It’s no secret that the powerhouse of any business is its production team. This is regardless of whether a business provides services or produces goods. No business can run without such an essential part. How else are you going to provide what you claim to provide?
There used to be a time when almost every task that was required of a worker was meant to be performed in-person, meaning people would almost always need to show up at the workplace in order to do the tasks that their position required of them.
Today, things have never been more different. You could even say that the norms of today may even be alien to someone who lived during, say, the Industrial Period. With the advent of the internet, information has never been easier to share. This ability to share information without having to worry about time and distance is what gave rise to the employment of remote workers.
So, What’s So Great About Hiring Remote Workers?
Online hiring has been around for over 30 years, but the hiring option only became mainstream when online platforms such as then-Odesk (now Upwork) and Elance were introduced. These platforms gave employers access to potential workers from all around the globe, which in turn made it much easier to find employees for certain tasks. These employees not only had a lower hourly rate, while laws require businesses to provide online workers with the usual benefits (which also means less paperwork and fewer expenses on the employer’s part), this differs for overseas remote workers.
An added bonus with hiring remote workers is that employers are able to run their business from anywhere, as long as there’s an internet connection. There are even services like Spacious that provide affordable co-working spaces for remote workers, thereby essentially eliminating the need to rent a building.
In short, you save a lot of money, and you’re able to work on your own time.
But Hiring Remote Workers Does Have Its Drawbacks
The chief drawback with hiring remote workers is that they cannot be monitored closely as you could monitor an on-site worker. It’s difficult to gauge the consistency and the quality of the work of remote workers. Not only that, but they could also disappear at any time.
But, the most glaring problem of all is that there’s a high chance that they’re difficult to communicate with (unless you’re able to establish regular meeting times and weekly reports). Not every hire you’re going to get will be a home run. And it can be difficult to assess applicants accurately because you don’t meet them in person.
The Conclusion
So, what are they good for? When can you hire remote workers and when should you stick to the conventional way of doing things?
The answer really depends on what stage your business is at and what you currently need done.
If your business is in it starting stages, you may want to hire remote workers to help you with operational tasks. These are tasks that are repetitive and do not require much skill.
If you want to grow your business even further, then you may want to hire in-house workers to help you, especially since this is where the presence of an expert is going to be vital to the growth of your business.
