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Globally distributed teams – the future of work and your company!
Karthik Sridharan
Last updated on
One of the main drivers of a startup’s success, is its ability to build a strong team. Hence, companies compete fiercely to attract the best talent in the market. Critical to succeed in this regard has required periodic reinvention of the status quo. To this end, a new trend gathering serious momentum across the world, especially among leading tech companies, is that of globally distributed remote teams.
What is a globally distributed team?
As the name suggests, it involves a company building its team without any restriction on geography; i.e. each person working remotely from his/ her location. The concept of an office becomes irrelevant!
Is it really a trend?
Oh, yes! Invision, Github, Gitlab and Zapier are just a few of the top tech companies around the world that have already invested into it. Even at Flexiple, our entire tech team is set up remotely. Moreover, a majority of hiring managers agree that remote working has become more common, expecting 38% of employees to work remotely in the next decade.
What is so good about it?
A globally distributed team surely has a lot going for it, such as:
1. Best person for the job: Often companies find it tough to hire the right person in their city. Just because a firm isn’t based out of the “tech hub of the country”, it shouldn’t be denied quality individuals. With access to a global talent pool, the firm no longer needs to compromise on any aspect of its hire.
2. Attract More Talent: Worldwide, talent place a huge amount of importance on flexibility and convenience gained from working remotely. Further, certain persons might have personal commitments that prevent them from long commutes. Therefore, by offering remote working options, companies can tap into all such individuals.
3. Improved retention: Firms offering remote working not only gain a new audience, but also ensure the retention of their current employees. With change in personal circumstances, employees might be forced to shift cities or be unable to travel to office. If working remotely isn’t a possibility, this would result in losing out on all the contextual knowledge and expertise they bring to the table!
4. Higher productivity: Long and tiring travel forms one of the most unproductive parts of everyone’s worklife. Eliminating the need for such commute frees up time and energy for work. Moreover, allowing one’s staff to choose their own work timings enables them to perform at their maximum efficiency.
5. Change dynamics of competition: As discussed, each company is competing with the top firms of the world, including Google, Facebook, etc., to capture the mindspace of quality talent. Competing purely on financial perks with such mammoths is a dangerous proposition. Instead, one can change the parameters of measure by promoting oneself as a “remote-friendly organisation”! This becomes a clear differentiator in the eyes of your potential employees.
So, should we become a “remote-friendly organisation” immediately?
Without doubt, opening the doors of your organisation to talent worldwide has numerous advantages. However, firms need to build the right processes around communication, interaction etiquettes and employee engagement, amongst others, to leverage its benefits. Implemented in the right fashion, a distributed workforce can be a great tool in propelling a company through its next growth phase.
