As we near the end of 2020, one thing that remains clear in a fuzzy, pandemic year is that working from home and remote work is here to stay. What started as a temporary environment change for many employers, is now turning into an extended, permanent or new option for the vast majority. While employees may still be working on how to perfect the work from home space, employers are working to perfect the new norm for remote work habits and policies.
Studies have shown that employees are more productive and efficient from the comfort of their own home, but they likely miss out on the interaction with their co-workers. On the opposite side, employers face concerns not only with accountability but with ensuring their employees are receiving enough support to progress and grow professionally. For companies that are still hiring, they may be struggling with virtually onboarding new employees for the first time.
But if 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we need to adapt – and we’re great at doing it. Mismo has over ten years of experience with integrating remote development teams. From remote team building to onboarding remote employees, we ensure responsibility, accountability and, above all, inclusivity.
Benefits of Remote Work
Benefit #1 – Bigger fish in the sea
If you’re hiring remote teams for the first time, you may be surprised to see that there’s a major difference in the talent pool. Because you are allowing your employees to work remotely, you will receive applications from a much larger geographic area who are interested in the position, but don’t want to or can’t relocate. The larger talent pool may make it harder to narrow down your candidates, but it also gives you the chance to find the skillset you need at a price that may not exist locally.
Benefit #2 – More whistlin’ while you work
Remote workers are more productive and get nearly an extra day’s worth of work done every week. There are many reasons for this; the office may have too many distractions or employees may find their most creative hours are not the normal work day hours so they churn out work at different times. Plus, meetings don’t take as much time out of the day because those Zoom calls stick to a better schedule, often have strict agendas and are thus more meaningful to overall productivity.
Benefit # 3 – We can get some… sa-tis-faction
Nearly 90 percent of human resources professionals say that the flexibility of remote work has led to improved employee satisfaction. It helps employees maintain a better work-life balance, influences open and honest communications with co-workers and managers and, perhaps most importantly, establishes higher loyalty and retention rates.
Benefit #4 – A dollar saved is a dollar earned
Though you likely have to provide the appropriate equipment for your employees to do their work, at the end of the day, both parties are seeing a reduction in overhead costs. For the employer, you are likely spending less money on office supplies or even space. For the employee, transportation, food and wardrobe costs are likely less.
How to Build a Remote Team
Whether you are just now switching over to remote work or you are getting ready to expand your team, here are a few tips for onboarding remote employees.
- First, define and understand in great detail what your hiring needs are. Establish a finite job description for each role needed to complete your project or meet your bottom line, thus creating responsibility and accountability. Be sure to include business goals, budget, the type of roles and a timeline.
- Once you have your remote team roles planned out, give Mismo a call to begin the hiring process. Specializing in hiring remote development teams, we’ll eliminate the need to post applications on your website, LinkedIn or Indeed. Mismo vets candidates, implements coding and design tests and even conducts candidate interviews. Our goal is to fulfill your needs from hiring to onboarding and beyond.
- After selecting your candidate and getting their paperwork signed, plan the first week of their job to include one-on-ones with the team members they will work closest with.
- If it’s safe and possible to do so, offer an in-person tour of the office even though they may be working remotely permanently. If your new employee is out of the area, offer a Zoom tour of the space.
- Establish goals, performance reviews and frequent check-ins. Because you may not interact with the person on a daily basis, frequent check-ins will be necessary until the employee is fully-integrated. Invite them to your recurring stand-up meetings as you would with your locally-based teams. This will ensure they are not feeling overwhelmed or lost with their new role.
- Schedule in some fun, remote team building. Just because you’re not in the office together, doesn’t mean you can’t have a Happy Hour or team lunch. Consider sending out GrubHub or Uber gift cards to the team to order lunch and meet up for non-work-related fodder. Because it’s harder to establish relationships with no face-to-face meetings, it might be up to the leaders to build the rapport amongst your teams.
Since 2010, Mismo has helped companies recruit, onboard and nurture talent in Latin America. We have provided tier-1, cost-effective talent to tech companies that seamlessly integrate and grow with already existing teams. As an entrepreneurial team rooted in the startup community, we understand your needs because we’ve been there. Now, more than ever, we want you to find success in the remote work world.