Posted on 28/05/2025
The workplace looks much different from how it did at the beginning of this century. Nowadays, people don't even need to step into the office to get through the workday – not with the rise of remote working, which many businesses have pursued. Hiring remote workers makes a lot of sense, considering that it can slash your expenses by a great amount while also providing your teams with a better work life balance.
It's not all straightforward, though. Setting up a remote team may be harder than anticipated, whether you must hire a fully remote team or get a current in-office one to transition. So, if you're ready to step into the twenty-first century and manage part of your business entirely remotely, use this essential guide.
To set up a professional remote team, you will first need to invest in the right technology; you won't be able to get started without it! Naturally, you and your team will need a good working laptop/computer to be able to run the necessary software, as well as a microphone and camera for video conferencing. Then, there's the software you will use to manage the remote team. The most popular software for remote teams is Slack, which enables seamless communication between virtual teams. There are others, though, and you'll need to look into the ease of communication, time tracking, integration, and file sharing when choosing one. Here are some others that may interest you:
· Hackpad
· Microsoft Teams
· Google Workspace
· Asana
· Loom
· Monday.com
· ProofHub
· Hubstaff
· Figma
Overall, the idea is to find the right software that will make collaboration just as easy as if you were together in real life.
A virtual address is not absolutely necessary for managing a remote team, but it's undoubtedly worth considering as it provides plenty of benefits. First, there's the professional image it conveys – when searching for remote workers, it helps to have a singular address to make a good impression (not to mention that it looks better to clients and customers). It's also extremely convenient for things like mail handling and phone transfers.
Virtual addresses can also provide a meeting point for your employees. If there is ever the chance to gather the team in real life (or part of the team), some virtual addresses offer physical meeting rooms that will allow you to do this, strengthening your team's bond even further.
You can find virtual addresses all over the world. However, before you pick somewhere, think carefully about where the address is. Popular UK cities for virtual addresses include London, Leeds, Manchester, and Bristol.
Now onto the most crucial aspect of building a remote team: getting the right employees. Remote working works well for some people, as they find the absence of a work commute beneficial to their work-life balance and can even focus better in their home environment. However, there are also some obstacles for many people, especially regarding motivation and distractions.
Transitioning Current Employees: Getting current employees to transition to remote working can be hard, as working from home is very different from working in an office each day. The key here is to choose the employees that are on board with the change. If you have the choice of only some of your employees, for example, it's best not to choose the legacy employee who feels comfortable being in a physical office.
Hiring Remote Workers: Hiring remote workers looks a lot different from hiring in-person employees. You'll have to do virtual interviewing and onboarding, setting clear expectations early on so you and the new employees understand what is necessary for the role. You will want a team of employees that showcase technical proficiency as well as evidence of organisational skills and a ton of motivation.
It is not as easy to build a company culture when everything takes place virtually – but it is doable. In fact, it's pretty crucial, as you want your virtual team to feel part of something, to feel proud of the company they work for. For this, you'll need to set strong company values and be fully transparent about them. Having a single mission statement can really help with this, as it will communicate exactly what your company is about in just several words.
Defining a company culture for your virtual team is one thing – maintaining it is another entirely! There is a lot to figure out here, particularly regarding your employees and how well they work with your company from their own homes. It helps to keep up with your virtual team through video conferencing regularly – for example, fortnightly team meetings where everyone shares what they have been working on work well for this. You should also find a way to measure results so you can see which employees are working to expectations. Start with clear guidelines on expectations, and then measure how your employees are working through one-on-one management.
Trust is also essential here – being overly controlling can have the opposite effect on what you want. Giving remote employees additional responsibilities, such as meeting certain goals each week, can help boost motivation and trust within the team.
When setting up a brand-new remote team, you will inevitably encounter problems in the early days – don't worry, this is normal! To ensure your remote team stays successful, though, you must iron out any issues as soon as they arise, whether that's a lack of good communication, virtual employees that don't pull their weight, misaligned time zones, or software that doesn't work well for your company. Speak openly with your virtual team to see what type of problems are arising on their end, as they might not all be clear to management.
Remote work environments look very different from typical offices. Building a remote team takes some work; you must think more about hiring the right type of motivated employees while setting up software that makes communication and collaboration seamless. The process may be tough in the beginning, but it can make way for a more cost-effective business with more possibilities to go global.
Are you looking for a virtual office to better define your company? Whether you want an international business address to expand globally or a big UK city one for a more professional image, we have the addresses you need, so browse our categories or get in touch today.
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