How can you and your team be productive with remote work?

A successful remote working strategy can be exponentially rewarding for employers, employees and recruiters. The key is to maintain a strong internal company culture where future leaders build bonds with their team and companies maintain a cohesive and engaged workforce. 

As Hakan Cönbez, Executive Manager, Michael Page says, “Hiring remotely widens the pool. If you have someone great in Ankara, let's say, why disrupt this person’s career and life and bring them to Istanbul, if they can do the role from their current location? Especially when they are probably already working as part of a multi-location team.”  

What are some benefits of remote work?

The economic value of remote working, coupled with transparent expectations from leadership, helps companies not only attract but also retain the best talent. Stanford University research has found that remote work can boost employee retention: people who work outside of the office are 50% less likely to leave the company for pastures new.  

Hakan Cönbez explains that he has seen a clear trend over the last decade of increased location flexibility,  supporting the widening of the talent pool – and improved work/life balance.

Companies and bosses are more flexible than they were 10 years ago when it comes to remote work. They’re thinking: ‘I want to be there for my family, so my workers should be able to be there for theirs too. 

How can you structure remote onboarding and KPIs?

Samantha Lambert, Director of Human Resources at Blue Fountain Media, recommends creating standard key performance indicators (KPIs) for management and employees so that remote team members are aware of expectations, and their performance can be monitored. 

Cönbez advises managers and executives to evaluate creating processes on a case-by-case basis. “For example, new hires need to be in the office. You can’t take somebody who’s worked in the business for two weeks and say, ‘Off you go.’ They need training, they need to feel like they are integrated into the greater community and to learn by experience and from colleagues,” he says. 

How can you built a remote working culture?

Affiliate marketing consultancy Acceleration Partners has a 100% remote workforce. The company is organised into “hubs” – cities where remote employees live near one another. It organises “work together days”, social events and in-person training to support a continuously evolving company culture. Senior leaders make their presence known and visit the hubs regularly to offer transparency and elicit feedback. 

At Michael Page Türkiye, as the whole team, we have the option of work remotely for more than 3 years. We see each other every Monday or the day we decide in advance. For the rest of the time, if we want, we can work in other offices or from home, or we are on the road. It’s all about staying connected. That’s how you keep a team together. It requires effort, but it’s absolutely worth it.

says Hakan Cönbez, Executive Manager, Michael Page.

Key Takeaways

• Implement a remote work policy with milestones and indicators to clarify expectations
• Hold in-person meetings where possible to take the pulse, boost engagement and get feedback
• Leverage tech tools to regularly touch base with your team 
• Future leaders: strike a balance – spend time with your team often to ensure they are engaged.