The Ultimate Remote Work Handbook

It's hard to deny that remote work is on the rise. According to GetApp, the amount of people who work remotely at least once per week has grown by 400% since 2010! And our own report on video conferencing in the US has found that 68% of professionals increased their use of web conferencing while working remotely in the past 12 months. So it's clear that more people are changing their working methods and adapting to better tools to do so.

Thanks to this new way of working, employees benefit from better mental health, a better work-life balance, and greater autonomy. And employers reduce costs and attrition rates thanks to happier employees.

In this handbook, you'll learn everything you need to know about remote working: from how to look for and land a job to management tips for new adopters. You're sure to find some useful takeaways whether you're a remote work beginner or a seasoned pro. Let's dive in.

What is remote work?

Thanks to remote work, employers can source top candidates from anywhere in the world. No longer tied to a centralized location, workers can connect digitally to execute their daily tasks.

Some companies are remote-first, meaning that working remotely is the primary method of working for all employees. They often don't have any central location, and employees are scattered in various geographic locations. Other companies are partially remote, with some collaborators working in an office and others working remotely.

Remote work: benefits for employees

Remote work certainly has numerous benefits over traditional office work for employees. Remote work can foster a much more inclusive environment since many of the physical barriers have been removed. For example, candidates with disabilities, working parents, or people that live in rural areas can all benefit from the flexibility of remote jobs.

In addition, remote work can even be more productive. Studies have shown benefits in productivity when working remotely. In a FlexJobs survey from 2020, 51% of respondents said that being able to work from home gave them increased productivity. This was attributed to an interruption-free and quieter working environment.

Finally, one of the key benefits of remote work is the reduction or total elimination of the commute. In 2019, the average one-way commute time in the United States was 27.6 minutes, meaning that employees were spending almost an hour each day getting to and from work. Remote work promotes more work-life balance because employees can choose the schedule that works best for them.

Remote work: benefits for employers

Not only do employees benefit from remote working, so do employers. Remote work permits organizations to cultivate diverse and inclusive workplaces that include people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, geographic locations, and cultural traditions. This is often difficult if the company can only hire from one geographic location. An additional benefit of this is that managers can draw from a bigger hiring pool, avoiding the challenges of an oversaturated job market.

In addition, a fully or partially remote organization can save costs. Real estate, utilities, travel expenses, and office materials are all reduced when you remove a company office from the equation. These savings can then be passed along to the employees via competitive benefits and salaries. It's a surefire way to attract top talent.

The combined benefits of remote work prevent burnout and make employees more likely to stay with a company longer. BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group reports that 72% of employers said remote work has a high impact on employee retention, meaning employees are more likely to stick with their company if they have options for remote work.

Employers who have embraced remote work realize benefits beyond cost savings. They're able to keep their employees happy and healthy and improve their overall quality of life. This results in deeper employee loyalty and lower turnover.

The challenges of remote work

Despite the many benefits, there are still a few challenges of remote work. Overworking, silos, and social isolation are a few risks.

• Time management - without the structure of a 9 - 5 workday, it can be more difficult to stay on task and not get distracted. Organizations should set expectations for productivity each quarter and track work with the right tools.
• Overworking - remote workers often put in longer hours than those who work at traditional offices. Management can combat this by setting official working hours.
• Remote teamwork issues - when you do not see people in person every day, it's easier for communication to break down. Video engagement platforms like Livestorm can break down silos and build team spirit, making it easier to retain employees for the long term.

What are the best remote working jobs?

As you would probably guess, there are a ton of remote working jobs available. This is both a great thing and a challenge. With so many opportunities, it can be hard to know what type of remote job is best for you. To help you out, here is a roundup of the best remote working jobs.

How to find remote working jobs?

You can find the perfect remote work job on a job board, a freelance platform or even go the distance and start your own company! Here are our top picks for remote job searches. And don't forget to check out our guide on what to wear for a virtual interview before your first meeting!

• We Work Remotely - with a name that is as straight to the facts as it gets, We Work Remotely cuts the fat out of your job search, making it easy to navigate their job postings. If you just want to find a remote job without wading through walls of content - this one is for you.
• Welcome to the Jungle - Welcome to the Jungle is a France-based powerhouse that lets you segment your job search based on the location of the job, your dream industry, and the kind of contract you are seeking. With a great mix of exciting startups and established multinationals posting daily on their site, it's a great place to start if you want to work for international companies.
• AngelList - the original job board for tech fans and startup professionals alike, AngelList connects job searchers with a wealth of opportunities geared for the information age. Remote jobs are a dime a dozen on this platform.

Ready to go job hunting? Once you've entered your first hiring process, check out our piece on the advantages of virtual interviews and get familiar with this new way of hiring.

• Upwork - it's hard to mention freelance work without bringing Upwork into the mix. Arguably the world's most popular freelance job marketplace, Upwork is a great place to start looking for your next gig. Don't expect any results overnight, though – Upwork is notoriously competitive. The number of freelancers on the website exceeds the count of active clients at least three times.
• PeoplePerHour - similar to Upwork, PeoplePerHour is a virtual marketplace for sellers and clients. With the ability to leave ratings and reviews after each collaboration, PeoplePerHour is a fan favorite of the more cautious among us.
• Guru - an excellent choice for the more technologically inclined, Guru caters to a clientele looking for experts in IT, web, or software development.

How to be productive when working from home?

Now that you've found your dream remote job and cut your commute time down to how long it takes you to get from your bedroom to the couch, we'll share some productivity tips for remote work. After all, being great at remote working is so much more than changing out of your pj's before your video calls (although that helps).

Managing remote employees

At this point in our handbook, you're probably starting to feel like a remote work pro. After all, you've bought the standing desk, downloaded a chill tracks playlist, and checked off the first item of your to-do list (it was reading this handbook, wasn't it?).

We're going to switch tracks now to talk to the remote managers among us : how should you manage remote employees? Sitcoms like The Office have poked fun at in-person management for years. But the same challenges of communication, leadership, and organization are amplified in an online setting. To avoid becoming the internet age's equivalent of a bumbling Michael Scott, read on.

2. Use the right remote working tools

By using a blend of asynchronous tools and video communication, you can track your employee's progress and touch base with them in regular meetings. Task management tools like Asana or Trello can help you keep projects moving along smoothly. Slack plugins like standup Alice give your team an opportunity to list their top goals and challenges for the day. And video engagement tools like Livestorm enable face-to-face conversations and team meetings.

Build a better remote team with video engagement

If the future is remote, then the most successful individuals will be those who are able to thrive in a remote environment. Invest time in learning the skills and the technology that will help you work effectively from any location. You won't regret it. And if you're still not convinced, we recommend you read our industry experts' tips on remote work.

Livestorm's video engagement platform is made for your remote team: it is browser-based, easy-to-use and provides all the features to run your events from end-to-end. To test Livestorm and get started, simply create a free account.