Are you looking for ways to get the most out of your remote staff? Do you have a dream team of freelancers that are helping your business thrive? If so, then you need to learn all that you can about workflow optimization for remote work.
You might be surprised to find out that 77-percent of remote workers are more productive when they work from home. That said, they won’t stay consistent without the proper leadership to help them stay focused.
See below for an in-depth guide listing several important workflow optimization tips you can use to help your team or remove developers and/or freelancers reach new heights.
1. Prepare Thorough Guidelines
First, let’s dig into the mind of a remote worker. Why do people seek out remote opportunities over being in the office? Why are so many people gravitating towards being a freelancer?
Most of them seek some variation of the same thing: more freedom. They don’t want to feel bogged down by their boss or the company they work for. They don’t want their entire day to consist of working at a job, driving to/from that job, taking a lunch break at that job, and staying at the office for nine to ten hours at a time.
You must make your remote workers feel some freedom. Let them know that you care and that you want to help them avoid being glued to their desk all day.
That said, you also need to shepherd them in the way they’re supposed to go. To be more productive, they have to know what you expect from them.
That’s why we recommend providing thorough guidelines on your processes. Create a digital handbook for every position in your business model. What do you expect from them while they work from home? What tasks do they need to perform? How do they check the quality of their work?
2. Know the Common Obstructions
You wouldn’t run an obstacle course without first understanding the different challenges you’d face along the way. In a lot of ways, managing a team of remote workers is similar to an obstacle course.
There are many common obstructions you’ll face daily, weekly, monthly, etc. If you know those obstacles ahead of time, then you can proactively avoid the adversity. Some of the most common hurdles include:
- Long, unnecessary virtual meetings
- Lack of a team atmosphere
- Remote workers feeling alone or disconnected from the team
- Common distractions at home
- Lack of long-term work goals
- Unclear expectations and standards for their work
- Remote workers in different time zones and/or countries
- Not providing the necessary tools to get the job done
It’s your job to set your remote work team up for success. Did you notice a common theme with this list? You—as the manager—have control over a vast majority of these common obstacles.
While you may not be able to cut out all the distractions they have at home, you can provide them more time for deep work by cutting wasteful meetings, providing the right software/tools for their job duties, and setting realistic expectations for their position.
3. Hire the Right Workers
A NASCAR driver doesn’t hit the track in a station wagon; they have the best race cars money can buy before their pit crew starts to tune it up and get it track-ready.
It’s the same thought process with your remote tech hiring. If you want to yield the best results with your team of freelancers, then you need to start by hiring the best ones!
Always look at experience first. Make sure that you’re looking at the experience from a project point of view, not just how many years or companies they’ve worked for. What were their job responsibilities in the previous positions? How does that line up with the job duties of your vacant position?
For remote workers, you want to get a feel for their productivity. Are they a self-starter? What does their daily work schedule look like? How do they hold themselves accountable for their work?
4. Onboard Successfully
This is where most remote work managers fail. They hire top-tier talent, but then immediately flood the worker’s plate with huge projects without any prior training.
You may hire developers with experience, but they need to be clued in on how your business does things. Make sure to outline a strict onboarding process for each position.
Start the outline by listing your end goal: what do you want them to know how to do by the end of the training? Start there and work your way back to day 1 of orientation.
5. Make a Personal Connection
It doesn’t matter how skilled or talented your freelancers are, they won’t work their tails off for you unless they feel a personal connection with you.
Freelancers, like anyone else, want to take pride in the work they do. They want to feel like the work they do is contributing to the long-term success of your brand.
Be sure to take some time out to make a connection with your team. You can try things like Friday afternoon happy hours, team virtual yoga classes, virtual break rooms, or weekly 1 on 1 conversation to stay on the same page.
Get the Most Out of Your Remote Work With These Tips
Now that you have seen an in-depth guide on several workflow tips for productive remote work, be sure to use this information effectively.
Take the time to read this article for more information on how remote recruiting can help you find new talent in a global marketplace.
To get started, be sure to book a call with us and we’ll help you set your company up for success. By investing in your team now, your hard work will pay off in a big way down the line!
