Wonder

Research Outline

Prepared for Richard M. | Delivered October 22, 2019

Remote Contributor Management

Goals

To gain an understanding of the best form of compensation for a team of remote contributors, the best strategy of managing a team of 100+ remote contributors i.e. how to best manage a team of remote workers, the best ways of keeping a team of 100+ contributors engaged and incentivised, the best communication channels and management tools that can be used to manage a team of remote workers (contributors), and how to manage turnover in remote workers. 

Early Findings

The benefits of working remotely include reduced time spent commuting, lower costs, and greater autonomy. 
As of 2019, the number of organizations that have a remote workforce is growing i.e. 66% of organizations allow remote work while 16% are fully remote. 
The tools that are used by remote workers as they work include Skype - 27%, Dropbox - 14%, Whatsapp - 13%, Hangouts - 12%, and others - 44%. This statistics were dereived from a survey of 450 remote workers. 
On the other hand, in regard to satisfaction for remote workers, 60% of remote workers would like their jobs less if they had to go to the office. 
Advancements in communication technology and internet access has resulted in teleworking becoming "a fairly accepted practice in many offices, both in the U.S. and globally."
Managing Remote EmployeesStrategies used to manage remote employees include setting clear expectations, treating remote workers as local, engaging on a regular basis, scheduling video-based coaching, making the team feel inclusive, outlining clear missions, values, outcomes, and roles, setting up reliable tools for use by the remote team, staying focused on goals, creating a viable communication strategy, connecting the goals of the remote team to those of an employer, using technology to build a community from the remote team, and establishing close bonds and offering prompt help and support. 
The top collaboration tools for remote teams include Asana, Trello, Zoom, Proofhub, Slack, Dropbox, Go To Meeting, and Realtime Board. 