3 Important Reasons Why I Run My Company With a Completely Remote Workforce

“So, where are you based?” they ask.

“We’re spread across the U.S.,” I answer.

“Yeah, but, where is your headquarters?”

“Austin, Texas—but we don’t have a single employee there, just a mailbox. Everyone works from home offices across the U.S.”

“Wow. That must be tough to manage.”

“Yes… yes, it is…”

Managing a 100% remote team is a big challenge, but it forces us to focus on fundamentals behind teamwork, strategy development, goal setting, and collaboration that we may otherwise take for granted if we were sitting together in the same office every day.

Really, though. Why? Why would any CEO choose the added hassle of managing a remote team? For me, it comes down to these three key elements: talent acquisition, scalability, and costs.

Talent acquisition is by far the biggest advantage remote teams have. I’m able to fill open seats at our company with the best person for each job—not the best person within a 50-mile radius, the best person for the job.

Though we pay competitive wages, we don’t have to pay top wages to score top talent. Our employees see actual savings working for us over a traditional office job. They don’t pay for transportation, they aren’t continuously tempted to eat out at lunch, they don’t have to buy a work wardrobe, and many of them can cut back on child-care costs.

Plus, our employees value the opportunity to spend more time with their families instead of commuting, the freedom to work more flexible hours, and the opportunity to live anywhere they want in the U.S. It’s hard for other companies to compete with these benefits.

RELATED: How Closely Should You Monitor Remote Employees?

This one falls somewhere between talent acquisition and costs, but it is substantial enough to stand on its own as a benefit. Leading a growing startup with a workload impacted by the holiday seasons means that I need a way to throttle my staff hours up and down to meet demand and reallocate budget from one role to another to help us reach our goals.

When our workload spikes around the holidays, our staff doesn’t have to choose between work and spending time with family and friends. They can work without impacting their holiday plans—even if those plans involve travel.

With a remote workforce, I can easily plug in contractors, temporary project-based developers, and part-time staff. We’re not limited to a certain amount of space in which to house our team, and we don’t waste a day or two setting up work spaces and showing new hires how to use the coffee machine. All everyone needs is a computer and an internet connection, and we can put them to work.

Since the entire team is already working remotely, adding new people into the mix is simple. They are added to our Slack team and invited to our standing meetings. They quickly fall into pace with the team and start tackling their tasks.

Take a look at your expenses. You’re paying for rent, utilities, janitorial services, coffee, desks, chairs, pens, paper clips, etc. Where would that money go if you weren’t spending it on supporting a physical space?

Here, those funds go to staffing, product development, and to the bottom line.

Of course, a remote workforce isn’t going to work for every company. If you’re handling physical items or interacting with your customers face-to-face, you need a place to bring people together.

But, if you’re providing services or offering digital products, a remote workforce may help you acquire top talent, scale your business, and control costs. But, before you shut off the lights and leave the building, consider these points:

This is an “all or nothing” strategy. You can’t have some people coming into the office while others work from home. Trust me; I’ve tried it. Nothing will make you hate the phrase “it’s not fair” more… not even your teenager. The people in the office will tell you “it’s not fair” that others get to work from home, while those at home will say “it’s not fair” that those in the office are having conversations without them.

This requires serious dedication to goal setting and communication. You have to set clear goals, and then you have to communicate them over and over. Your staff needs quick, easy ways to share their progress, pain points, and ideas with you and other team members.

This requires a lot of trust. You have to trust that your employees can and will do what they need to do for you all to reach your goals. They need to step up and take responsibility for setting and achieving goals, and you have to give up the reigns more than you’re accustomed to.

This requires a strong team dynamic. You and your employees have to enjoy working together. Even the smallest irritation can make someone skip a meeting, miss connecting on a project, or otherwise avoid interactions. Staying in touch with one another will require everyone to do a little more work, but as long as they enjoy collaborating with their team, they’ll go that extra mile.

Ultimately, our attention on goal setting, communication, trust, and team dynamic is the driving force behind our continued growth and success.

RELATED: Hiring Remote Workers: How to Bridge the Long-Distance Gap

Post by: Rachel Honoway

Rachel is the CEO of FMTC, a premier affiliate solution provider and the company behind the Fresh Press Media Influencer Marketplace. She is currently serving as the President of the Performance Marketing Association Board of Directors. Rachel has been in the performance marketing industry since the late 90’s helping merchants launch new programs, assisting affiliates in starting their businesses, and has been a part of developing technologies that help affiliates, publishers, bloggers, merchants, and advertisers optimize their interactions and maximize the return on their relationships.

Company: FMTC
Website: www.fmtc.co
Connect with me on Facebook , Twitter , and LinkedIn.

The post 3 Important Reasons Why I Run My Company With a Completely Remote Workforce appeared first on AllBusiness.com