In a study of more than 1,000 professionals, about 65% said that they allow their employees to work remotely. If you can count yourself among them as an employer who uses remote talent, you know all about the advantages. Your employees will be happier to not have a commute, and you will be able to hang on to great employees no matter the distance.
Ask Them to Move
It is far from unreasonable to ask someone you really think fits a job to relocate for it. In fact, it’s quite common. For many people, such offers are a great opportunity to start a new life elsewhere, and it means you can keep a valuable employee. Make the deal sweeter by paying for your employee’s moving costs and giving them some time off to make the transition.
Rent Virtual Office Space
The first commercial application of a virtual office space was in 1995. Since then, many technological advancements have made it so that working in a virtual office has most of the same perks as actually being on location. This means that files, information, data lists, and chat rooms are available so that the remote worker can do what they need to do in order to be productive. And indeed, 67% of professionals agree that working remotely is productive.
Try to Focus on the What, Not the When
Your remote employees may not have the advantage of being able to ask questions or get examples in person, but they do have the home advantage (literally). That might mean that they get more done in the middle of the night, and spend most of the afternoon doing laundry or household chores. It is important, especially if there is a time difference to consider, to emphasize quality over exact timing. Try setting deadlines way in advance to keep the relationship with your remote worker healthy and stress-free.
In this day and age, location matter less than quality work when it comes to hiring and keeping workers. Don’t let physicality constrain you, not when you can rent virtual office space and keep up to date with everything your employees are up to!
