Every year, I find myself working with more colleagues who work remotely — from home, from outside the office and even outside the country. At my company, more than half of our full-time employees work in places other than our headquarters in Palo Alto, California. It's not just a trend among software companies; it's where most businesses are moving. Nearly 75% of the American workforce –- and 35 % of the global workforce — will be mobile by 2013, according to market research firm IDC.
Getting all of these remote folks performing well and in sync is a critical discipline to master. It’s not so simple. There are risks in hiring remote teams such as feelings of isolation and the problems managers face in keeping remote workers motivated, informed and engaged. In my experience, there are some important rules of the road to help get your far-flung employees up to speed and at peak performance.
1. Hire Smart: Recruit Top Talent with Remote Experience
Accept that you're hiring for two skill sets in any remote worker: The job skills relevant to his or her role plus a demonstrated ability to collaborate and contribute while away from colleagues and manager. You may think you've discovered an ideal new product manager out of state with a perfectly aligned C.V. and skill set. But if it's his or her first gig outside a conventional workplace, that's a riskier hire than someone with comparable skills but also the experience and confidence in of long-distance employment. Who fits that profile? Typically it's strong communicators and classic self-starters who are team-oriented. Screen carefully.
2. Gi ve Them the Tools They Need to Succeed
