Before we start the proper discussion, you should know what a remote office is. Let’s have a look.
An office which is located at some distance from the main office or headquarters of an organization is known as a remote office. An organization can have its remote offices or main office in another continent, country, or city. A remote office is also called as a branch office.
How to set-up a remote office:
If your business has grown so high and you are thinking to open a branch in new area or country then there are so many questions you have to answer first. As you know, branching out is not an easy proposal. Where you want to start? Is it a perfect location? How do you get a set-up? Can your employees communicate effectively with you from there?
In a business talk, CIO.com asked Michael Rosenbaum, CEO & founder of Catalyst IT Services (Agile outsourcing service provider) what factors to consider while building a branch office and how to maintain that in this new world where competition is at its highest peak.
According to Rosenbaum, if you want to open a branch then first step is you need to clear: when to make your move. He said, “Before we even decided to open a second office, there was careful evaluation deciding whether or not a second location was worth the investment. For us, we waited to reach a tipping point that was a convergence of client need and increased geographical reputation”.
Tools to Stay Connected with Your Remote Employees:
Telephone: Use a quality phone system for better communication with your employees.
Instant Messaging: Use messengers like AIM, Yahoo, and Google Talk. They are free to use and used by most offices these days.
Intranet: Build a company portal that supports collaboration, discussion, and HR information.
Video Conferencing: Use Skype or another system for conferencing solutions.
Keep Your Culture Alive from a Distance:
Maintenance of your company culture is a critical as well as a crucial factor. If you are growing your company, then it is high time to put some extra care and focus on your culture. To run your business smoothly, here you can find some tips to manage and maintain your culture no matter where your employees are:
- Communication should be Open: Try your level best to include your remote employees in every task if possible. For example, if you have weekly or monthly meetings invite and talk to them over Skype so that they can hear the exact information as everyone else in your main office.
- Provide a communication: As you know, long distance relationships are very hard. If you want your remote employees to stay engaged with you, then build a strong connection.
- Provide autonomy: Give full independence to the leaders who are managing your remote team.
- Offer the same perks: To make your remote employees feel like they are not any less than the employees working in your main office, offer them the same perks as you do to your regular employees whenever possible.
- Include your principles in your application: With the growth of your remote team members, always keep your culture and values in your mind during the recruitment process.
From the above information, it is clear that setting a branch office is not as easy as it seems. But with proper planning, you can make your dream come true. So follow all these steps for setting-up and maintaining your remote offices. Always be thoughtful and intentional to decide what you exactly want and start working to get success in your plan!
