get started.
Serena has been working remotely and writing content for the better part of the last decade. To date, she's written for Pepper.ph and Mabuhay Magazine, among others, and has churned out more than a thousand articles on everything from The Basics of Stock Market Investing to How to Make Milk Tea-Flavored Taho at home. Hermits, aspiring hermits, and non-hermits with interesting project propositions may email her at serena.estrella10@gmail.com.
