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BUSINESS Saturday 29 February 2020
A25

Managing remote workers? It takes more than the latest apps

By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Nicolas
Vandenberghe's company
has 42 staffers scattered
among 36 cities in 15 coun-
tries. As technology makes
it possible for people to
be in constant touch while
working remotely, business-
es like Chili Piper are be-
coming the norm.
"We have Zoom, Slack, and
a myriad of other collab-
orative tools — do we re-
ally need the in-person wa-
ter cooler meetings?" asks
Vandenberghe, whose
business makes software to
help companies manage
meetings. Vandenberghe
himself is continually re-
mote, splitting his time be-
tween Brooklyn, New York;
Los Angeles and France.
Whether it means a par-
ent working from home
while caring for a sick child,
a staffer who logs into a In this Feb. 20, 2020, photo Saili Gosula, executive director of SYNERGY HomeCare of San Mateo, poses for a photo at her office in
company computer daily San Mateo, Calif. Gosula has a remote administrative staffer and several onsite employees at her Synergy HomeCare franchise.
from a coffee shop or an Associated Press
entire law firm that oper-
ates online, remote work- feel left out when the onsite company." Forte has found staffers. Bell says. His company has
ing is gaining momentum team discusses issues. project management soft- But remote work is a bad one staffer in Denver and
at small businesses. Tech- "I have to over-communi- ware, an aid many owners fit for some employees be- two in Ventura. It also has
nology that makes com- cate and make sure every- use, helps him keep track cause it often is isolating; a network of freelancers in
munication and meetings one is on the same page. of what everyone is doing. staffers can feel discon- the eastern U.S.
easy is a big factor in the This might mean more one- Sometimes the problem is nected and even alien- Vandenberghe encour-
growth of remote working, on-ones, more calls and very different from staffers ated from co-workers. That ages staffers to go to co-
but so is the shrinking labor sometimes just being con- goofing off. can be countered to some working spaces so they
pool that accompanies an stantly emailing or private "People have this idea that extent through messaging can avoid isolation. When
unemployment rate below messaging the remote if you have a remote team, channels that allow every- he needs a brainstorming
4% for over a year. Many team," Valencia says. "I they won't work," says one to chime in on a fun session, he flies staffers to
companies no longer look need to give them a sense Emma Rose Cohen, CEO discussion. Cohen has gone where he is so they can
for help close to their home of security." of Final Straw, a maker of further, creating channels meet in person.
base. Owners say a remote op- reusable straws that has a devoted to specific topics Saili Gosula has a remote
It's hard to find definitive eration can't work without hub in Seattle. "It's the op- like pets or podcasts. administrative staffer and
statistics on how many peo- trust between a boss and posite — if you hire the right When Andrew DeBell hires several onsite employees
ple work remotely. Gallup's staffers, especially be- people, they're self-starters, remote staffers, he flies at her Synergy HomeCare
most recent survey in 2016 cause it can be difficult for and self-starters are of- them to his company's franchise in San Mateo,
showed that 43% of em- an owner to know what an ten people who work too home base for interviews; California, and all of her
ployees worked remotely employee is doing during a much." that's one way to increase caregivers work out in the
in at least some capacity; workday. Tyler Forte recalls She's alert to signs that any the odds they'll work well field. Gosula has some of
that was up 4 percentage that when he first man- of her 15 staffers are spend- with the team at Water the same issues as owners
points from 2012. aged staffers remotely, "it ing too much time on the Bear Learning, a Ventura, whose work is computer-
But even as remote working was me checking on them job, and when they tell her California-based company based; she does a lot of
grows, business owners find probably too frequently." they feel burned out, tired, that creates educational communicating and in-
managing offsite staffers He worried about staffers or stressed, Cohen says it's materials. forming, trying to be sure
involves more than giving at his real estate brokerage time to take a break. And Some owners find remote that all her office staff is on
them the latest technolo- spending time on social she's very public about the work can have a stifling ef- the same page.
gy. Communication, for ex- media. But, "over time, you fact she blocks off time for fect on a team's creativity As it turns out, Gosula uses
ample, can't be left solely develop trust with the em- non-work things she needs — there's no light-bulb mo- some of the same skills with
to videoconferencing and ployee, that we're all work- to do. ments as staffers pass each her caregivers, who are all
messaging apps like Slack. ing toward the same goal," One reason why employ- other in the hallway, no riff- working in sensitive, emo-
Three of Jazmine Valencia's says Forte, CEO of Felix ees take remote jobs is their ing in a meeting, no break tional situations as they
seven staffers are in her Los Homes, based in Nashville, bosses give them flextime; room chats that are unex- care for elderly or sick peo-
Angeles office, three are Tennessee. The company they can make their own pectedly productive. ple.
in New York and one is in has staffers in Los Angeles. hours, take time off for chil- "You're able to feed off "We talk to them often, ask
Chicago. Her company, JV "Even if I'm not oversee- dren's activities or to go to each other and brainstorm them how it's going," Gosu-
Agency, does marketing ing every move, I believe the gym or walk the dog. ideas better in person than la says. "We ask them ques-
for the music industry. Va- they are doing their best to That perk can help a small when you've got several tions every time we interact
lencia's remote staffers can advance the goals of the business attract and retain people on the phone," De- with them."q