We all wish to have remote employees that can work from the distance, but are they the right answer for our business? Just like any other thing in life, working with remote employees has both advantages and disadvantages. And today we’re going to talk about those advantages and disadvantages of working from the distance.
Thanks to the internet, we can work form the distance or even from the comfort of our own home. People that are specialized in various branches can work with clients from worldwide, where the demands meet the offers. The phenomenon of working from the distance is highly developed in the industry of the IT, where people aren’t required to physically be at the office. More than that, certain employers take it to the next level: remote workers, people that they hire with work card and all the required papers.
Why would you turn towards remote employees?
1. The need of having specialized people in the field you require
An extremely popular reason why people turn to remote workers is the need of having specialists, need that you can sense within your community. And if we take a look at things at a larger scale, the demand for specialized workforce can be sensed at a national level, such as the field of IT. In this case, if you need a marketing specialist, but you find none within your community, what are you going to do? Turn to remote workers.
2. The cost of a remote worker versus someone that works in the office
One of the reasons why Romania, along with the whole Eastern Europe exploded from the perspective of the IT field is the low cost of the workforce. Capable people, IT specialists that are willing to work for less money than in other countries and who answered the call of the multinationals. That’s why Romania, as well as our beloved Cluj is a representative center for the IT industry.
But let’s get back to your business, that’s not a multinational looking for remote workers. And for you the advantages are plenty since the expenses are far less. Most of the classical expenses, such as space, equipment or maybe even the basic drinking water don’t apply when you talk about a remote worker.
3. Reduced accounting.
Quite a few times it happens that remote workers are freelancers or people who already have some sort of legal form of work, an entrepreneurial entity. Whether we talk about a self-employed person or an LLC, these people will only require an invoice for the provided services. You are happy, your accountant is happy, your employee is happy, so is the state, therefore it’s a win-win for everyone.
4. A more efficient management.
A remote worker knows exactly what he’s doing and requires a generally lower level of management than an employee that’s physically at work. Although, bear in mind that when we talk about remote employees, constant communication is essential.
What are the disadvantages of collaborating with remote employees?
The question should rather be: “A remote employee or an in-house employee?” Here are the advantages of an in-house employee:
- An in-house employee will always know better the company than a remote worker. Even if you offer quality materials, a remote employee will never compare with an in-house one from this point of view.
- The workload is also an important aspect to take into account. Is it worth hiring someone full-time in the company? Will he have enough tasks to justify those monthly 80/160 hours?
- An in-house employee will always be more flexible when it comes to work and will react faster to changes than someone working from the distance. If you know that within your company things are constantly changing, you will need an in-house employee.
If I have to choose between a remote worker and an in-house one, what’s the best selection criterion?
It goes without saying that the performance is primordial but here we’re going to cover things that can help you make a decision: Can you offer a person enough workload, month by month, so that it’s worth hiring him for 8 hours a day, time when he is in the office?
Beyond this argument are the things about details, but this is the main question that can make the difference between a remote employee and an in-house employee.