Remote/virtual team businesses – should I use them?
When I wrote this original blog post back in 2017 about the benefits of using the services of a virtual or remote business, who would have believed that we would be hit by a global pandemic that would change the working landscape forever? But here we are in 2020 where we have seen that most businesses had to implement remote working as a matter of course. The pandemic has opened our minds to remote working and shown that my original comment is true, i.e. it is not the brick and mortar structure that defines us but rather our capabilities, skills and expertise. As a result of Covid many traditional businesses have shown a willingness and commitment to continue with remote working in some way, shape or form and I think that this presents many opportunities and benefits to companies and their clients that they serve.
It is also worth noting though that as a result of Covid, and the many restrictions that were imposed, the companies that I had originally listed below as the top virtual companies are no longer the largest virtual companies. That being said they are definitely the pioneers of this movement and already had robust processes and systems in place to continue to function uninterrupted when the pandemic struck. Many organisations “forced” into remote working on the other hand had to make significant adjustments.
Covid has made remote working a reality and I would hope to see that all companies that have adjusted to and plan to continue with remote working pass on the savings and efficiencies to their clients in the same way as those remote companies who have been virtual from day one.
Original post:
The traditional office environment has changed. Gone are the days of working 9 to 5. Flexi-hours, work from home and geographically dispersed teams have become the norm. Actually, businesses are now even trading brick and mortar buildings to become full-fledged virtual businesses. The biggest virtual companies to date are:
- Scopic Software
- Articulate
- 10up.com
- Clevertech
- Basecamp
- Buffer
- X-Team
- Scrapinghub
- Zapier
- Collage.com
- Fire Engine RED
So, should you use the services of virtual companies? Without a shadow of a doubt. The benefits that companies derive from going virtual are passed on directly to you, for example:
Lower operational costs
This is a no-brainer. No office rent, significant savings in office furniture and décor are just some examples of overheads that are not incurred and thus frees up funds. These funds are in turn used to attract highly qualified staff, are used for innovation or service refinement and, more importantly, the savings are passed on to you, giving you a greater return on your investment.
Office hours
When working in a traditional office environment you have set working hours, and more often than not, employees became prisoners to those office hours. If your office hours are 9 – 5, how often have you come out of your office or a meeting just past 5 to find that most of your colleagues have left? Interestingly research has shown that virtual staff tend to put in more hours than expected. People get in “the zone” and forget about time and you find that more is achieved and delivered.
Access to a larger talent pool
One of the biggest challenges that remote working offers is access to great talent. The location of your business invariably reduces the number of people who will apply for a role. Going virtual - problem solved! Virtual businesses have access to an international resource pool meaning that you no longer have the restriction of time zones or locations and you could have access to the best of the best and not have to settle for what is available.
Greater productivity and value add
Yes, this is true. Virtual teams are happier and more productive because they are better able to manage their hours and, more importantly, are not distracted by office politics or the office clown. The virtual team gets on with the job.
We are living in a time that is continually evolving and with this evolution comes new ways of working - we should no longer be defined by a physical location, we should be defined by what we do and the value that we add.
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