The Pros & Cons of Having A Remote Team

Remote work has been increasingly common across businesses in various industries. Even well-known companies such as Dell and Buffer have adopted this type of office setting partially or fully.

Moreover, many professionals have kept conversations going about the benefits of working remotely or having a remote team. This trend is unlikely to die soon, and if it’s starting to appeal to you, it’s important to know both the pros and cons before leading your company towards that direction.

The good

Many good things have been said about remote staffing. Let’s take a look at three of its most common advantages.

Better work-life balance

Working remotely enables your team to have better work-life balance as it gives them the freedom to create their own schedule. This way, they are able to spend more time with family and friends, and they can take care of their personal needs when it is needed. All of these can be hard to do with a rigid work schedule, which usually never takes into account any personal needs.

When your team members feel that they are able to achieve work-life balance, it gives them a sense of contentment. This ultimately motivates them and contributes to their overall happiness.

Increase in employee productivity and engagement

When you feel that everyone on your team is a good fit for their roles and everything is working out quite well, working remotely fosters deeper trust within all of you. This further leads to confidence and loyalty to each other and to the company, and it can inspire team members to be more proactive in carrying out projects. It would also help if you and your team know each other’s expectations. That’s why it would really help a lot to be transparent right from the recruitment process.

Cost savings

One of the biggest expenses that you’ll have to shoulder as a business is office space. However, with a remote team, you don’t need to worry about renting a space or even buying a lot. You can have a small headquarters, but that’s still less expensive than having a bigger space to accommodate everyone in your team.

The bad

Of course, remote staffing has its disadvantages as well. Whether you’re looking to hire a virtual assistant or an entire team, you should know beforehand the challenges it will incur.

Communication

Distance and different schedules are two things that make communication difficult for remote teams. Although there are numerous apps and tools to keep everyone on your team posted, there is still a gap that virtual communication can’t address right away. For instance, technology can make communication less personal and hinder smoother rapport-building. Of course, these issues can be solved over time, but the challenge is there for you and your team to conquer.

Distractions

There will be times when one or two of your team members will be distracted by various factors in their environment or the people they are with. To ensure that your team will really be 100% focused, you should require them to at least have a specific area in their home that is conducive to getting some work done. If their distraction is a personal matter, try to be understanding and supportive. You don’t have to pry into their personal lives, but you can still be a good motivator.

Dependence on technology

Remote teams are highly dependent on technology. That’s why you should come up with alternatives or solutions in the event of unfortunate circumstances. Make sure that you have processes or remedies in place when, for instance, your server crashes or power outages occur.

Keep in mind that no matter what you decide to do — whether you hire a remote team partially or fully — you must be ready for the challenges that may come ahead. There will always be a good side and a bad side to everything, but by studying your options and working around some challenges, you can surely make it work with a remote team.