Your office staff are no longer content with sitting inside a cubicle for eight to nine hours and traveling home just to repeat the cycle the following day. With the development of tech, however, people can now accomplish the same workload wherever they are as long as they have an internet connection. Because of this, remote working is becoming increasingly popular.
According to a study by Owl Labs, 56% of companies in the United States allow remote work. Some companies are fully remote as they have no actual physical address, while others offer both remote and in-office options.
But is remote working right for your business? Here are some questions you must ask yourself before jumping on the trend.
#1. Does remote work fit my business model?
There are certain fields where the location of the professional doesn't matter much, if at all, such as marketing, mobile app development, and information technology. Then there are business models that can truly benefit from the mobility that such setups allow.
For instance, remote work is advantageous for law firms, which require lawyers to travel to meet their clients. The same goes for architects and engineers, who are usually stationed in places beyond the main office to oversee projects on-site.
However, for companies that want to keep their confidential data contained in the office, remote work may be ill-advised, as cybercriminals can find a way to trick your employees into handing out your information.
#2. What are the pros and cons of implementing a remote work system?
Take time to look at your business processes thoroughly. What factors encourage or hinder you from implementing remote work? Here are some ideas to help you:
| Pros | Cons |
| Improves employee retention by allowing them to be more flexible | Employee adjustment with new deadlines, frequent meetings, and regular work reports |
| Allows for better communication, as team members will learn to use email and instant messaging (IM) apps better | Tracking of employees’ workday becomes more difficult |
| Lowered costs for both employer and employee | Employer could lose control over confidential data |
Binatech offers a hosted Voice over IP (VoIP) telephony solution that can be valuable for remote workers. VoIP allows you to promote continued collaboration between employees even if some of them aren’t in the office, allowing workflow to be more efficient. The technology gives your company more opportunity for growth by enabling you to communicate and hire people from different locations at a minimal cost.
#3. Should I hire freelancers or remote employees?
Know the pros and cons of these two options. In a nutshell, a contract freelancer and a remote employee will differ in salary and taxes.
| Freelancers | Remote employees |
| Fixed payment | Paid hourly |
| No need to handle social security, medical fees, and federal and state unemployment taxes | Reliant on you to pay taxes on their behalf |
| Can define their workload and set their own working tools and schedules | More definable workload and schedule than freelancers |
| Can leave as soon as the work is done or their contract has expired | Has a regular employee contract |
It will entirely be up to your business’s current model to determine if you should implement a remote work setup. If you do, make sure to come up with a policy that will place security at the forefront of your strategy to protect company data from falling into the wrong hands.
Considering remote work for your organization? We can help. Binatech’s VoIP system lets you communicate with your employees wherever you are, as if you’re also in the office. Want to know more? Drop us a line today.
