As many working parents will understand, juggling a job and a child is not just two jobs, it’s more like seven! You need a lot of time to raise your child, and if you are running a business concurrently, it can feel like you’re splitting your parenting duties between the two. It’s no surprise then that many people opt to run their businesses from their own home so they can kill two birds with one stone. There are definite advantages on a personal level to doing this, but you also need to find the right methods of leadership that encourage maximum productivity, from your staff as well as from yourself! Remote working isn’t easy from either perspective, so here is how you can ease the stress.
Outsourcing
Photo: Nick Youngson
As a blanket term, getting additional help when it’s possible will be the lifesaver you need. Whether you are overseeing a small team, or you are struggling to manage a team of 60, all working remotely, outsourcing certain tasks to others, either through freelance sites or hiring someone on a part-time basis, will ease the pressure. A virtual assistant is one such job that many remote workers use because of the reduction in workload and the ability to set deadlines for certain tasks, all done in the comfort of your own home.
Utilize The Right Resources
If the same queries with your staff members crop up again and again, to save time in giving the answer, creating a process bible or book of rules that is comprehensive and easy to follow will help you out, but it will also result in fewer mistakes from your staff. If you are managing a team of bloggers, making sure they are using sources that meet your approval will increase quality and quantity. It doesn’t have to be a bible you’ve created yourself, there could be useful online resources too. A site like Blogging.com, for example, can help your writers in every aspect of the blogging process. As long as the resources are clear and easy to follow, it will result in a lot less time wasted.
Communicate Properly
Running a business remotely is going to test your skills in so many ways, and if your communication channels are not the best, your patience will be tested too. Every business has its own method of communicating with their employees, whether it is a daily or weekly email, or regular conference calls, only you can decide what the best method is. But if you don’t see the results you need, you have to look at, firstly, whether your communication channels are right for the work, and secondly, if you are communicating yourself effectively. Do you need to speak to people on a one-to-one basis regularly? If so, is an email conversation the best method? Maybe a phone conversation in the morning will clear up any issues from the previous day and avoid a lot of emails. Even if you don’t have the funds, you can use online hangout tools to quickly chat to someone.