How Small Businesses Can Thrive with Global Teams

Thanks to the modern internet, small businesses now have access to all of the talent in the world. Provided that a member of the team has an internet connection, it’s possible for them to contribute from wherever they happen to be.

But getting the best from a team of remote workers isn’t always easy. Let’s look at a few basic principles to adopt.

Prioritise Clear Communication

When team members are spread across many different time zones, it’s easy for communication channels to collapse. After all, you can’t expect people to be contactable just because it’s the middle of the day where you are.

The way to deal with this is through a fairly rigid structure of check-ins and asynchronous messages. Make sure that you set clear expectations around video meetings, and that you keep everyone on the same page with the help of clear documents.

Respect Cultural Differences

Sometimes, you’re not just working across national boundaries, but across cultural ones, too. Respecting cultural differences is critical if you want a team of diverse backgrounds to function cohesively. For example, a greeting or practice that’s effective in one working environment might not be appropriate in another.

When members of the team step on one another’s cultural pressure points, the result can be tension and conflict. The right training can often be all that’s required to make this happen.

Streamline Finances and Pay

Paying your workers is critical. But when workers are spread across the world, actually dealing with payments can be complicated. You might need to worry about exchange rates, local tax laws, and regulations that apply only in certain parts of the world.

Fail to get this right, and your workers might end up being paid late, inaccurately, or not at all. These errors can be costly and time-consuming to correct, and they can lead to team members seeking work elsewhere.

The best international payment systems provide a robust, reliable way to handle this problem. Through them, you’ll be able to make your payments on time, every time.

Encourage Flexibility

It’s difficult to maintain a rigid structure when your team is spread out. For this reason, it’s worth taking a more relaxed approach, and avoiding micromanagement. Remote workers are more likely to value flexibility and personal responsibility, and thus a little bit of leeway might be well received.

With that said, there are still digital tools that will allow you to accurately track attendance. In some circumstances, these can be appropriate.

Invest in the Right Technology

Running a remote team means relying on certain key pieces of software. We’ve already mentioned the possibility of tracking time spent on a given task, but other tools, like communication platforms and secure cloud storage, can make a critical difference to the way that you work as a team.