Remote work is becoming a common practice nowadays. The technology has advanced so much that you can call anyone on the other side of the world and feel like you're talking to your friend next door. Even in the office, people communicate more over Slack than they do in person. On the other hand, the global tech centers are overcrowded and it becomes impossible to hire qualified engineers in a budget. Having amazing talent distributed around the world, why would we limit our choices to a small geographic region?
Great companies like Buffer, GitLab, and Zappier have gone fully remote. We can also see the practice of hiring remote teams from some of the top ranking businesses. Some of those are Amazon, Apple, GitHub, Microsoft, American Express, etc.
Bill Gates, Cofounder of Microsoft encourages hiring remote teams:
“If you’ve got development centers all over the world, you’ve got a sales force out with the customers, the fact that tools like Skype [and] digital collaboration are letting people work better at a distance — that is a wonderful thing.”
They have seen the benefits of being open to remote employees. Just a few of the advantages are: reducing costs for rent and utility bills; fewer absences; higher productivity and employee satisfaction; approaching a larger pool of talent.
What Do Startups Usually Want to Know about Remote Work?
We’ve made the research for all of the startups which consider going remote and those which only plan to include a few remote employees in their teams. The list of the benefits and the companies which have embraced remote work is long. So, below you will read about:
- How getting to worldwide talent has made whole companies go remote?
- In what way will your business advance if you go remote?
- Which are the top platforms to discover and hire remote teams?
- The solutions to the most common problems in working remotely.
How Getting to Worldwide Talent Has Made Whole Companies Go Remote
If these high-rank tech companies have benefited from hiring remote teams, then it is definitely something your startup should consider. Top companies are aware that talented developers are not only US citizens, but they are spread throughout the world. So, why not embrace that and be able to choose the best remote employees from around the world?
Zapier has seen the potential in reaching worldwide tech talent and gave their employees $10,000 to encourage them to leave the SF headquarters and have the entire team remote. They claim that they did that to have happier employees and get a quick access to a global pool of talents.
Companies that decide to build a remote team, focus a lot on establishing good processes for both working remotely and recruiting good candidates. Apart from the technical skills needed for the position, successful remote developers need solid communication skills and the right attitude for working in a distributed team. That's why remote companies put a lot of focus on evaluating this before new developers join their team.
To have a successful remote team, you need people who are result oriented and can work on their own. At the end of the day, remote developers are judged by their performance, not the number of hours they spend in the office. Furthermore, in distributed teams, people don't have the chance to sit down in a conference room together and work their problems out. They need to take advantage of technology and, at times, even over-communicate. So, when evaluating your candidates, make sure to look for determination, initiative, and great communication skills and you're off to a good start.
Freelancers vs Remote Employees: What Is the Difference?
Freelancers are usually developers who are looking for short-term work in interesting areas. They can be a great addition to a project with a specific deadline and usually have a more entrepreneurial mindset and don't want to be full-time engaged in a team.
Remote employees, on the other hand, are the same as regular employees - they're just sitting in the virtual instead of the physical office.
- Unlike freelancers, remote employees are long-term team members: they fit your company culture; adhere to your own working processes; use your own tools; attend daily standups and other meetings as your regular employees do.
- Freelancers usually work on short-term projects, often with several companies at the same time. Remote employees are full-time dedicated to you and to fulfilling the overall goals of your company.
- Remote employees will scale your development capacity and bring long-term value to your company. Freelancers, on the other hand, bring short-term value on projects with a specific scope.
In What Way Will Your Business Advance If You Go Remote?
Many businesses or managers would still be skeptical to grasp the future of work and enable remote work. Hiring remote workers can be a challenge, but giving it a try will show you the many advantages of hiring remote teams. Going remote will bring you at least these 5 benefits every company working remotely has experienced.
You have the entire world to choose your perfect candidate from.
Whole companies are going remote just for this initial perk they get. Nowadays, it is very easy to get to the exact candidate you are looking for. You do not have any geographical limits, restricting to the area where your office might be, but you have the whole world on your hands.
Remote work reduces your costs.
Going remote will cut your expenses on rent and equipment you would usually pay when you have an office space. Renting a big downtown place is costly on its own and not to mention the office, kitchen and bathroom supplies. According to 31 West, it costs from $10,000 to $20,000 per year to house an employee. Imagine how much you could save if you go remote. In 2009, Cisco has saved up to $227 only by allowing their employees the chance for remote work.
Remote employees will expand your perspective.
Going for global instead of local talent will bring a new perspective to your company. Hiring remote teams may also help you expand your business. Remote employees from different countries and continents will bring you new connections, expand your network and your chances for business.
Going remote promotes employee retention, productivity & satisfaction!
Studies have shown that employees who are able to work from home are way happier! Happier employees also mean a higher employee retention rate. According to this survey, 91% of employees were more productive when they were working from home. Once employees are more productive, they will bring more results and revenue to your company. And you probably know the saying: “Your business is worth as much as your employees”.
Fewer absences and healthier employees.
Remote teams will be able to eat healthier meals made at home, exercise instead of wasting time commuting and also take short breaks to rest. The ability to have a healthier lifestyle at home results in less sick days. Also being absent from work because of a “minor cold” or a “stomach ache” will be less likely to happen.
The benefit of going remote is mutual to your company and the remote team you choose to work with. Saving tons of money while having worldwide tech professionals in your team who would be happy to work for you is the winning combination.
Which are the Top Platforms to Discover and Hire Remote Teams?
There are a dozen remote recruitment companies which will help you find the best tech talent for your startup. However, the top 8 which won’t cost you much money, will provide quality service and help you with your job quest are:
Adeva
Adeva connects tech companies with distributed world-class developers. Our vision is to bring untapped talent to growing tech companies and help them launch international careers. Using unconventional approaches for sourcing, screening and evaluating engineers, we are constantly growing our developers' community.
Adeva is an excellent choice for companies that want long-term engagement with their developers and need to tailor the recruitment process to their needs. Apart from evaluating the candidates for their technical skills, Adeva also checks the candidate's personality, attitude and culture fit. With that, we can make sure the developer would thrive in a remote environment and would be a great addition to the client's team.
During the whole duration of the contract, Adeva provides constant administrative and HR support. You will get a dedicated talent support manager who will help you set up your remote work processes and assist your team with any difficulties.
Toptal
Concerning the choice and benefits of remote work Breanden Beneschott, Co-Founder and COO of Toptal says:
“[Going remote] began out of necessity. I was a full-time engineering student living in a dorm room at Princeton when we started. I didn’t have time to go meet anyone face to face. Instead of doing a few in-person meetings per day, we were able to schedule ten to twenty daily virtual meetings using Skype as our office. Skipping the costs and commutes associated with physical offices made so much sense that we decided to turn down the typical Silicon Valley approach and practice what we were preaching by being distributed from day one."
Toptal helps you find experts in software development, design, and finance. Their team works with you from the very beginning to the end in finding your perfect match. They are very selective when it comes to creating their pool of talent, everyone has to pass a rigorous interviewing processes conducted by Toptal’s engineers. They guarantee quality with a free trial period, but they are a bit pricey. To make sure you're serious with your intentions, Toptal will require a $500 deposit to start the process which will be refunded if you decide not to move forward with their candidates.
Crossover
Crossover connects global talent with tech companies. Their talent base covers 131 different countries and they focus on full-time contracts only. Crossover prides themselves in providing high‐paying, long‐term jobs for their developers. They believe the best talent wants challenging opportunities and long-term careers, not short-term or part-time contracts. So, if you're looking for a short-term extension to your team, Crossover is probably not the right choice for you.
The Solutions to the Most Common Problems in Working Remotely
While remote work is the future of work and brings tons of benefits to companies and individuals there are also some common issues that you have to consider. Going remote means the two things you will rely on most are: technology and trust.
- First of all, you have to be aware and prepared to deal with some technical issues which may occur to you and your employees as well. That is why having a technical support on your site is always helpful and worth investing in. If some of your remote employees have some Internet or technology problems, you should be patient, offer support or maybe compensation for them to get a stable equipment and connection.
- The second problem you might deal with is lack of trust. Your remote employees won’t be in your office to check on them. They will probably be miles apart from you. However, you should be results-oriented and if your remote employees are delivering on time they are probably doing a good job, right? Focusing on their results, instead of keeping track of how much time they spend in front of the computer is the right approach to remote working.
Conclusion
To wrap it up, remote work truly is the future of work! Top notch companies have gone remote, now many startups are following their example. Remote work is the future for both companies and employees.
- Flexibility, less pressure and more productivity and growth in revenue and results are just the beginning of remote work.
- Getting to top global talent is available once you start working with remote teams. These employees will also help you save on rent for a workspace and equipment.
- Nowadays there are many quality websites where you can get the perfect match of a remote employee you are looking for. Also, top tools and platforms which make managing remote teams easy.
- And what if there are some problems when working remotely? Issues may arise, right? There is nothing to worry about. They have a solution!
