Thinking of finally making the move towards a completely virtual team? We’re here to tell you that you’re making the right decision.

While remote working became a necessity in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s now become more of a preference even as lockdowns ease and more and more people get vaccinated.

This is because companies discovered the many advantages of going completely virtual, and it’s usually win-win for both themselves and their employees. So if you need some convincing before forming your remote team, we’ve listed 10 benefits that a completely virtual team brings.

It saves you a ton of money

There are no other words that businesses love hearing more. It’s a no-brainer that having a team working remotely can save you so much on operational costs. You don’t need to provide workspace, equipment, utilities, transport, and snacks. Even if your team doesn’t go completely remote and only works from home half the time every week, you’ll still cut back on costs.

Another way you save money with a virtual team is when you hire employees from countries like the Philippines. Since the cost of living there is lower than in the States, salaries are lower as well. You get top talent for less.

It gives you the chance to work with global talent

You have your pick of the world’s talents when you choose to form an entirely virtual team! Since everyone would be working remotely, you no longer have to limit yourself to only hiring people who live within the same city your business is.

Hiring globally also means the opportunity to form a culturally diverse team, which also has its own benefits. You open yourself up to fresh new ideas, better quality marketing, and innovation.

It makes your business easily scalable

Having a completely virtual team means that when your business grows, it would be easy to scale up. By having your whole team working remotely, you won’t have to worry about moving to a bigger office space, providing more supplies, buying more computers, installing a stronger Internet connection, and so on. Again, this saves you money, as well as a lot of time, so your business can just continue growing.

It makes your business operational 24/7

When you hire a team that lives in different timezones, that means your business can basically operate 24/7. While those from one side of the world end their day, the other side can continue where they left off. This makes you available to your clients or customers around the clock without overworking your team.

It makes your employees happier & more productive

Several studies have shown that people who work remotely are happier and more productive and it’s not at all surprising. Workers like not having to rush in the morning and face a long commute, not having to spend on transportation and food for lunch, and having control of their schedule. They save a lot of time so they get to spend it more on their family or their hobbies.

It gives you and your employees work-life balance

Gone are the days of the nine to five schedule. Because of flexible work hours, it’s not hard to imagine why it’s easier for virtual teams to have a healthy work-life balance. Time saved from not having to get up early, take a shower, drive to work, and all the usual rituals of yore, now go to things that matter to your employees.

When workers feel like they can both work and have time for themselves, they are more likely to stay working for you.

It makes your meetings more relevant

You’ve heard of those “this meeting could have been an email” memes, right? A team that is physically present together will find it easier to have meetings all the time, since everyone is already there. But when your team is in different time zones, not everyone can be available at a certain time. This forces you to make meetings count with agendas that are relevant.

For example, one weekly meeting to go over goals, updates, and tasks will suffice. For the rest of the time, the team can use communication and project management tools to delegate tasks, set deadlines, and make sure everyone is accountable.

It makes your employees more loyal

All these benefits of working virtually don’t go unnoticed by your team. It makes them want to stay and work for you for a long time. This survey shows that people want to work at a job where they don’t have to commute to an office, that allows them a flexible schedule, and finally gives them the work-life balance they’ve longed for.

It lets your employees take fewer days off

It’s true, workers in a virtual team use less of their sick days. Again, it points back to the flexible work hours and work-life balance. They have more time to take care of themselves by eating right, getting enough sleep and exercise, and most importantly, caring for their mental health by spending time with their loved ones and on activities that matter to them.

It reduces the environmental impact of your business

Whether or not it matters to you, having a completely virtual team greatly reduces your business’s carbon footprint. Because there is no longer a need to drive to the office, less carbon emissions from individual cars are released and getting trapped in the atmosphere, which is what greatly contributes to global warming. On top of that, there is less consumption of single-use plastic such as cups and stirrers for coffee, as well as those used during lunch. There is also less energy consumption and need for building more infrastructure.

Ready to go completely virtual?

Convinced a completely remote team is for you now? We can help you! Remote Workmate forms and manages cost-effective, high-performing virtual teams, so you can focus on what you do best. We do this by: