Introduction
With the intensive globalization of the economy and the massive spread of telecommunications technology, remote work has become a routine part of modern business. Reinforced by social constraints due to COVID-19, remote work has become closely embedded in companies’ operational processes, so many employees have switched to the format of working from home.
It is worth understanding that there may be not only cultural and ethnic differences between remote employees but also geographical ones since, in the global economy, companies hire workers from other regions and even countries if they see them as professional and talented. This dramatically saves office resources and reduces the need for rent and logistical difficulties — remote employees are unlikely to get caught in traffic jams or not show up for work since they have access to the corporate network from home. On the other hand, this phenomenon has generated measurable risks associated with the need to motivate and rally such employees in work groups and monitor progress and the quality of telecommunications.
Best Practices in Managing Remote Work of International Employees
Intermediary Companies
The risks associated with telecommuting can be covered by global best practices because there is a demand for it. One such practice has been establishing intermediary companies, particularly Remote, which assume all the employer obligations, namely the accrual of wages, benefits, and tax deductions. The need to implement intermediary companies has increased because cooperation with foreign applicants in the context of tax relations can be difficult and even illegal. At the same time, companies do not want to lose clearly talented employees, so it is beneficial to turn to platforms like Remote to streamline the process.
Discipline Rules
The apparent problems of working remotely are associated with a more relaxed home atmosphere, where we may have a less disciplined desire to work. This is not surprising since having a bed, home commitments and relatives, TV, and other distractions hinder productivity. The best practice in this case, according to HBR, is to establish clearly stated rules and discipline to guide the remote worker.
This includes precise time management and time-scheduled video calls, which creates a sense of monitoring the employee’s performance. This includes having line managers and HR workers on staff who can make video calls to an employee from another time zone to cover all international colleagues. It is essential that such calls be varied and include online meetings with the manager, group video chats, HR specialists, and other interested employees so as not to create a sense of routine and monotony in the employee’s work that affects motivation to work.
IT Support for Employees
Telecommunications is a key attribute for remote-format employees, but technology and the Internet can sometimes break down. An excellent practice that promotes continuous productivity and the absence of costs associated with delays is to create a multilingual IT support department for employees. Such a department should work around the clock to assist an employee who encounters a problem from any time zone in a convenient and understandable language.
At the same time, the established IT department can set up a VPN network for corporate communication, minimizing the risks associated with cybercrimes and data leaks. On the part of remote workers, this practice will strengthen their sense of trust in the company and their importance since any of their technical problems will be able to be solved quickly and target-oriented rather than through the use of standard templates and protocols.
Conclusion
Hence, companies increasingly turn to remote collaboration with job seekers in today’s business era. This has several benefits, but it also creates many risks, the price of which is borne by us, the end consumers of products and services. Various business practices are recommended to minimize the adverse organizational effects. The practices discussed in this newsletter included intermediary services for optimized hiring and collaboration, continuous monitoring and a set frequency of diverse video calls, and the creation of 24/7 multilingual IT support for all employees from different corners of the globe.
References
Larson, B. Z., Vroman, S. R., & Makarius, E. E. (2020). A guide to managing your (newly) remote workers. HBR. Web.
Mulholland, P. (2021). The cross-border pitfalls of ‘working from anywhere’. Financial Times. Web.
Murphy, J. (2022). How to create the perfect work from home policy for your company in 2023 [with template & samples]. Snack Nation. Web.