Whether you’re considering allowing your current employees to take some work from home days or you’re looking for freelance back up with your business; there are a lot of advantages to hiring remote or part time workers which are often overlooked by the mainstream. You would have thought that the rapid advancement in technology and communication would have made it easier for all employers to see the value in remote workers, but so far it appears only limited industries are actually making the most of location independent employees. Naturally, we’re a little biased as we enter our fifth year of remote working and freelancing for clients and other agencies, but we thought we should take this opportunity to highlight just five of the many benefits of working with remote workers and how it may benefit your business, whatever your niche.
Reduced set-up cost…
When you’re hiring a freelancer whether they’re going to be office based or not they generally already have their own equipment. This may not effect all professions, but if you’re a start up or small business this means that there’s no shelling out for a new computer, lower electricity bills, lower rent requirements and it also means less lengthy paperwork to get started. This is particularly useful when hiring creatives who require specialist equipment like photographers, videographers or designers. You’re also not tied into funding those welcome drinks and you don’t have to worry about the same reviews, holiday days and the like. Simple, right?
Hire multi-skilled people without the commitment…
Your ideal scenario might be to have a 10 person marketing department, but when you do the maths that’s not always achievable with budget limitations. When working with freelancers or remote workers, you’ll often find that they have a more diverse skill-set than someone who’s been doing the exact same job description for 10 years. The flexible work schedule also allows us to take time to learn and develop new skills in our downtime constantly adding value to our clients. Even better, a remote worker is used to accepting contracts from 1 day to 6+ months, allowing you to strike up a deal without the long term financial and personal commitment that comes with a full time employee.
Fund a healthier work/life balance…
There’s plenty of research to show that many countries struggle with finding a work/life balance that benefits mental, physical and family well-being. Is a 40 hour work week really essential to get the job done? Usually not. And if you don’t believe us, Tim Ferriss’ The Four Hour Work Week will quickly convince you otherwise. It’s amazing how many tasks can be completed in half the time when managed by the right team. Improved efficiency also means more free time for the client, why waste time micro-managing staff if they can manage themselves? Have faith in people’s natural passions and skills and see the value in having an employee who finds it easier to cope because they maintain control over their work day.
It’s a great way to find long-term collaborators…
Remote workers and freelancers are naturally also entrepreneurs, we take care of our own business and schedules making us understand the requirements and struggles of running a business, instead of being just another employee. The most successful and creative outputs are often the result of mutually beneficial collaborations, so we should always be looking to network and connect with new people, because you never know who might be of help on your next big project. Now we have the internet to improve communication, there’s no excuse not to open your networks to the entire World, who knows where it might take you next.
Add some new flavour to your project…
Many remote workers choose this lifestyle to allow them to do more with their downtime, that means more travel, more days out and also more interesting locations to take their client’s work! This is particularly useful if you’re wanting to create exciting content for your brand or if you’re looking to expand to international markets because it means your remote workers are open and ready to take you with them. Get involved with your workers travel plans, support them and they could end up snapping your product up Mount Fiji for Instagram one day, sounds epic right?
So, why are we telling you this? Not just because we are a freelance location independent duo, specialising in remote work for clients and other agencies but also because we truly care about promoting a healthy work/life balance and believe that remote work can be a big part of this. If you want to read more reasons why working with remote employees can benefit your business, Entrepreneur, Fast Company and Forbes all back us up on this. And if you think KITSCH.inc can help you, check out our other pages to learn more, find us on social media or send us an email. If you liked this blog post, stay tuned for more biz themed topics in the coming weeks.
Co-Creator @wearefoodscouts & @KitschInc. Digital Marketing & Creative Direction. Illustration, writing, creativity & style. Fan of films, TV, cartoons, colourful hair & clean beauty. Blogger since 2009.
