There’s no question that the world of work has changed significantly in recent decades, with the worldwide COVID-related lockdowns only accelerating the pace of that change. No longer must aspiring entrepreneurs take on the financial and logistical burdens of brick-and-mortar operations. No longer must the self-employed confine their staffing strategies to the recruiting of local talent.
Now more than ever, savvy business owners and self-employed entrepreneurs are unleashing the powers of the internet to tap into a truly global marketplace and build geographically distributed teams that are second to none.
However, there are things you need to do to optimize engagement, performance, and loyalty in your remote staff. Foremost among them is the effort to equip your remote workers with the tools and services they need to excel. We’ll show you how!
Establish Strong Device Policies
Remote teams rise or fall depending on the strength of their technology. This means that the first order of business must be to ensure that your remote workers have the devices they need to do their jobs efficiently, effectively, and with maximum reliability and security.
For example, virtual businesses are often heavily reliant on digital marketing to raise brand awareness and penetrate new markets globally. Thus, it is incumbent on online entrepreneurs to provide their marketing teams with the tools they need to optimize their social media marketing efforts, as social media is far and away the most expedient, effective, and affordable means to access diverse (and often geographically distant) target audiences.
At a minimum, digital marketing teams will need secure devices through which they can monitor the company’s online platforms, from its websites to its social media accounts. These devices should be dedicated exclusively to work-related uses, allowing marketing teams to engage with audiences, address questions and concerns, and resolve complaints in as close to real-time as possible.
Similar efforts to equip teams in other divisions and to establish policies and procedures for the use of home-based business equipment must also be made. For instance, creative workers, such as graphic design teams, may benefit from the provision of drawing tablets or video editing software.
Conversely, employees who spend their days grappling with enormous amounts of data may find themselves working more comfortably, efficiently, and accurately when provided when you help outfit their home workspace with multiple large computer monitors.
Provide the Appropriate Software
When you’re striving to support your remote staff, it’s important to focus not only on the devices and hardware they need to do their work effectively. They’re also going to need software tailored to the unique demands of the virtual office space.
One of the most important considerations for any online enterprise is cybersecurity. After all, one data breach can not only ruin your brand but can also subject your company to thousands, if not millions, of dollars in liability. For this reason, in addition to the department and job-specific software, it’s also vital to outfit every team member with the most advanced and up-to-date cybersecurity software possible. This might include the use of password-protected Wi-Fi routers, firewalls, and virtual private networks (VPN) on which all company-related activities are to be done.
Provide Professional Services
One of the most significant challenges for home-based workers is the simple reality that they must attend to many, if not all, business-related responsibilities on their own. Even with your financial and logistical support, the primary burden of responsibility for outfitting and maintaining their home office falls on the remote workers themselves.
This is why making the effort to support employees with supplemental services is so helpful and important. For instance, personnel engaged in financial operations or other job functions where the handling of materials containing sensitive or confidential information is likely to require specialized services to support data security.
Providing your remote workers with in-home professional shredding services, for example, is an ideal way to protect your business and your clients while also making your virtual employees’ work lives a bit easier.
Similarly, providing access to technical support services can not only help your remote teams maintain their efficiency and flow, but it can also help to allay some of the anxiety remote workers may feel in using remote work technologies. They will have the assurance that if a problem arises, they still have the benefit of on-demand access to an IT support team.
Supporting Remote Worker Wellness
For all the benefits of at-home work, the virtual office space is not without its challenges. Without the proper support, remote workers may feel isolated, anxious, or overwhelmed. This is why being proactive in promoting physical and mental health when working remotely is key. This is true not just for your virtual staff but also for yourself, as the mental and emotional demands of self-employment are immense.
Thus, to ensure your own wellness, as well as the health of your virtual team, it’s critical to ensure that all personnel has access to mental and physical healthcare. It’s also critical to provide ample opportunities for paid time off (PTO) and relaxation and recreation, such as discounted spa and gym memberships, in order to help workers maintain a healthier work/life balance.
The Takeaway
Self-employment and remote work may be ideal for many, but even home-based employees need support. Equipping your remote staff with the technology and services they need to excel can help your company survive and thrive for years and decades to come.