Image: Jeff Chiu
Communication, for example, can’t be left solely
to videoconferencing and messaging apps like
Slack. Three of Jazmine Valencia’s seven staffers
are in her Los Angeles office, three are in New
York and one is in Chicago. Her company, JV
Agency, does marketing for the music industry.
Valencia’s remote staffers can feel left out when
the onsite team discusses issues.
“I have to over-communicate and make sure
everyone is on the same page. This might mean
more one-on-ones, more calls and sometimes
just being constantly emailing or private
messaging the remote team,” Valencia says. “I
need to give them a sense of security.”
Owners say a remote operation can’t work
without trust between a boss and staffers,
especially because it can be difficult for an
owner to know what an employee is doing
during a workday. Tyler Forte recalls that when
he first managed staffers remotely, “it was me
checking on them probably too frequently.”
He worried about staffers at his real estate
brokerage spending time on social media.
But, “over time, you develop trust with the
employee, that we’re all working toward the
same goal,” says Forte, CEO of Felix Homes,
based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company
has staffers in Los Angeles. “Even if I’m not
overseeing every move, I believe they are doing
their best to advance the goals of the company.”
Forte has found project management software,
an aid many owners use, helps him keep track of
what everyone is doing.
Sometimes the problem is very different from
staffers goofing off.