Even before the COVID-19 pandemic made businesses find innovative ways of working together without being in close physical proximity, there was already a shift to remote work.

America already has seven million employees working remotely and, according to a recent Gallup report, 43% of employees were working remotely occasionally.

Hiring remote workers will give your company an exciting opportunity to hire top talent globally.

Although, managing an elite global workforce comes with challenges, which is why remote workforce management is important.

Putting the right system in place before you make the shift to a global remote workforce will ensure success for all your business objectives.

How do you know that remote workforce management will help your business grow globally? Just look at the benefits! Many of which are in this article.

If you are ready to take your operations and recruitment global and reap the rewards that go with it, keep reading. You will learn more about how remote workforce management can help your business grow globally.

What Is Remote Workforce Management?

This term refers to the practice of leading and managing a remote workforce effectively.

Usually, remote workforce management comprises a combination of: 

  • Processes
  • Communication
  • Technology

These three factors create a productive remote workforce.

To fully invest in a successful remote workforce, an organization must offer substantive training. They must center training on relevant topics that can benefit both managers and employees alike.

Challenges of a Remote Team

It can be difficult to create structure when you are no longer in a traditional office, and everyone works in different time zones. Despite all the changes, there must be a structure that nurtures productivity.

Another common challenge can be a lack of communication. When you can no longer stop by someone’s cube, things can seem tricky when you want to give someone a simple message.

If your remote workers cannot see you often, how can they trust you? How can you trust they are working efficiently? It’s a slippery slope, but that is why remote workforce management is so important.

Just because you are not in physical proximity does not mean that you cannot communicate well with your colleagues. It only means that you must change the way you communicate to a method that works virtually.

Instead, colleagues must look to FaceTime calls and instant messenger. Scheduling weekly virtual catch-up calls help too with bringing teams together, making them more cohesive.

Removing Barriers

When you centralize managing your global workforce, you create better outcomes. Remote workforce management is about creating standards.

A primary way to create standards for remote workers is to give them clear, well-documented processes. You want to avoid ambiguities with policies and procedures, and this will help you achieve that.

Communication can be chaotic if you allow everyone to use their own system. One standard communication tool is key. Everyone should collaborate and meet on the same platform.

It is the same thing with managing documents. Files, images, etc. for projects should all be in one virtual area, allowing for distributed team management.

Global Talent Means a Larger Talent Pool

When you are looking for local workers, you can be in a bit of a bind finding someone with the niche skill set you need. The more specific your needs are for the right skill set, the better off you are when you recruit contractors globally. Casting a wider net and searching for a remote global workforce means you get more options and potentially better talent that is suited for a particular job or task.

Hire Contractors to Help You Scale Accordingly

When you are scaling, up or down, or you have a new temporary project to complete, it may not be in the company’s best interests to take on full-time permanent workers. It is best to hire contractors.

Plus, if you do not think it will be a permanent situation, it may not necessarily matter where the person is located. What you need is the job to get done and for it to be done well. Remote workforce management helps to make sure you get the help you need, for the job you need, for as long as you need it to be performed.

Project Management

In any situation involving multiple remote workers, thinking like a project manager will help ensure the timely completion of successful business objectives. When you work in an office together, you can see whether someone feels overwhelmed and struggling or underutilized and bored.

Knowing everyone’s current tasks and assignments helps to delegate additional work. A centralized way to manage workload helps keep workers productive, motivated, and happy.

Contractor Management

When you have a lot of contractors helping you from different locations and working on different projects, you need to know who is working on what and how far along they are with a specific project. There must be a consistent way to delegate and hold contractors accountable.

You will also need a simple way to track the number of hours worked or projects completed, depending on how you measure the work output and pay contractors.

Standards for Payments

When you are working with large groups of talent that live all over the world, compensating them can be challenging too. A multi-country payroll is very complex.

Remote workforce management standardizes payroll and contractor payments. It creates general rules for how much you compensate global talent, at what cadence they receive payments, and how they receive the funds. This is all based on the many laws and regulations that govern countries across the world. 

Giving Kudos

When workers are doing a good job, even going the extra mile, they will only continue to do so if they feel you recognize them. Managing a global workforce means giving credit where credit is due and letting someone know that you “see them.” It is good to make public announcements because it shows all workers that you recognize achievements, even achievements that are made from home.

Contractor Management Services Agency

If you want to hire independent contractors globally to bring in the relevant expertise you are looking for and eliminate the risk of a permanent workforce, Bradford Jacobs can help you. Hiring overseas independent contractors can be complex, but we make it easier by centralising your network.

Avoid delays and unnecessary costs associated with employing a global contractor workforce. Contact Bradford Jacobs today to simplify your needs and achieve business goals with remote workforce management.