An increasing number of businesses – particularly small businesses – are choosing to hire remote worker staff rather than permanent employees. There are some significant benefits to be gained, both operationally and financially – read on to see if your business could benefit too.
5 remote worker benefits
- Save money on overheads – permanent employees cost you more than just a salary. You also need to provide them with somewhere to work – and a laptop or computer to work on. It’s also likely that your lighting and heating bills will increase, and you’ll need to buy office furniture and office supplies. Someone who is working from home or a free co-working space can do all the tasks you need without any additional costs.
- Dedicated expertise – the right person for the job isn’t always on the doorstep. Your ideal hire might live miles away, which restricts their ability to come and work in your office every day. But it doesn’t mean they can’t work for you at all. In fact, if you can be open to a different way of working, you can access expertise like remote bookkeeping or remote secretarial services that fulfil all your needs.
- Pay for the time you use – a remote member of staff doesn’t have to work full time. In fact, they don’t even have to be on your payroll. For example, a remote administrative assistant may have some ongoing duties that help to support your business, and can then work some additional hours on specific projects. They’ll charge an hourly or daily rate, and you’ll know exactly how much they will cost, which helps your budgeting and cash flow.
- Support business growth – this is a great way to manage the growth of your business. Whether it’s marketing support or an executive assistant, remote workers allow your business to be agile, responding to new customer needs, helping with product launches or service extensions so that you can concentrate on growing your business.
- It makes your business efficient – when core tasks are being taken care of outside your office, there’s less time lost to office catch-ups and distractions. You can manage your staff using calls and video conferences, and use project management software to manage and keep track of tasks.
Some things to think about
If you’re considering using remote staff – either as permanent employees or as an occasional resource, there are some things you should think about:
- Setting boundaries – many people choose remote working because it fits with their other commitments, or because they want more control over their working lives. So it might be useful to set some core hours or days so that you both know what’s expected and when.
- Keep communications open – when someone is not in the office, it’s easy for them to feel left out, or unsure about what’s required of them. Make sure you communicate regularly with your remote workers by email, phone and video call and, if possible, have a face-to-face meeting so that you can maintain a clear working relationship.
- Be clear about salary and payment – remote workers can operate on a number of bases. They may be self-employed, work for an agency or want a salary. If you are paying them a direct salary, you will also need to take care of other employer responsibilities such as National Insurance and pension contributions. If they are working with an agency, you should make sure you agree with the rates and any additional costs. Self-employed remote workers are responsible for their own tax and national insurance payments.
If you are looking for experienced remote workers to help you manage and grow your business feel free to call us on 0800 994 9016 or use our contact form in the menu above.