It’s been said for years that the future of business will need to be designed around work-from-home teams.
The future of business isn’t work-from-home because that future is now here!
The coronavirus pandemic has required companies to rethink their workforce operations.
In fact, many organisations are encouraging their workforce to continue working from home even after cities slowly lift their lockdowns and restrictions. Twitter has announced that they’re allowing permanent remote work for some of their employees. Shopify has also joined Twitter in granting employees the option to work from home permanently for the rest of the year.
When COVID-19 fades, what does the future of work look like for you?
The Remote Working Scale
If you are considering a remote working culture, you don’t have to jump straight to hiring a fully-distributed team in different locations. First, consider the five levels of remote work. This way you can ensure that you’re making the right decision for you and your team.
Here are the five stages or remote work:
Office-Based
Number one on the scale is an office-based working environment. This is the most traditional way of working where companies have strict working hours. Of course, there are also advantages in working from the office. It’s easier to brainstorm and share ideas since you’re physically working alongside your team.
Office-Based with Work From Home Option
This stage is perfect for business owners who are new to a remote working style. In this model, you can give your teammates an option to work in the office and work from home one or more days per week.
Before implementing this model, you need to have the right business tools so your team can stay productive and connected. For starters, you need cloud storage, task management software, video conferencing apps, team chat apps, and online office suites, among others.
Remote Team in One Timezone
The third model on the scale is where complete remote working starts. Hiring a remote team with a matching time zone is best for companies that require regular collaboration. This way your team still has the opportunity to coordinate tasks and work synchronously.
Having a distributed team in a one-time zone makes it easy to chat, hop on calls, and get feedback. You don’t have to wait 12 hours or more to get a response from your team.
Remote Team in Different Timezone
Having a distributed team across numerous timezones means there’s always someone around-the-clock to get work done. If your business requires a 24-hour workday, then this model is perfect for you.
However, you need to take note that this setup makes collaborative projects harder to manage. This model needs more structure to make communication and collaboration seamless. You may need to have meeting planner apps to calculate time differences and easily see who’s online.
Distributed Team with Digital Nomads
Digital nomads are people who work while travelling to different locations, relying on devices with a wireless connection to stay in touch with their team. They often work in co-working spaces, coffee shops, public libraries, and even planes.
If you want to hire a digital nomad, you have to consider if their nomadic lifestyle is ideal for your business. Moving to a different country may affect their productivity and availability to do a task.
What Are Your Thoughts?
Now that you’ve learned about the different types of remote work, we’d love to know where on the remote working scale your business will be coming out of COVID. Which level are you at right now?
Let us know in the comments below.
