Remote workforce management isn’t just a buzzword. It encompasses organizing and streamlining work with global freelancers and contractors—a booming demographic.
And that’s not a passing fad. Working remotely is becoming the new norm.
Despite the recent “return to office” narrative, over 35% of employees work entirely from home, and businesses are turning more to contingent workforces to get the job done.
“In some cases, we see upwards of 30%–50% of an organization composed of contingent workers,” says an MIT Sloan Management Review. At Worksuite, we call this the new Flex Team—a flexible team of freelancers, contractors, and sometimes part-time employees who bring specialized skills.
However, managing a remote workforce is easier said than done, especially without the right tools and know-how. From juggling different time zones to keeping everyone on the same page, there are plenty of challenges.
The returns are worth the investment, though. Remote workforces save time and money and open your business to a global talent pool. They provide a competitive advantage your business can’t afford to ignore (literally).
Below, we’ll walk you through all the remote workforce management how-to tips and best practices to help your globally distributed teams thrive, regardless of where in the world they are.
What Is Remote Workforce Management?
Remote workforce management involves coordinating a team of employees, freelancers, and contractors from various locations outside the traditional office work environment. It includes using digital tools and strategies to manage tasks, communication, performance, and collaboration across different time zones and geographies.
Hiring freelancers and contractors is one thing—onboarding, managing, and retaining them is something else entirely. It’s not enough to just find talent. You need to effectively organize and lead them to maximize their talents and tap into their full potential.
And that’s where remote workforce management comes in handy.
Treating Freelancers Differently from Full-Time Employees (the Right Way)
Freelancers and full-time employees aren’t the same, and that’s a good thing. Each has distinct abilities, roles, and responsibilities, but it’s up to you to recognize those differences and play to their strengths.
Here’s how to treat freelancers differently, while staying compliant:
Contractual Differences
Freelancers are independent contractors, not employees (and misclassification matters). This isn’t just a label. It means they operate under different legal and contractual obligations. Unlike full-time employees, freelancers typically don’t receive benefits like health insurance, paid time off, or retirement plans.
However, you’ll need to provide them with well-documented contracts that clearly outline the scope of work, deadlines, payment terms, and intellectual property rights.
Flexibility and Autonomy
Freelancers value the ability to set their own schedules and work on multiple projects. Respect their autonomy by focusing on deliverables and deadlines rather than micromanaging their day-to-day activities. This keeps freelancers happy, and also often results in better quality work and longer partnerships.
Communication and Integration
While freelancers may not be part of your day-to-day operations, they need to be somewhat integrated into your company culture. Use regular check-ins, clear communication channels, and occasional team meetings to help them feel a team member.
Challenges of Managing Remote Workers and How to Overcome Them
Managing a remote workforce comes with a unique set of challenges. Fortunately, it’s nothing you can’t overcome—you just need the right tools and strategies:
- Communication Barriers: Maintaining clear and consistent communication across geographic boundaries and time zones can be tricky. Use a mix of synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous (delayed) communication tools and collaboration tools like Worksuite, Slack, and Zoom to keep everyone on the same page.
- Trust and Accountability: It’s hard to trust someone you’ve never met and can’t physically monitor. Ditch the conventional key performance indicators (KPIs) and focus on deliverables. Set clear expectations from the start and use project management tools to track progress and deadlines.
- Time Zone Differences: Coordinating tasks and meetings across various time zones can lead to scheduling conflicts and delays. Ask yourself if you really need a meeting or if a message or email will suffice. If a meeting is necessary, schedule times when it’s convenient for everyone—even if that’s only a narrow window of opportunity.
5 Best Practices for Better Remote Workforce Management
Remote workforce management isn’t something that necessarily comes naturally. It’s a relatively new concept, so give yourself (and your virtual teams) time to adapt and grow. Follow these best practices to help get it right:
1. Documentation, Documentation, Documentation
Use a centralized freelancer management platform (like Worksuite) to simplify and streamline everything from recruiting and onboarding to management and payments. Having a one-stop shop provides clear documentation for you (and your freelancers) to find everything to get the job done: contracts, tasks, messages, resources, tools, etc.
2. Provide the Right Tools
Give your remote workforce all the tools they need to succeed. This includes project management software, communication platforms, and any industry-specific tools required for their tasks.
3. Prioritize Regular Check-Ins and Feedback
Regular check-ins help keep remote workers engaged and provide opportunities to address any issues before they escalate into full-blown problems. Scheduling face to face video calls, team meetings, and feedback sessions to give everyone a voice and use their feedback to improve your processes.
4. Focus on Results
Focus on outcomes rather than hours logged. Your concern shouldn’t be the process—keep your eye on the results.
Remote workers appreciate flexibility, and judging them solely by their work hours can be counterproductive. Instead, set clear goals and measure success based on deliverables and results.
5. Maintain Work-Life Balance
Your freelancers have lives outside of work, too. You might not see them, but they’re real people. Do your part to help them find balance. That means not sending them a task or last-minute message at 4:55 pm on Friday, and it also means recognizing and respecting different time zones.
For those overseas teammates, consider scheduling a message to arrive in their inbox when they sign on rather than in the middle of the night. Tiny things like this can make a major difference in the long run.
Promote regular breaks, set reasonable work hours, and respect personal time. Do that, and you’ll have productive, long-lasting relationships with your freelancers and independent contractors.
Manage Your Remote Workforce from a Central Platform
The right tips and best practices will set you up for success, but you’ll need something else to truly streamline your remote workforce management: Worksuite.
Worksuite provides everything you need to manage your remote team from one central, intuitive freelancer management platform. From tracking projects and tasks to handling contracts and payments, we simplify remote work to help you focus more on managing your team and less on nitty-gritty logistics.
No more juggling multiple apps or struggling with fragmented systems.
See for yourself. Try Worksuite today (for free) and experience the benefits of a centralized, simplified, and downright user-friendly remote workforce management platform.
Your remote team deserves the best, and so do you—so why settle for less?
