Remote Working
A lot of people tend to think that the pandemic is responsible for normalizing remote work, but the truth is we were already well on our way towards that reality. In fact, Social Canvas has been working entirely remote since it was founded, so we know first hand how beneficial that can be. Since remote work is one of our core values, we wanted to share a little bit about how our team collaborates across international borders to service our widespread client base.
Having a remote team is not only beneficial to our employees, but it allows us to better serve our clients. Being remote allows our us to hire for talent rather than proximity, and to provide service to clients regardless of their location. This means our team is global, which provides a diversity of viewpoints and ‘round-the-clock service. Plus, our costs can be more competitive because we save on things like office space and transportation.
After a year and a half global “trial run,” it’s become quite clear that remote works. This sort of unintended social experiment not only proved the feasibility of having teams work entirely remote, but went one step further by demonstrating a massive boost in productivity. One study found a 47% year-over-year productivity spike in 2020. Plus, according to Global Workplace Analytics, companies can save on average around $11,000 per year for every single employee who works from home at least some of the time. Since numbers like that are so compelling, there’s no doubt that some form of remote will stick around in most organizations’ long-term structure. Actually, 85% of managers believe that having teams with remote workers will become the new norm, and since they’re the ones making the decisions, it’s pretty much a given. For some, that will mean having an entirely remote workforce, but for the great majority it will be a more hybrid model in which there is some sort of balance between working remotely and on-site. And for others still, like J.P. Morgan, working remotely will be taken off the table entirely. Just like telework is not for every individual, it’s not for every organization. Rather, it’s a case-by-case basis, and it requires an ongoing fine-tuning process for those who choose to implement it.
Many organizations, including Social Canvas, were already operating entirely remote pre-Covid. For some industries, like digital marketing, it makes a lot of sense to operate at least partially remote. The world we live in today prioritizes flexibility, and nothing says flexibility like work from anywhere. It allows people the opportunity to balance their work life with their personal goals such as exploring the world, working on their own projects, and raising a family. This flexibility is largely what makes remote working so appealing to the average person. In fact, an overwhelming 87% of people surveyed want the option to continue working remotely long after the pandemic subsides. Not only do they want it, but they want it so badly that most people would take a 7% pay cut in exchange for the ability to work remotely. The fact of the matter is remote has never looked so good, and employees have never had so much bargaining power to keep it.
By 2025, an estimated 70% of the workforce will be working remotely at least five days a month. Since more organizations/individuals than ever before are adopting work from anywhere, we thought we’d share some of the things we’ve found to be helpful in maintaining strong culture and productivity across our international Social Canvas team.
1. Communication is Key
First and foremost, communication is key. Whether your organization is new to working remotely or you’ve been doing it for as long as you can remember, keeping a clear line of communication is always essential. Yes, even more so than when operating on-site. That’s because miscommunication is more likely over virtual communication channels. Surprisingly, that’s not due to the fact that these platforms are lacking in their ability to convey clearly, but rather because people are less inclined to communicate as frequently and openly when they’re not physically present. By having your team prioritize communication, and make a consistent effort to provide updates, ask questions, and share insights, you can significantly mitigate the risk of miscommunication. Don’t forget, communication is a two way street and relies just as much on listening as it does on speaking up! This keeps team members on the same page about what’s going on and minimizes opportunities for disconnectivity.
2. Lean on technology
Utilizing the countless technologies at our fingertips can be a huge help not only in communication, but overall organization and productivity. Some of our favorites for communication are of course Slack and Zoom. Our Slack isn’t just a place for business talk, because we like to make a point to have friendly, non-work exchanges too. This way, our team bonding happens organically, and on its own schedule. Other platforms that have changed the game for our entirely remote team are Asana and Toggl. Asana is where we keep all of our projects and tasks organized with deadlines, descriptions, and assignees. This boosts visibility and (selectively) allows for more streamlined collaboration within and across teams. Toggl is a timetracker that we use to understand the amount of time we’re putting towards projects and clients needs, so that we can be more informed in pricing our services and utilizing our resources. We could go on and on about all the technologies we love (and we did, in this blog), but for time’s sake we’ll just mention one more. Dubsado is the most recent addition to our toolbox, and it serves (mostly) as a client portal. Here, our clients can have a sort of one-stop-shop for all things Social Canvas. We can upload documents for them to review/download, set up meetings, create recurring invoices that can be paid with the click of a button, and so much more.
3. Have Regular Team-Building Meetings
When a team operates entirely, or even partially remote, having regular video meetings is so important. This helps mitigate the lone-wolf mentality by bringing individuals together as part of the same cause. Sometimes, when people work on different projects for different clients, it can be easy to feel isolated from other colleagues. Monthly organization-wide meetings, weekly team check-ins, and quarterly reviews go a long way in fostering a united team spirit. During these meetings, it helps to have a camera-mandatory policy so that people can really connect with each other and have reason to feel fully present. In our meetings, both internal and client-facing, we have a strict “no multitasking” rule. For some, this can be hard, but for all, it provides great benefits. Not only do regular internal meetings facilitate communication, but more importantly they foster a strong sense of company culture. The importance of culture is one of the most commonly undervalued components of business. It might surprise you that 58% of job seekers in the U.S. indicated that company culture was more important than salary.
Whether you’re making the transition to partial or full time remote working, or you’re building a remote team from scratch, it’s the little things that go furthest. Take the time to communicate effectively, find the right tools, and build company culture. Figuring out the right balance that makes your remote team thrive is an ongoing process, because there’s always room for improvement. Be patient, and have fun with it!
