The demand for remote jobs is skyrocketing, with 65% of employees wanting to work from home. Over half are willing to seek new employment if their current job doesn’t allow off-site work. This desire isn’t rooted in laziness — according to DOIT Staffing, 35% feel more productive when doing stuff from a distance.
There’s nothing wrong with remote work, but managing such a team comes with its
hurdles. You need to keep communication flowing, maintain team spirit, and make sure everyone works hard.
You’ve likely tried every trick in the book – productivity apps, virtual team building, etc. But here’s the thing – evaluating different setups is just as key. So, let’s go over various remote working spaces together.
Types of Remote Working Spaces
Remote work locations include familiar places like homes, cafes, and libraries. Working from home eliminates commute time and provides a comfortable, familiar environment. Libraries offer a quiet, focused atmosphere, while coffee shops give a vibrant, social setting.
However, these options also come with drawbacks. Home offices can be rife with distractions, from household chores to family members. Libraries, while serene, may lack the resources and amenities required for certain tasks. And coffee shops, though lively, can be noisy and unsuitable for private meetings or concentrated work.
Other remote working spaces include dedicated office rentals and coworkings. The first option suits those who prefer a traditional professional setting with privacy. These offices for remote workers provide a quiet, distraction-free zone — perfect for confidential projects. The potential downside? They tend to be pricier than coworking and may lack that buzzy, collaborative vibe.
Let’s move to coworkings, which have experienced remarkable growth in recent years. It all started way back in 1995 when some coders in Berlin opened up the first “hackerspace”. Fast forward to now, and these shared offices are blowing up everywhere. By the end of 2024, there’s going to be a crazy number of 41,975 coworking spaces worldwide. No surprise there, though, since 89% of people said they felt better after joining one of these coworking spots.
There are several different types of coworking spaces:
- Dedicated spaces are designed for individuals or teams who need a consistent place to work. They typically offer private offices, meeting rooms, and other amenities.
- Shared office spaces are open areas where individuals can rent a desk or workspace.
- Virtual office spaces are designed for remote workers who need a business address and occasional access to meeting rooms or other facilities.
Offering a coworking space for remote workers is a smart investment for you. Despite boosting productivity, coworkings also offer a cost-effective solution compared to traditional office spaces. And these remote work offices are perfect for those who struggle with isolation and loneliness.
Plus, coworking spaces have professional amenities that off-site employees often don’t have at home. Imagine that you are an IT business owner with a team of offshore mobile developers. Your staff needs high-speed internet and private meeting rooms for their projects. Compared to this, working from home can be a bit of a struggle, right? Think slow internet, no quiet spot just for work, and at-home distractions that can really drag down productivity. Coworking spaces are there to meet these essential needs.
No matter which direction you take, it’s smart to consider factors like your team’s work styles and the nature of their projects. Choosing the right remote working space is key, but let’s explore other factors for keeping off-site employees productive.
Learn From the Greatest: Zapier’s Remote Workplace Strategy
Those big tech companies like Google and Amazon are really cracking down on remote work. They’re making employees come into the office for at least 3 days a week now. But some companies are sticking to their guns. Basecamp and Zapier said, “Nah, we’re good working from home.”
Speaking of Zapier, they were all for remote work long before COVID-19 hit. The story goes like this: The three founders lived in the same city, but their schedules never lined up. So, they decided to work separately from home but meet online to collaborate.
Turns out their little side hustle totally took off! Zapier now has over 2,000 integrations; millions use them for seamless remote workflows.
Over 10 years, that tiny 3-person team grew to 800 employees. From that experience, they figured out the key ingredients for making off-site work a success: having the right team, tools, and processes in place.
Create a Winning Team Dynamic for Remote Success
By far, the most important ingredient for success is the team dynamic in remote workspaces. Here’s what makes the best off-site workers, according to Zapier:
1. Hire self-starters
Zapier seeks individuals who stay productive when working remotely. They prioritize those needing minimal supervision.
2. Mutual trust and low micromanagement
Mutual trust between the company and off-site employees is essential. This factor minimizes the need for micromanagement on both sides.
- Strong writing communicators
In a remote setting, most interactions happen via text. It’s crucial to look for candidates who can write well and communicate clearly.
3. People who thrive solo
The best off-site workers are comfortable without a social office atmosphere. They’ve got their own friend group and can self-motivate from their remote working space.
Get Essential Tools for Effective Remote Work
At Zapier, having the right tools is key when everyone’s working from home. Let’s go over some apps and platforms that make remote working spaces actually work:
Slack is pretty much essential for group chats and staying looped in. Using different channels once you get bigger helps section things off and avoid chaos.
Async is clutch for documenting deeper discussions that would get lost in Slack. It’s like a blog/forum hybrid for info-sharing and keeping everyone aligned on important updates.
Password managers like 1Password are a must-have for remote working spaces, too. With credentials for a million tools, you need an easy way to share access.
Coda is versatile for collaborating on docs and spreadsheets. You can build whole work hubs for your virtual office right in the platform.
Zoom is essential for big video meetings when face-to-face interaction is necessary.
HelloSign saves so much hassle by letting you quickly e-sign contracts or official paperwork from a distance.
Setting Up Smart Routines to Make Remote Work Rock
Having solid processes is essential as well to get stuff done. Let’s break down some of the strategies that help remote working spaces run smoothly:
Everyone does support
One biggie is getting everyone involved in support rotations. That way, everyone hears directly from customers and gets exposed to issues. If someone’s code has a bug, they’ll be on the frontlines addressing angry users about it. It keeps everyone accountable.
Weekly hangouts
Weekly hangouts are important, too. It’s a chance for face-time, even if virtual. Plus, you can have different folks do mini-presentations or lead activities to keep things engaging.
A culture of accountability
Overall, accountability is essential for remote working spaces. Zapier has everyone post weekly updates on what they’ve done and will work on next. Such an approach creates total transparency in everyone’s workflows and progress.
At the end of the day, you need robust processes to compensate for that lack of physical presence. With the right feedback in place, remote teams can still operate like well-oiled machines.
And That’s the Scoop on Remote Working Spaces!
Remote work is here to stay. Understand the pros and cons of different workspaces to make wise decisions. Following in Zapier’s footsteps, build trust, use collaboration tools, and establish processes. With the right setup and support systems, you can make remote work a productivity powerhouse for your team.
Author Bio
Vitalii Makhov, CEO at DOIT Staffing, an IT Staff Augmentation company. The DOIT Staffing team is passionate about building bold systems and solving business challenges for startups, product companies, and digital agencies.
Photo: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wPpZu3CCJ9QKBdoyGXN7avwO4JgNhPkZ/view?usp=sharing
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vmakhov/
