If you are thinking about building a startup sooner rather than later, the first thing that you need to decide is whether you will work from office or remotely. This decision is important because of the current situation and the changes it has brought to the way businesses operate. Many startups still consider remote work as a big dilemma, which shouldn’t be the case considering its popularity and widespread acceptance and adoption in the last six or so months.
Startups are build to disrupt traditional way of working or to bring a new outlook to old processes. Although many startups would want their team to work under one roof for better collaboration and communication, however, they need to realise that if they have the right remote working tools in place, there won’t be any problem in doing so remotely
Startups that can’t make a decision should look at the benefits that remote working can potentially offer them. Going remote should be your preference and not compulsion. For this to happen, you need to make sure that you are well aware of the pros and cons of remote working for start-ups. Collect all the information you can before making a decision. Don’t ever make a decision based on someone else’s success. Your startup idea is unique and so, the way it is going to be run will also be different. Here are a few important factors that will help you choose the right direction for your startup business.
Going remote makes complete business sense. By working remotely, you can do away with the office overheads once and for all. The worst kept secret when it comes to startups is that they have a limited budget. When startups run from an office, there are expenses that they can’t put a lid on. Office spaces don’t come cheap and neither does the IT infrastructure that needs to be put in place for the actual work to begin. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to office expenses.
When a startup operates remotely, all its employs either work from their home or any other place of their choice. The startup doesn’t have to pay for the overheads anymore. And if you ask your employees, many of them would readily agree to work remotely. You save all the money associated with office leases, maintenance, and more.
Also Read: How to Build Team Culture in Remote Working Teams?
By going remote, stratups have the entire world to select their employees. Usually though, talent acquisition is a big concern for startups. It is hard for startups to find talent because most of the people looking for jobs are not willing to compromise on their pay. And as startups don’t have too much money to spare, they can’t go beyond their budget.
The problem mostly arises when you are looking for candidates in a particular location. With remote working, you can deal with this problem and look for candidates anywhere in the world. If a candidate fits the profile and is fine with the pay, the location would hardly matter when you are working remotely. So you get to choose from a talent pool that spans the entire world. What more can you ask for?
Startups that choose to work remotely have another avenue open right in front of them – outsourcing. For instance, you can hire an IT outsourcing company to manage your IT. By outsourcing software development or another IT function to a software development company, you can free yourself of the work that comes with managing in-house employees that do that job. Even managing an internal team of remote workers can be too much work. By choosing an outsourcing partner, you leave yourself enough time to focus on things that are more important for the growth of your business.
The very idea of having a remote team is to have flexibility not only in terms of work hours but also work place. By opting to go remote, you give your remote workers the freedom of when and where they want to work. Many employees don’t like working closely with bosses that like to micromanage. By working remotely, they can do away with this problem. With this flexibility and freedom, your remote workers are less likely to complain about monotony and work stress amongst other things. They are open to take breaks whenever they want and are free to work at their own pace. However, it is important to ensure that daily targets are met.
When you choose to go remote, you choose to go green. When you and your employees work remotely, you don’t have to travel for work on a daily basis. So you and your remote employees won’t be using public transport or their own vehicles to commute to work. Fewer vehicles on the road mean lesser air pollution. Also, by not travelling to work like regular employees, your remote workers can save a lot of money as well. This could be a great perk for your potential employees to look at.
Our world has changed a lot since the pandemic hit us early this year. Remote working has become more commonplace than ever. It is a great way for businesses, especially startups to operate within their limited budgets.
Praveen is a seasoned IT Solutions Leader and Director at RSK Business Solutions, a technology-driven IT Consulting Company that specializes in Bespoke Software Development, Agile Consulting, Mobile App Development, Smart Sourcing, and much more. For the last 17 years, he has been delivering quality custom IT solutions that help businesses achieve their goals.