After a two-year long pandemic (one we’re not exactly out of yet), many people are looking forward to a return to normalcy. For many, “normalcy” means going into work every day instead of working from home. For so many others, however, they’d much prefer to keep their working from home routines normal.
Are you one such business professional? If you’ve considered permanently moving your business to a remote entity, it’s important to be mindful of some important steps to take. These steps are also necessary for those who wish to work remotely on a periodic basis.
Hire strong remote workers.
You’re only as strong as your team. Have you paid close attention to the productivity rates of those employees who have been working from home over the past two years? For you to continue with a remote business model, it’s vital that your remote workers are capable of managing their tasks without supervision. Business.com stresses the importance of hiring the right remote workers, reminding employers that new hires can exist anywhere in the country.
“There are many sites where you can find remote talent to hire,” the website points out, “Once you’ve got some quality candidates to choose from, interview them using video conference software and make sure they’re self-motivated. Being self-motivated is one of the most important qualities in a remote employee, because you can’t constantly be managing them.”
Find various ways to communicate with your team.
A remote worker should be adept at various modes of communication. You will likely want to have business meetings on a semi-regular basis. They can occur via video conferencing tools such as Zoom, Skype, Streamyard and Google Meet. It’s imperative, of course, that your remote workers are both equipped with and capable of using the technology necessary for such platforms.
Naturally, you will also want to make sure that each of your employees is easily reachable by phone. Of course, you should communicate your available hours too. Being accessible is one of the keys of being a good leader.
Create a remote work policy.
For some workers, “remote work” equates to “time off”. The two terms are most certainly not interchangeable. It’s vital that, even when not in the office, your employees are adequately handling the roles of their jobs. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they should be working at the exact times as you do. However, they should adhere to your company’s remote work policy. What is expected of your team should be crystal clear.
“Can remote employees choose their own hours or do you expect them to be online from 9 to 5?” asks Indeed.com, “Remote work policies usually cover data security rules, legal considerations, guidelines for setting up home offices and any travel requirements (e.g., for occasional in-person meetings or annual retreats).”
Make use of Virtual Terminals to accept payments.
These days, it’s easy to process credit and debit transactions while working remotely. With Unity Payments’ Virtual Terminals, you can accept digital payments here, there and everywhere! Turn your computer or mobile phone into a credit card terminal and begin seamlessly processing secure remote commerce and over-the-phone credit card transactions. Please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-661-3761 or email us at info@unitypayments.ca to learn more!
