The world of work is being propelled into the future faster than ever by a dizzying onslaught of new technologies and the demands of a workforce that is increasingly calling for a better work-life balance. The benefits of remote working include cost-savings, increased productivity and happier employees. But are business owners ready to let go of their pre-conceived ideas of employees sitting on the lawn sipping cocktails instead of working? Factors like overpopulation have meant that remote working has become a necessity more than a trend. In fact, a recent Regus study showed over 50 percent of workers now report that they work outside the main office 2.5 days a week or more. Despite the benefits, though, some businesses are slow to adopt a remote working model, concerned about a decline in productivity, team morale and how they will need to adapt their own management style.There is hope! Here are four ways to allay your fears and set up a successful remote working team from the outset: 

Communication It runs like a silver thread through the next points as well, because communication is the most important success factor in any relationship. No different with remote working. Clear, warm, relevant communication is imperative to the success of a remote working team.  Communicating exactly what you require from your team members, including clear KPI’s, allowing no task responsibilities open for interpretation and facilitating face-to-face or video conversation on all projects, saves time and frustration on both ends. The positive culture of a remote working team is also communicated, established and maintained in this way.  With tools out there like Slack and Google Hangouts and even Whatsapp, there is no excuse to keep any team members (or yourself) in the dark. 

Technology If you are going to set your team up for success, you need to make sure that technological glitches (which according to the study is a bane in all remote workers’ lives) are kept to a minimum.  Some companies offer their teams a budget to upgrade their technology at home. An even better option is to allow a budget for working at a co-working space with fast, reliable WI-FI. This will be half the battle for productivity and effective communication won.  

Employing the right people Different skills are required for permanent and remote employees. Your design guru may be great in the office where there is structure and he is constantly being fed with tasks, but may he may struggle to manage his own schedule in a way that ensures he stays productive. A good idea is to employ remote team workers on a part-time basis for short projects and giving them leadership on those projects. You will quickly see how they work with the rest of the team and how effective they are. Employing someone with a growth mindset, an A-player, with little experience and training them is another option, as a good mindset and attitude will outlast qualification in many cases. 

Team culture Creating a team culture of trust means that things get done. Of course it starts with employing the right people in the team, but it also means that the team trust each other to stay results-focused and trust that you have their best interests at heart.  Get together face-to-face where possible to foster relationships and build confidence and connection. You also don’t want remote workers working more (to exhaustion) than permanent workers otherwise you will lose talent, so it is important to foster a culture of work-life balance.  Once your team is set up and running smoothly, you will see what works best, but don’t let communication slip at any stage of the process. And don’t be afraid to ask for and expect updates on progress in your team. Or you could use a project management tool that will show you where all projects are at, at a glance. Remote working done well makes business sense. It saves on office costs (fewer bums in seats), time (fewer disruptions), salary costs (employees are willing to take a reduction in pay to be able to work flexible hours and remotely) and happier employees (no more spending hours commuting).  

Are you ready to take the jump?  

About Regus:

 Regus is the leading global workspace provider. We have built an unparalleled network of office, co-working and meeting spaces for companies to use in every city in the world. It’s an infrastructure to support every business opportunity - a global infrastructure built for businesses.Our network of workspaces enables businesses to operate anywhere, without the need for set-up costs or capital investment. It provides our customers with immediate cost benefits and the opportunity to fully outsource their office portfolio.It’s a network designed to enhance productivity and connect 1.5 million like-minded professionals: an instant global community, and a place to belong.Our network of office, co-working and meeting spaces covers 3,000 locations in over 1,000 cities and over 100 countries, and serves 1.5 million members every month.