Last week, I wrote about working remote and how a consultant can work with their client to accomplish that. This week, I am addressing it from the client point of view.
As a former consultant who has both worked remote and on-site, and a current business owner who has associates that work both remote and on-site, I see both sides.
Let's first talk about the benefits of allowing someone to work remote - reduced costs and a happy consultant. With the cost of fuel skyrocketing which in turn increases airfare, there is a potential to save hundreds to thousands of dollars a week in travel costs. There isn't a need for additional office space, and there aren't any "snow days" or "the traffic was horrible" excuses. For anyone that has traveled extensively, you know that the hardest part is being away from your family. When you allow someone to work remote, they are able to be at home in the evenings which in turn makes for a happy person and a happy consultant.On the other hand, it can feel that you've lost control when you allow someone to work remote. How do you know what they are doing? How much work are they or should they be getting done? Will they be available when I need them?
Here are my thoughts on what you can do to alleviate those concerns...
- An absolute must...you must trust the consultant. If they are not doing the job you want them to do on-site, they certainly aren't going to do it remote!
- Establish from the beginning that if you don't think it is working out, they will expected to be on-site
- Be clear about the hours you expect them to work and be available
- Establish a communication schedule for updates such as a weekly status report or conference calls
- Agree upon a deadline for each piece of the project and make sure that you enforce them. Don't establish a deadline and then let it slide by without an explanation or some communication about it.
- Require periodic on-site work days (depending on the length of the project) to touch base and establish a good working relationship
One last comment, with all of the technology available, even jobs that require a lot of interaction with others can be accomplished remotely. In our office, we have daily scheduled conference calls, use AIM Blast extensively, and subscribe to a cloud CRM that allows everyone to keep up-to-date. While these methods may not work for you, communication needs to be established from the beginning!
