Remote work can be costly or cost-saving, depending on how well-equipped you are to really support it.<ul><li>When done right, assessing the appropriateness of remote work for all your employees and implementing the necessary changes will save money.</li><li>Savings will be primarily in overhead categories: rent, utilities, facility upkeep costs, in-person IT labor, satellite office networking costs, maintenance, property insurance, etc.</li><li>The point to aim for is where the investment will bear return.</li><li>Remote workers may enjoy more flexibility, which may translate into increased productivity.</li></ul>

Going all-in on remote work: benefits for businesses

When an in-office worker moves to a remote role, it's very common for that worker to relocate. However, different states have different employment laws, and businesses are responsible for knowing and following these laws. Taxes are also not the same. Some cities require a percentage wage tax directly payable to the city. Hiring international employees may require a lot more paperwork.But, hiring remotely can be a huge strength, knowing that you can appoint the perfect person regardless of where they live.

Location and paperwork in a remote setting

Businesses can categorize employees:<ul><li>Location-independent. Knowledge workers are not dependent on location and don't need to be in an office.</li><li>Location-frequent. These people spend half their time in an office and half remote. They need an in-person base to use for coordination and physical meetings. These are often salespeople, marketing people, back-office services (IT, HR, finance), and creative jobs.</li><li>Mandatory in-office jobs. These involve specialized equipment, such as with manufacturing jobs.</li></ul>Far more job functions can be done remotely if company leadership will accept it.

Defining roles for a remote work setting

<ul><li>Employees should feel that they work at home rather than live in the office.</li><li>Encourage employees to use their calendar software to establish breaks.</li><li>Employees should know when they are "on" and "off." It's unfair to expect a remote employee to address a problem at 9 p.m.</li><li>Don't drop email bombs. Friday at 6 p.m. is not the time to announce major changes.</li></ul>

Remote work: working hours

<ul><li>Make work calendars visible to all.</li><li>Create regularly scheduled team check-ins.</li><li>When a meeting includes in-office and remote workers, do not treat the remote workers as an afterthought. Using one microphone for many people in a conference room, all talking at once will alienate the remote worker who will perceive it as indistinct loud noises.</li><li>When holding video meetings, not everyone will feel comfortable with cameras in their private space. Be accepting of green screens and/or avatars.</li></ul>

Meetings and scheduling in a remote setting

In-office employees that transition to remote work need to be equipped. Spending recommendations are:<ul><li>A one-time stipend to purchase some office furniture and other miscellaneous work equipment.</li><li>Basic ergonomic training.</li><li>The same class of laptop or workstation they'd get in the office.</li><li>A monthly stipend to offset some or all home broadband costs.</li><li>IT support costs.</li><li>Basic, yet complete tech loadout, such as laptop, secondary monitor, mouse, keyboard, wired earbuds, USB hub, chair that meets ergonomic needs.</li></ul>

Equipping remote workers

Corporate leadership must understand the need to make changes to the company culture that supports everyone.<ul><li>Remote work means trusting employees and giving them more autonomy.</li><li>Trust does not mean ignorance. Leadership needs to establish clear goals and performance metrics that can be tracked objectively. Data-driven intelligence and project tracking are essential.</li><li>Onboarding a new batch of remote workers is challenging. You need firm onboarding procedures in place so everyone knows what tools are available and how to use them.</li></ul>

Changing the company culture

<ul><li>Bring your teams together once or twice a year.</li><li>Remote employees should check in with in-office people to keep up to date.</li><li>Encourage employees to connect in online conversations or hangouts.</li></ul>

Team building for remote companies

Curated sources for managers to improve the engagement and productivity of remote employees