How to Transition from an On-Site to a Remote Team

The pandemic has completely changed the way we view how work is done. Now, in 2022, a lot of businesses have realized that employees’ physical presence in their offices at all times is not necessary for excellent results.

Technologies such as video conferencing applications, collaboration platforms, and cloud services have helped people stay connected and enabled employees to meet and collaborate on projects from any location and at any time.

Additionally, remote work has taken away the long commutes for workers, and now work flexibility is one of the most important criteria for in-demand candidates when considering their next job opportunities.

According to Inc 9 out of 10 employees who work remotely currently plan to continue working remotely throughout their careers. Furthermore, as per Microsoft’s Work Trend Index(released in March 2021), 66% of companies all over the world are changing their work environments to accommodate remote or hybrid work arrangements.

This is why many companies are considering moving to a remote setup. In this article, we’ll outline the top things to consider when evaluating a move from on-site to hybrid or remote teams and using remote hiring to build it.

Different types of teams

Various team structures based on the location include:

On-site: A structure that is on location and requires that employees work in a physical office.

Hybrid: A Hybrid team model consists of both remote and on-site operations. Businesses that adopt this type of structure usually have an office in a physical location and employees split their working hours between the office and remote locations based on the agreed-upon schedule.

Remote The remote business allows employees the freedom to work from any location that is comfortable for them. Due to this, businesses with this type of structure (also called distributed companies) don’t have their own offices or headquarters.

Benefits of Remote Teams

A remote or hybrid team offers numerous advantages, including:

Improved Productivity: Many businesses are finding that their remote teams accomplish and they are willing to go that extra mile to earn the freedom to work anywhere they want. A recent study showed 53% of remote workers have indicated that they would do overtime, in contrast to just 28% of on-site employees.
Reduced Turnover: A increasing number of businesses use remote work as a desirable perk to help keep top talent. A recent study found that 82% of employees indicated that they’d prefer employers who offer flexible working options. Indeed, many businesses who were previously against the idea of remote work are beginning to explore hybrid options to keep their top employees.
Lower cost: Remote work saves the company significant money through lower expenditure on office space, as well as other overhead costs, and in addition grants the possibility to find talent in different, cheaper locations.
Employee Health: People who work from home experience lower levels of stress as well as an improved balance between work and life. This allows them to be more productive and be healthier. Additionally, remote workers are more likely to work when they’re ill from cold or minor health issues since they do not have to commute, and can instead work from the comfort of their own homes.
Access to the top talent: Hiring only talent in your area severely limits the options available to you, which is the reason why many companies utilize hiring platforms such as Snaphunt to search for top talent from around the globe. If you’re willing to hire remote workers, you are opening up your company to having the most talented and innovative employees join your team at far less than you’d pay to recruit locally.

However, the transition to a hybrid or remote team could take months of planning and evaluation. There are many aspects to think about ranging from the current situation or stage of your business to the requirements of your workers.

Disadvantages of remote or distributed teams

While remote working has numerous advantages, however, they may not be an ideal choice for every company. These are the possible drawbacks of remote teams:

Absence of facilities for workers: With a remote setup employees may face different levels of infrastructure issues depending on their location and Wi-Fi connectivity. Machines and office supplies are also not available when a remote setting-up is in place. However, this could be compensated by providing an allowance so that remote workers can pay for their own needs.
Difficulty in making connections: It can take more effort to develop connections with colleagues on remote teams when compared to an on-site group since many opportunities to make connections via small talk are missing. However, it is still possible to create this connection through formal work-related events in which employees gather offline at an event for a short time and connect. Then, they can continue to make connections online after the event.
A challenge to your organizational culture Since employees are given fewer chances to interact with one another in a remote setting and it is difficult to get them involved and build a strong corporate culture.

Things to Consider When Transitioning to an Remote Work Structure

There are some disadvantages of working remotely from anywhere, however, the benefits usually outweigh the drawbacks, which can be overcome through some preparation and by implementing your transition plan. Here are some things to consider when preparing your transition plan:

Before going remote

Learn about your objectives as well as your goals. What are the goals for this choice? Know the reasons behind this configuration and determine whether this is currently the best option for your business. Be aware that certain tasks and employees won’t benefit from a remote-based setup.
Set up your policies for remote work: Identify who among your employees can work remotely, and when they may utilize this option.
Set expectations for remote employees: Provide some of the most effective remote working practices to help your employees through the new system. Make clear what work-related expenses will be paid for. Inform your employees of the new guidelines for remote working (i.e., the privacy of data or social media policies etc.)
Update your hiring and onboarding procedures: Before you even start the transition, adjust your hiring policies. Remote work will alter how you interview, evaluate potential employees, collaborate on hiring, and how you onboard and induct new hires.
Equip your employees with the right tools: Consider how you could provide facilities for employees who are located far away. Do you provide equipment physically or will you provide an amount in cash? What happens if there is equipment damage and how do employees ask for any additional equipment needed to fulfil their duties?
Create a data security and cybersecurity plan: Remote companies usually use the cloud and their networks to work together. Remote work can access the company’s data through different networks, it is important to create guidelines for data security and cybersecurity to limit the risks to your business. This will make it clear to employees what they are expected to do. It should include, but not be limited to the following action items:
1. Management of passwords
2. VPN use
3. Connecting to a secure network
Announce a transition ahead of time: Allow time for employees who aren’t convinced by the idea to adjust to the idea and to discuss the best arrangements for them. Just be aware that the aim of the stage before the transition is to develop efficient policies and systems to safeguard the organization and, particularly, the employees.

During the remote transition

Training and Onboarding: Create a clear onboarding procedure. The new employee will not be able to interact with their colleagues in person however it is possible to give them an inviting welcome, even via the use of video conferences. Facilitate onboarding by giving an onboarding checklist for new employees to ensure that HR personnel respond to any concerns. Onboarding and training are essential actions to help the new employee get familiar with the organization, particularly the policies and procedures which you’ve worked to establish.
Set rules for engaging: We’ve already established that collaboration and connection are limited in remote settings. Therefore, it’s crucial to share the best practices for communicating with remote colleagues. What is the frequency of team meetings? How often can employees receive feedback from their bosses via one-on-one discussions? What is the structure of reporting about the most important performance indicators? These guidelines will establish the expectations of your remote employees.
Tracking key performance indicators: The key performance indicator will allow you to measure the performance of remote employees. The use of fair and accurate KPIs can help you combat the urge to control employees. Based on your industry you may utilize quantifiable metrics to evaluate the performance of your business based on certain goals and objectives. Here are some KPIs you could use:

Number of Sales
The number of calls
Conversion rate
Engagement rate
The score of customer satisfaction
Cost per employee, etc.

There is a myriad of KPIs you can choose to set under your particular area of expertise and your industry. Today, it’s not more about logging hours businesses must think about ways to evaluate their success by setting KPIs that will allow them to measure their employees’ performances.

Post-transition

Engagement of employees: Once you have successfully adapted to a completely remote system, you need to ensure that your staff is engaged and content through engagement activities that can help build the culture of your business. It’s great to plan virtual meetings and other group activities to help compensate for any distance. A physical gathering of employees that are in the same area is also a great method to increase the team’s engagement.
Establish strong ethics of accountability Because of the lack of transparency, employees must be open about their issues and struggles. Meetings for one-on-ones and check-ins with supervisors are a good idea to help create trust and build accountability for employees.
Avoiding burnouts: Another risk of working remotely, particularly at home can be the blurring of boundaries between work and home. It’s difficult to know when work is over and when you can go home. Even with a remote configuration, however, it’s essential to ensure that you have a balance between work and life to prevent burnout, which can cause harm to the mental health of your employees.

About The Author: Build remote teams with the world’s best talent with Snaphunt

Snaphunt is a leading remote hiring platform that gives employers instant access to remote & onsite talent, anywhere in the world.

Post jobs on Snaphunt’s comprehensive platform which provides employers with cutting-edge screening & collaboration to manage their process with ease, all the way till hire. Snaphunt has a sourcing reach of over 650m professionals & a dedicated talent pool of over 1.5 million candidates.

In addition to the platform, we also offer tailored solutions, to help you scale your team fast with vetted talent, so that you can make your next hire in days instead of months!

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