Two years into the pandemic and lots of companies have already adopted either a fully remote or a hybrid work arrangement. However, the challenges don’t end after the transition.
Once your team starts working remotely, significant issues will come up.
For instance, how will you make the WFH setup sustainable in the long run? What can you do to ensure that all your remote workers are given equal opportunities? How do you ensure that every remote employee is fully integrated into the organisation?
If you want to address these problems effectively, you’ll need more than an efficient HR officer and a dedicated IT personnel.
Enter the Chief Remote Work Officer (CRWO).
Who Can Become a CRWO?
The CRWO is basically a new senior position.
It’s an adaptable and flexible job where CRWO’s can blaze their own trail. And compared to other C-level positions, there’s a lot more room for trial and error.
So, what skills should a CRWO possess?
Of course, leadership is on top of the list. S/he must be able to advocate for innovative and relevant policies. Any prior experience in managing remote teams is also a huge plus.
However, since it’s a new position, many candidates are likely to have zero experience with the role. So instead, hire for potential and look for applicants with promising skill sets.
Better yet, hire a versatile leader who has shown that s/he can grow into the role and has demonstrated a passion for change management.
What Does a Chief Remote Work Officer Do?
Now that we’ve established the role’s qualifications, let’s take a look at some of his/her work responsibilities:
Onboarding and Training
The CRWO’s role is cross-functional. S/he must collaborate with departments like HR, especially during onboarding and training. This can involve providing tools and training for new remote workers from Day One.
As the overall senior lead for remote workers, the CRWO is responsible for teaching managers and team leaders the best practices for integrating remote hires. The goal is to ensure that everyone receives the same training- regardless of where they are.
Company Culture
Many remote workers can feel out of touch with the company, particularly during the first few weeks at work. The CRWO can address this by cultivating an organisational culture that levels the playing field for both in-office workers and remote employees.
In other words, his/her top priority is to provide all staff with equal opportunities.
Proper Compensation
Figuring out the proper compensation for new remote workers is always a challenge for HR.
With the chief remote work officer in the picture, it will be easier for the company to define and communicate an equitable framework covering remote workers’ salaries, benefits, and perks.
If the CRWO has had previous experience managing remote employees, s/he would have a good idea about the prevailing market rates -as well as the different criteria on which these rates are based.
Cybersecurity and Tech Support
The CRWO should promote a culture of security, especially since remote workers are vulnerable to cyberattacks. Hence, s/he must uphold the best practices when it comes to VPN’s, encryption, and password management.
This is especially important considering how businesses are occupying more and more digital spaces.
Can’t afford to hire a CRWO but need a helping hand managing your remote team? We’ve got you!
Remote Staff has been assisting more than 3,000 Aussie SMEs and entrepreneurs do exactly that for the last 15 years and counting. Along with our skilled and talented remote workers from the Philippines, we also provide dedicated support throughout the entire remote work relationship to ensure that things keep running smoothly.
Call us today or schedule a call back and let’s get started.
Serena has been working remotely and writing content for the better part of the last decade. To date, she's written for Pepper.ph and Mabuhay Magazine, among others, and has churned out more than a thousand articles on everything from The Basics of Stock Market Investing to How to Make Milk Tea-Flavored Taho at home. Hermits, aspiring hermits, and non-hermits with interesting project propositions may email her at serena.estrella10@gmail.com.
