How to create the right ‘remote’ for your business

Even though the transformation happened quickly, it’s hard to think back to a time when remote working wasn’t so mainstream. Most companies now offer some form of remote work. As of last year, two-thirds of employed Australians were sometimes or always working from home.

But while the phrase ‘remote work’ has taken on somewhat of an umbrella definition since the pandemic began, it’s important to remember that in practice it takes many different forms. Here we explore some different types of remote work, their perks and drawbacks, and simple steps to take your business closer toward the best ‘remote’ for you.

Where do you sit on the remote work scale?

Remote work should be viewed as a gradation. At one end you have companies that do not allow remote work in any capacity, whereas on the other end, you have organisations that are all-remote. The reality for most Australian small businesses lies somewhere in the middle. These are businesses where remote work is tolerated but not the norm, staff can work from home but only on certain days, or some team members can work remotely as an exception.

Remote-first organisations, on the other hand, are those that have optimised their workplaces to be successful whether all staff is working remotely or from the office. Employees have flexibility to work from home, only coming in for meetings or socialising. Offices become venues to work remotely from, and are not the epicentre of power or culture. The shifts made by Quora and Upwork are great examples.

Taking this one step further — businesses that are “all-remote” don’t own any company offices, and sometimes are not even tied to a specific workday. Instead, asynchronous work allows teams to complete tasks when suits them. This model demands clear, up-to-date documentation and communication — so one person can easily pick up where another has left off.

Pros and cons of remote-first practices

Moving from a ‘remote allowed’ culture to a ‘remote first’ one means it becomes more of a business imperative than an add on perk. This shift can drive many benefits — including being able to hire the best global talent, saving costs on office space, and greater inclusivity. Allowing your people to live and work where they are most fulfilled also pays dividends in loyalty and retention.

But there are some drawbacks, and it doesn’t always work for everyone. Some potential disadvantages include staff loneliness, difficulty maintaining a strong culture, and a blurring of work/life boundaries. To combat these, organisations can use data to monitor engagement, and implement programs to keep employees connected to the company and their teammates.

How to create a more remote-first workforce

Managing remote-first businesses is much like managing any other company — it comes down to team trust, good communication and company-wide support of shared goals. Here are some best practices you can explore:

Remote-first work

1. Embrace non-linear workdays

   Don’t enforce consistent set working hours or get your team to disclose their hours of work. A huge amount of stress comes with expectations to be online and responsive during certain hours. A non-linear workday may instead look like this: a team member may start their day at 6am and work till 9am. To spend time with family, this person will then log off until 3pm and then work through to 8pm. And tomorrow may be totally different again. The focus here is on output and results, rather than hours.

2. Promote balance

   Ensure that those who run your business take regular time off and at times even make themselves completely unavailable. The aim here is to promote a healthy work/life balance, and not encourage or celebrate long working hours, or people working on their day off. 

3. Document EVERYTHING

   As your people work on tasks, urge them to write down all information, and encourage constant knowledge sharing. Unlike in traditional workflows — this means allowing everyone relevant to see and edit all documents, and not waiting until documents are complete before sharing. This process can alleviate disruptions felt by sickness or annual leave, as other team members can easily ‘man the fort’.

4. Encourage bonding

    It can be trickier to build solid relationships among team members when largely or all-remote. Encourage group video calls and ask people to share about things that are happening in their personal life. If possible, host periodic gatherings so everyone gets to know each other in an informal setting. You can also assign new hires a ‘buddy’ so they have someone to build rapport with in their first weeks.

5. Evaluate success

   Given that employees will be contributing to and completing tasks at different times, being organised in how you define and measure success is critical. Define clear goals and performance indicators for each role and for the company, so that you can easily measure success and the impact that remote work is having on your business.

Remote work is no longer a foreign concept for local SMEs. But there is a big difference between being remote-friendly vs remote-first — with the benefits increasing as you move up the ‘remote’ scale.