Greg Hanover is CEO of Liveops, a top US-based virtual contact center. He's an inspired leader, driven to deliver better business outcomes.
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Many companies want to go back to the way things were before 2020. Half of business leaders in a 2022 Microsoft survey said their company already requires, or will require, team members to return to the office full time in the next year.
The problem? This approach doesn’t align with what employees want. More than 70 million U.S. workers (56% of full-time employees) said their jobs can be done working remotely, and only 6% want to work completely in the office in the future, according to research from Gallup.
The Future Of Work Is Remote
There is no going backward. Remote work is here to stay, and I believe this shift offers far more opportunities than drawbacks.
Our company has been remote-first since we started 23 years ago. We partner with more than 30,000 independent contractors who work from home. Our 250+ corporate employees can also work virtually, with the option to use a hybrid model if they live near our headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona.
I see two main benefits to embracing remote work:
1. Improved Recruitment And Retention
Cost savings is an obvious benefit of remote work, given that you don’t have to rent and maintain office spaces. But there’s another way remote work can cut down on costs: it helps you attract and keep great employees. My experience has shown that when you allow your team members to work remotely, people feel more empowered to take charge of their careers, help their teams flourish and ultimately, stay for the long haul.
In a Zapier report published in May 2022, 32% of survey respondents noted that they had “already quit a job because they didn’t have the option to work remotely,” and 61% said “they would leave their job if they had the option to accept a fully remote opportunity.” Employee turnover is an expensive problem, and you want to hold on to your best employees.
It's also much easier for remote-first companies to attract the right talent. When you hire remote team members, you have access to a larger hiring pool since they aren’t limited by location. More candidates will also be drawn to your company because they see remote work as an attractive benefit.
2. Happier, Healthier, More Productive Employees
Our team members consistently report that they prefer working in a virtual environment, leading to higher employee morale and satisfaction scores in our employee surveys. They value the flexibility and autonomy remote work gives them, and our company benefits when they are engaged and happy in their jobs.
These internal results are supported by recent research. A 2022 Cisco study found that respondents credited remote or hybrid work with improvements in employee performance, work-life balance and mental and physical health—with 77.9% reporting that it has enhanced their overall well-being. Other studies have shed light on the wide range of mental health benefits offered by remote work, such as getting more rest, exercise and time with family.
Four Tips For Creating A Successful Remote Work Environment
With the right approach, you can unlock the benefits of virtual work to give your organization a competitive advantage—and attract and retain the best talent for your team.
1. Be Intentional About Hiring And Onboarding
Too often, leaders think technology alone can create a successful remote workplace, but that’s far from the truth. Technology is important when creating a successful remote work environment, but it is complementary to having the right people and processes in place.
Some people are better suited to remote work than others. Look to your current team for people who excel in a virtual environment. Learn which habits and traits help them thrive in their roles, and prioritize similar characteristics in recruiting and training. On our team, self-direction and self-discipline are critical qualities we look for when hiring.
It's critical to have a thorough onboarding plan for the first 90 days of new remote employees' tenure. They won't be able to ask questions and learn from colleagues in person, so a deliberate, well-designed plan will help alleviate miscommunications and ensure they have a positive initial experience in the organization.
2. Find Better Ways To Communicate
Effective communication can be difficult even when your whole team is together in a physical location. If you’re all working remotely, you need to be even more deliberate about putting the right workflow and communication processes in place. Be careful not to have too many communication tools that create communication chaos. Intentionally streamline your tool set to ensure effective communication channels.
Employees should know how to accomplish their tasks, what resources are available to them and who they can ask for guidance. How can you deliver messages in an effective way, without sharing too much or too little information? Which tools are most useful for staying connected with distributed teams? We’ve found that the more “plugged into” our team our employees feel, the more comfortable they are voicing their thoughts and asking for help, all of which are essential ingredients for success.
3. Change How You View Performance
To successfully cultivate a remote-first work environment, your organization’s leaders will need to shift their mindset about productivity. Performance should be tied to the outcomes people generate, not whether they sit behind a desk from nine to five.
If you have the right people in the right roles, you can trust that they will do their jobs well, even if you don’t see them in person every day. Set clear expectations for employees, and focus on how you will measure performance based on their results.
4. Keep Building Culture
It can be challenging to maintain and foster a strong company culture with distributed teams, but it is possible with thoughtful planning. I believe it’s still crucial for team members to interact in person, though not as frequently as some leaders might think.
While I don’t think working in the office several days a week is necessary, I do highly recommend organizing face-to-face gatherings on a regular basis within your organization. For example, our company holds cross-functional, in-person meetings to reconnect and strengthen relationships, and employees who work in the Phoenix area use our office in Scottsdale as needed to meet and collaborate. Be very intentional with the use of office time.
If you’re struggling to turn the benefits of remote work into a competitive advantage for your company, I urge you not to give up on it. By taking the right steps, you can build a remote workplace that cultivates a productive and flourishing team.
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