Tag: Outsourcing

How to effectively manage your remote employees

Posted on by Ashley Kinsey

Remote working took the world by storm in 2020 and looks like it’s here to stay, so for businesses to see the most success, it’s essential to understand how to manage remote workers effectively. This method can bring better outcomes than traditional office work when used correctly. However, there are also large chances of failure without the right strategy in place. So we’re discussing some of the main areas that could take a hit when diving into remote working and how to best approach them.

Wellbeing

Whether your employees are fully remote or hybrid working, their wellbeing may be harder to monitor and maintain. Caring for employees is much easier when you’re all in the same environment on a daily basis, so we must change how we do things to show our care digitally. Using video call platforms helps ensure employees can still socialise and will not become lonely and isolated. In addition to this, coming together as a team for team-building activities or fun events outside of work hours can help nurture valuable work relationships and make people happier in their roles.

Connectivity

Remaining efficient can be a change for some due to a lack of collaboration and connectivity between teams. Ensuring you have a suitable tech stack is vital to keeping your workforce connected in a remote setting. Applications that many have seen success using include Trello, Slack and Microsoft teams. These messaging, planning and video platforms make communication especially clear and relatively simple. These allow you to create dedicated workspaces with certain team members, replicating an office, except over these channels. 

Accountability

We’ve all seen individuals who have taken working from home for granted and used the time to relax, so you must get it right. One way of combatting this is asking employees to create reports and offer proof of what they have achieved in their allocated time. There are many tools available which can support these efforts, such as toggle, the popular time-tracking app. Toggle allows you to list your daily task and create PDF reports consolidating all information on your hours worked.

Quality  

There are several reasons for quality to be monitored when switching to a remote working model. Some may feel less motivated, struggle without direct supervision or become more distracted. Motivation can be lifted by encouraging employees to change their surroundings, whether it’s a different room in their house or taking a trip to a coffee shop. This could also help with managing any distractions that would not be in place within an office.

Hybrid vs Fully remote

Hybrid working has stemmed from the working-from-home initiative, helping businesses to reap the benefits of flexible working without losing too much control. Working in a business location a few times a week and working from home the remaining. This gives the opportunity to catch up with colleagues fully and eliminate any issues. 

A fully remote workforce could help you save further costs as a business but will take much more thought, as shown by the discussion points above. This way of working is not less effective than hybrid working, but it could be beneficial to start with a hybrid approach to determine whether it would be something suitable for your business.

Find this useful? You may also enjoy reading The only guide you need to retain your talent.

The top 5 ways to save your business costs in 2023

Posted on by Ashley Kinsey

Following the start of the economic downturn in 2022, cost savings are a dominant focus this year for businesses of all kinds. Though, there is lots to be considered due to the many knock-on effects, including reduced quality or difficulty managing demand. Therefore your actions should be carefully considered and best-suited to your particular business. Here, we’re going through some of the most beneficial ways of minimising costs.

Managing budgets more closely

Losing track of your spending can result in significant cost rises when we look at an entire year of small mistakes, meaning it’s easy to dismiss day-to-day if it’s not frequently reviewed. Budgets are there to ensure the best possible return is achieved when spending a business’s capital, so it’s important they are adhered to as closely as possible if overspending is not going to greatly impact the return. Staying on top of budgets can be made easier with the correct software, whether you prefer to see figures in an Excel spreadsheet or in a dedicated system.

Increase efficiency

A lack of productivity can be a massive drain on costs and is often less apparent than other issues as the spending is less direct. This can very much come down to the quality of your team and finding the best way for them to gel. Having talented individuals is one thing, but having them work together as a team effectively is what makes a difference. Ways to improve this side of your business include, team-building activities and digital collaboration tools such as Slack or Trello.

Overseas labour 

In recent years, we have seen extreme increases in UK salaries, resulting in extra stress being put on your bottom line. At DeskFrnd, we offer global co-employment solutions to offer you the best overseas talent without the worries of administration and implementation. These individuals live and breathe everything you do, either as an extension of your workforce or as your entire team. Your team is located in our super hubs, giving you complete accountability and control when managing their daily operations. Best of all, we offer up to a 60% cost saving over UK salaries, meaning you can invest your money elsewhere.

Downsizing with remote workers

Going hand in hand with the above point, reducing the size of your headquarters can be a huge cost saver. If more of your workforce is remote, you require less space and can reduce your monthly rent. In today’s environment, it’s not uncommon for businesses to remove their physical headquarters altogether, improving their profit margin massively. This may sound simple, but without a co-employment organisation housing your workers, you could lose control due to workers being at home.

Utilising technology

As a business, we are huge on collaboration throughout teams, but we also understand it doesn’t always need to be in person. With so many applications available to us, we can be in another contacts office with the click of a button. This can save you costs on travel expenses and reduce your time on the road, also making you more efficient. Aside from your typical interactive platforms, you can also reduce costs through efficiency using time-tracking apps, such as Toggle Track or HourStack.

If you found this useful, you may also enjoy reading about How a PEO can change the future of your business.