Why and How Startups Should Hire Remote From the Start
by Authentic Archive on Oct 23, 2017 Building a team in a traditional office environment is expensive, especially if it’s in a tech hub like New York, San Francisco, and Austin. In these places, startups compete for limited talent and expensive office space while trying to build a new company.
That’s why startup founders should consider hiring remote when it comes time to build a team. Let’s discuss why and how remote employees could work for your startup.
Why Remote Teams Are A Great Option for Startups
With location out of the equation, remote teams unlock new opportunities for startups. Founders and team leads should consider the following three perks when deciding if remote teams are the right fit.
1. Access to talent
Finding the best talent is one of the biggest challenges facing employers. By hiring a remote team, you increase the size of your talent pool because you can hire people located anywhere in the world, or at least in the same timezone.
Because of this, remote work improves your chances of attracting the best and brightest. Many talented web creators are looking for more flexibility in their day-to-day lives, and being able to provide the freedom of remote work can give you an advantage when competing against tech giants for talent.
2. Cost
Hiring a remote team saves money in the short and long term. Not having a physical office means no monthly rent payments and less money spent on office supplies. Onboarding remote employees also means you don’t need to pay salaries to meet living standards in large cities.
Startups can use these savings to invest in employee training or work retreats. These perks create a happier workforce and a more cohesive team—not to mention, more profit!
3. Performance-based results
Remote teams send your employees a simple message: you care about work that moves the company closer to its goals. Without requiring a physical presence, employees have to point to performance to show that they’re contributing on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
By letting employees choose the workplace that suits them best, remote teams are also given more opportunity to be creative and productive.
The Keys to Hiring Remote Employees
It’s clear that remote teams offer major perks to startups operating on a lean, performance-based model. Hiring managers and startup founders should keep in mind that hiring for remote jobs is different than for traditional office environments. Keep these four strategies in mind when building your first remote team.
1. Hire employees made for remote work
Remote work isn’t for everyone. Hire people with remote work experience, or who want a flexible work environment. Most great remote hires share common characteristics like being tech-savvy or having strong communication skills. To find the best talent, use a tailored job board like Authentic Jobs.
2. Be clear about your expectations
Nothing is worse for business than a boss with ambiguous expectations. From the first job interview to the team Skype meeting, tell your team what you expect from them. Holding people accountable is important in any management role, but all the more so in a remote work environment.
Setting clear procedures will help. For example, a specific time each week for a one-on-one phone call with team members keeps everyone one track.
3. Focus on outputs, not inputs
Like I pointed out before, great remote workers focus on performance instead of logging in. When hiring remote employees, give them the freedom they need to perform. For example, flexible work hours let people work when they’re most productive. This shows you care that the work gets done rather than when it gets done.
Of course, not all roles can offer flexible work times. Many teams have “core hours” when meetings and collaboration take place so employees can structure the rest of their day for their work and lifestyle.
4. Don’t think it’s easy to transition to remote later on
The best time to start building a remote team is with your first hire. If you make the decision to switch to remote later on, you run the risk of isolating employees who aren’t comfortable with a remote arrangement.
A blended model is usually awkward and leads to a “two-team” approach. You definitely don’t want your team to think employees who work from home are less important, or that remote work is a cushy arrangement for slackers.
Is A Remote Team the Right Choice?
Working remotely can have enormous benefits for your company and your team. It unlocks access to new talent, lets you save money, and puts the focus on results.
When hiring remote teams, it’s important to hire personalities fit for remote work and to be clear about expectations from the start. With these tips in mind, startups everywhere can build remote teams that are poised to disrupt markets far and wide.
Ready to find the perfect remote hire? Try Authentic Jobs.