In many industries, the efficiencies gained from telecommuting allow companies to cut the number of employees necessary to accomplish a given task.
Virtual technology allows for remote workers to be paid as if they were in the office.
As a result, companies are able to offer better benefits without sacrificing quality.
Not all employees are equal
Telecommuting means that you are going to need to treat everyone the same.
You can’t just force people to work a 40-hour week and expect them to be happy.
Some people work better when they are outside the office for a longer period of time. So, don’t expect everyone to work at the same pace.
Even if a person works well from home, there will be some drawbacks.
A workaholic is going to be an exception to the rule.
Someone who uses video conference calls when they are on the move may have trouble adjusting to being forced to remain still for such long periods of time.
Programs like Zoom allow you to talk with employees in different locations.
People can be placed anywhere in the world to help foster a virtual relationship.
That provides you with the benefits of many more employees, without the costs of having to retain an office or having to pay other employees to work there.
Employees can work from anywhere
The ability to work from virtually anywhere you can get an internet connection gives you access to a more talented pool of employees than you would otherwise have.
As a business owner, you can hire the best person for the job even if that person is working from another country.
Telecommuting allows you to hire employees who will not take the job personally when they see that their job responsibilities are being scaled back or eliminated.
You can also hire employees who have a child or a family to take care of, allowing them to take on a remote role at a different location.
Workers will be happier
A happier workforce tends to mean that more productive employees. That’s a boon for both the employees and the company.
A happier workforce will feel that they are being valued.
If workers are happy with their role, they are more likely to be willing to go the extra mile.
Those employees are more likely to be loyal and dedicated to the organization. That will have a positive effect on your bottom line.
To conclude, you can embrace telecommuting without sacrificing the quality of your work or the happiness of your workforce.
Telecommuting allows you to hire the best people for the job.
Virtual offices might seem anathema to the traditional corporation
But technology is changing the nature of business, and if we want to succeed in the future, we’ll need to adapt.
If you’re going to lead people and run an organization, you must demonstrate how it will succeed by helping your company stay ahead of the competition.
However, simply managing your numbers, growing your business, or keeping an eye on your company’s mission doesn’t help your employees do their jobs any better.
Every business needs employees who are productive, passionate, and motivated.
If you want to motivate your employees, you need to find ways to satisfy your customers and make sure they’ll come back for more.
How do you motivate people?
One of the best ways to motivate people is to let them do their jobs.
So if you’re going to lead people and run an organization, you must demonstrate how it will succeed by helping your company stay ahead of the competition.
The best way to accomplish this is to grow your business, find new customers, and keep existing customers happy.
In order to do that, you need to manage your people. Growth without management is no growth.
In a corporate environment, you need people who are well-trained and well-paid to manage day-to-day operations.
But what if you could replace most of your management staff with virtual employees?
I spoke with a virtual assistant at a law firm who mentioned that the job doesn’t even require a dress code.
However, virtual assistants at the Atlanta operations center of the customer company are required to wear business attire.
And that’s just one example of the many ways that the virtual workplace shapes our work.
In Atlanta, there were many reasons to prefer the virtual work environment over the traditional workplace.
During my flight to Atlanta, I flew business class, which was a pleasant experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
But the real test for me was walking through the reception area of the Atlanta operations center.
The headquarters of the customer company is located in a skyscraper downtown. To get there, I had to walk several flights of stairs and cross two city blocks.
The air was stale, and the lights were harsh. I was a little intimidated by the magnitude of the building.
It was a stark contrast to the well-designed office space of the customer company, where I would spend much of my day.
That first day, I wanted to crawl into my bed for a few hours, but I knew that I’d have to get up to face the day’s challenges.
I put my worries aside, and I got to work.
