Remote work is effective and it's time to take advantage of it
As the leader of a business specialising in remote staffing solutions, there has been a significant silver lining to the storm clouds brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In early 2020, almost overnight many businesses were forced to move to a pattern of home-based work for their teams as restrictions on movement gave no other option that to adapt quickly and keep operations running.
For most businesses, a shift to flexible and remote work had been occurring organically but the pace was inconsistent and neither employee nor employer were reaping full benefit. Many months later businesses across all spectrums of industry have found what we have known at Guild Solutions, Inc for some time; a team working remotely can be equally productive (and in most cases more productive) than a team which is co-located.
City of Melbourne, Australia at twilight hour | Rudy Balasko from Getty Images
The traditional hurdles associated with remote working were removed through optimisation of technology and a shift to leaders focusing on outcomes rather than how many hours staff were sat at a desk. The highly regarded ‘watercooler conversation’ was replaced by instant messaging, staff attended meetings using their mobile phones and documents were seamlessly shared using centralised cloud-based solutions. All-in-all, organisations learnt to become much more efficient overnight and the traditional 9-to-5 in-office working model was being rightly questioned.
The traditional hurdles associated with remote working were removed through optimisation of technology and a shift to leaders focusing on outcomes rather than how many hours staff were sat at a desk.
Whilst some parts of the world will start to regain a sense of normality in the near future as COVID-19 vaccine rollouts proceed in earnest, it is clear that a step change has occurred in the nature of work for many professional industries both here in Australia and across the globe. Prospective employees have not only experienced being part of a remote team, but in many instances will demand flexibility from their organisation. The blur between work and life has never been fuzzier. But for Australian business, this new normal of dispersed teams brings immense opportunity. Removing barriers associated with staffing location means organisations have a much broader talent pool from which to attract candidates, including the use of offshore talent. On the flipside, companies not leveraging the benefits of a globally enabled workforce are likely to find themselves at a competitive disadvantage in accessing skills, driving productivity and managing staffing costs. By way of comparison, a business might expect to save up to 50% of salary costs on a like-for-like basis when hiring internationally.
That’s not to suggest integrating an offshore workforce is easy; in addition to the specific leadership traits needed for leading a remote team, there are often cultural and operational factors to be considered. But with the appropriate effort and intent, an offshore workforce will bring long-lasting benefit to many Australian organisations and post-pandemic is the ideal time to get onboard.
Guild Solutions, Inc is a wholly-owned Australian company providing bespoke offshore staffing solutions to Australian businesses. I would be happy to speak with you regarding how we can help your business to grow.
Book a meeting with me now or email us at enablinyou@guildsolutionsinc.com.au.