These days organizations are promoting flexible working hours and work from home. A study by CoSo Cloud suggests that 77% of remote workers reported higher productivity. 

However, there are instances that without proper structure and discipline some remote employees slack and tend to take undue advantage.

Productive remote working is possible through collaborative tools and effective internal communication. It is best to hire accountable individuals who are productive without a manager. 

There are nine essential skills in a successful remote hire:

Self-discipline and Time Management

Flexible working hours and open office culture work with teams where individuals have a strong sense of discipline. They show up at their announced schedule and work for the allotted time without needing a manager. They manage their life and work to create a balance which delivers results and keeps them happy.

Strong Communication skill and Collaborative Approach

The remote team communicates a lot over emails, docs, chats and notes. Written communication is the backbone of interacting in remote teams. It's essential for the remote hire to be well versed with the primary language of the team and should be able to express adequately. 

Powerful Organizational skills

When the remote team grows, it's crucial to stay organized by creating plans and timelines. The individual should be able to plan the week and align tasks and meetings as needed. For a remote worker to be productive, they should be able to execute their share of task without being spoon-fed at every step.  

Result Oriented

Remote working is different from office work. The employees are required to focus on results rather than activities. Productive remote employees focus on getting things done and actively prioritize results. Being an active remote worker is not just about showing up and logging in at a specific time but to drive the needed results for the organization.

Positive and Right Mindset

Creating an in-office like company culture in remote teams is challenging. Therefore, choose a hire who stays positive and motivated. It won't be very easy to meet the team in-person often, and positive people make work easy in such scenarios. The individuals who can handle stress and get along well with other team members boost the morale of the whole team and influence productivity

Digital Aptitude

The remote team uses more tools than in-office teams. A lot of collaboration and communication happen over digital products. It is expected from the remote employee to be able to explore various tools and self-learn them. Individuals who can troubleshoot their issues and own their learning proves to be a great asset. 

Accountable and Independent

Individuals who do not respond to emails, chats and phone calls make work tough for others. When they don't deliver expected results, all the dependent teams suffer. This dependency chain creates havoc, and the company loses money. 

Accountable employees understand the impact of their activities and are responsive towards communicating what's going on their end. This equips all the stakeholders to plan and make necessary changes towards achieving the goal. 

Motivated and Driven

There are many functional perks of remote working like less stress and commute time saving. However, remote employees should be motivated by the vision and values of the organization. They need to be driven to achieve what the organization has set out for. 

Remote working is becoming more and more popular. Availability of world-wide talent and reduced infrastructural costs is why it is especially appealing to startups. Founders and management first need to set up channels to effectively manage remote teams before hiring their first employee. Have you hired a remote team before? Please share your experience with us.