Strategic Choice: Quick Switch to Remote Work
If you have been considering transitioning to remote work, there cannot be a better or a more suitable time to start the process. However, it is not as easy as flipping a switch. It presents several potential issues that the organization or management might never have faced before.
Here we have identified the most significant aspects to make sure that your organization, as well as the employees, will have no difficulties in opting to work remotely, at Qubit Labs we have experience working with distributed teams and want to share it with you.
The remote work trend is showing no signs of slowing down. Companies are increasingly favoring outsourcing as a mainstream strategy. As of 2019, a global remote working survey found that 56% of companies are either fully remote, hybrid, or allow remote working.
Although those outsourcing software development projects will find it challenging to organize a remote workforce, it might turn out to be one of the best decisions you make for your business in the current scenario. With the increasing demand for remote teams, the trick lies in implementing effective coordination.
As more companies are planning to make the switch, it is significant to analyze whether you have done enough preparations to make a successful transition. It is always recommended to consult an expert in the field to offer assistance during the process. Qubit Labs is one such established organization with experience in building development teams for clients. When you plan to hire development team Ukraine has, Qubit Labs is one of your best choices in the field for programming outsourcing.
Our teams work as an extension to your in-house employees, essentially as a team of remote dedicated developers. Occasionally, our clients and project managers visit us to ensure the efficient running of our operations. We have clients from all over the world, from Europe, the USA, and the Middle East who hire dedicated software development team and function smoothly with us for years. These years of industry experience has equipped us to take a proactive measure in helping companies to make a quick shift to remote working.
Considering the current world scenario, remote working is your best bet to continue being productive. Follow these tips to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Start with Clear Objectives
A successful remote-based workforce begins with clearly defined and measurable goals. Be it due to market conditions or because of strategic changes in your organization, not every company can make the switch with ease. Check whether you need to hire dedicated programmers or extra staff to meet the objectives. Analyze how the change could impact your efficiency and productivity.
Understanding the objectives will help you recognize the business value and set the right framework for employees to work with. It also delivers the context to evaluate the right strategy and functional aspects.
Employ the Virtual Work Setting
The most challenging part of working remotely is to maintain proper communication. It is necessary to consider whether you have access to technology and training to communicate with the remote teams properly. All the decisions might not be delivered to all the workers at all times. So when you transition, the first focus should be to engage the right communication channel.
Fortunately, today, there is no lack of technology such as group chats, video conferencing software, or a tool that has every one of these. There are also efficient project management tools, where you can easily handle task delegation and completions. You might want to give them training to keep the required communication in place.
Establish Effective Communication
The most crucial aspect of remote working is to set up efficient communication channels. Team leaders have to identify software that can coordinate the remote employees, the tasks and allows you to handle the different schedules. These tools will enable you to establish a regular correspondence with each employee.
Start by identifying an individual who can correspond with every employee and make sure that the information reaches everyone. Regardless of the current situation, such connectivity measures encourage companies to rely on software projects outsourcing companies to carry forward with their routines, without the location affecting the process.
Fireflies.ai, an AI meeting note-taker, has put together a detailed remote work guide that is worth a read for both employees as well as companies.
Assign a Dedicated Work Space and Schedule
While flexibility is what makes remote working attractive, that does not mean there has to be no schedule at all. Particularly, conducting meetings regularly will help to allow fluid and clear communication. Keep the sessions short and focused, as it might not be the best way to make crucial decisions or long discussions. Rather, such online calls are to offer quick updates for everyone.
These calls should not replace documented communication through emails or other project management software. These would help to clarify doubts or validate activity at all times.
It is recommended for both remote employees and the managers to look at the possible concerns regarding the operating hours when to conduct meetings, and how your schedule would be. Address these questions and try to reduce the gaps in communication. Asl for feedback from your employees and ensure that the plan is feasible for everyone.
See whether the proposed plan is valid both for the company as well as the individual.
Install Task Managers
Another significant challenge for managers is to see whether employees are working during these schedules. On the other hand, while working remotely, employees also tend to overwork, often without regarding how many hours they spent. Be sure to install a system to track the performance of each employee.
More and more companies are evaluating how many goals are completed rather than focusing on the time spent. Regardless, if you have set work hours, then a time tracking tool would be helpful to let workers know how productive they are.
Implement Security Measures
Going remote means employees tapping into your organization’s private data using individual or public internet from cafes or coworking spaces. Though 84% of remote employees work from home, there still needs to be security measures in place to protect your data. Ask your employees to update their passwords frequently. When you use cloud storage platforms, ensure that it is secure, and the employees are using a virtual private network (VPN) when connecting through public networks.
Maintain Employee Engagement
Many organizations are worried about how switching to remote work will impact the company culture and employee engagement. However, as long as team leaders and managers make an effort to maintain it, it shouldn’t be difficult to work on activities to maintain an influential company culture. Organize occasional team retreats and meetups to encourage more engagement between employees.
Apart from that, you can also look at ways to improve engagement digitally. Regular video conferencing, rewards for accomplishments, and having a chat group in place for each team will help to boost activity and help bring employees together.
Do Not Hinder the Growth of Your Organization
With the situation wavering, hiring managers might be skeptical about continuing with the recruiting process. But opting to hire remote development team might be more helpful now.
To make things a bit easier, follow these steps to communicate any changes in the interview process.
- Inform in advance which software
- Remind all participants about the changes and ensure that they have internet and equipment set
- Monitor the course of the interview and voice the feedback to the candidates.
With remote working in mind, our own experience proves that companies can hire dedicated programmers and work excellently without meeting the employees in person.
Why is This the Right Moment?
The quarantine led to a time of crisis. Employees have to feel psychologically safe and working remotely from comfortable environments might solve that issue. At Qubit, as organizations are increasingly deciding to hire remote team, we have focused on helping to build teams while complying with the country regulations and employee experience of the transition.
Companies must prove how efficient they are at communication, and they value their employee’s overall wellbeing. For many organizations, this might be the moment of truth in defining your employee relationships or choose outsourcing software development projects.
Every decision speaks to your teams and will reflect on your company growth.
How HR should Handle the Situation
As we have mentioned above, communication is the key here. See if you can shift to remote working and, if not, make sure that every staff has access to health care.
If choosing remote work, hire remote software developers, and help your remote employees adapt to the environment using the strategies we have explained.
While the situation is getting urgent, the strategic move is to establish a plan and communicate them effectively with the employees. Along the way, companies are bound to recognize the many benefits of remote work. Together, keep your spirits up and conquer the transition with ease.
Try Not to Micromanage
During the initial phases of transitioning to remote work, it is common to feel that you should have control over every employee and their productivity. Managing remotely is more daunting than working remotely. If you undertake a micromanaging mindset, it will only make it difficult for the employees to handle their tasks.
Your aim is to focus on the bigger picture and ensure that the objectives are met. Allow your employees to handle their tasks, instead of frequently checking in.
Remote working and managing come with a set of challenges. Managers won’t be able to control every aspect at all times. It is vital to trust employees and encourage them to find solutions to these challenges. In the long run, a remote-based company might also see a significant decrease in overall cost. With the right amount of planning and preparation, making a switch to remote work can indeed be a successful one.
