Working with a remote team comes with numerous classic obstacles and challenges, especially now with some companies still requesting that their employees work from home. Some of these obstacles will separate simple bosses from true leaders. Organization and guidelines are essential, but so is being understanding, supportive, and resilient.

With that in mind, here are some tips from the custom web developers at Brad Good.

Hire and Manage a Remote Team

Remote work has its perks — flexibility, a greater pipeline of applicants from which to hire, and low or no costs. It also has a few disadvantages, such as less interaction, possible managing issues, and communication challenges. So how can you maximize the benefits and minimize the disadvantages? Here are a few tips for hiring the right people and getting great results from your remote team.

Hire the Best Professionals

Building a strong team requires a lot of trust and time, mainly when every interaction occurs via online means. So how do you find the best talent? First of all, you need to identify which business's aspects need help from a professional. Then, post a detailed description of the job on various job boards and social media.

The most valuable assets to your business are marketing professionals, which include IT experts, PR specialists, video marketing experts, HR professionals, and accountants. You can find great hires via online job platforms, but make sure you check reviews, delivery time, and rates before offering anyone a job. This is an excellent way to target prospects who have experience working remotely or are looking for a remote job. After choosing the best matches for the position, narrow down your choices with an online interview and a paid test project to gauge skills, professionalism, and rapport.

You can also conduct a background check on potential hires, but make sure you respect the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) regulations. According to the FCRA, you need to disclose when you’re running a background check on candidates. When you gather background information, follow your state's regulations. Some states don’t allow a background check until after the candidate receives a provisory job offer. In many cases, you can only collect information dating back to seven years. Moreover, you may not be permitted to take into account arrests that did not result in a conviction.

Invest in the Necessary Tools

To manage your team efficiently and ensure they do their job properly, provide them with the necessary tools to successfully work remotely. This includes hardware, software, communication services, and apps. For example, picking up a pair of headphones is a must for business calls. You also want to make sure your area provides good, reliable internet.

Next, let’s discuss payroll. When you hire workers to help out with your business, you’ll need to set up a payroll system. Although this is a task you could attempt yourself, it’s best to outsource this task to a payroll service that can handle direct-deposit payments to freelancers and automate your payroll taxes. The takeaway, of course, is that it’s important to look for ways to make doing business a little easier, especially when you’re just starting out.

Keep Up Communication

A well-created onboarding process is a great way to familiarize new remote hires with the clients, procedures, and tools that they need to help you lead your business to success. Videoconferencing technology can be of great help, and so is introducing new employees to the rest of the team. It's also essential to communicate more to compensate for the remote situation and ensure that everyone stays on track and is on the same page.

Set Expectations

An essential thing to do when managing a remote team is to establish shared expectations with everyone involved. These anticipations should include everything from virtual work to project scheduling to production timelines. Let your team know that you want to manage them from afar by having a mass call and reinforce expectations through small group or one-on-one conversations.

The Bottom Line

Hiring valuable remote employees and managing them can seem daunting, especially since this involves a significant amount of trust and leadership. Still, by following a few simple tips, you can lead your team effortlessly. In turn, they will help drive your business to success.