FP Weekly Checklist: Does Your Company Need a Chief Remote Officer?

_____

First, determine whether your company is ready for this revolution. While you might know you need a Chief Remote Officer, you need to determine whether the time is right to dive in. Is your organization ready to fully commit to the change this will bring about? Will your leadership buy into it? Appointing a powerless figurehead without the backing of your organization’s leaders will most likely backfire and do greater harm than good.

_____

Consider whether retaining a consultant rather than hiring a full-time employee in the CRO role is right for your organization as a start. A gradual evolution might help your leaders recognize the value of a singular remote work leader.

_____

Is this a role with an expiration date, a “fixer” to come in to right the ship and set you on the right course? Some view the Chief Remote Officer role best as a non-permanent gig whose work is essentially done once they have embedded the changes into your company’s DNA, while others want the ongoing support and leadership such a role provides.

_____

Determine the correct job title. You don’t have to have a C-Suite title in order for this role to function effectively. They could be a director-level or similar leader depending on your structure and organizational fit. If not a standalone C-Suite role, some organizations are housing this a leader in the Human Resources Department to start.

_____

Once you have committed to the project, develop a job description with the help of leaders across your organization. Gather all of their input about the ways in which their departments can be aided by having a remote work leader.

_____

When moving to the hiring process, recognize that there are not many “experts” handling this role right now. Outside of the tech space, this is a new role in corporate America. Identify your candidates accordingly and look for skills that will translate to the role.

_____

Look for someone who is an ideas person. They will need to continually come up with new concepts to get the company’s work done.

_____

But they also need to be grounded in reality and have the skills to execute on the ideas that are identified as worthy of implementation.

_____

Once hired, the first order of business will be to review all of your company policies and job descriptions to get a feel for the various roles at play and the structure they are working within. Some important policies include a written remote work policy, the employee handbook, and other policies that govern employees.

_____

They should then meet with all department heads to identify issues and pain points, gathering information about ways in which they can make your leaders’ lives easier.

_____

An early task will be prioritizing which functions need immediate resources compared to others. Each organization will be different in this regard, depending on how the evolution has played out over the past several years.

_____

Of the various functions that could use your CRO’s guidance, it is likely that they should get involved in recruiting efforts at an early stage. Your organization may need to adapt your marketing and hiring plans in order to more closely reflect the current reality and to position your organization as an attractive landing pad.

_____

Another key issue that you may want to have them prioritize is your onboarding process for remote workers. Ensuring consistency in the process – while building framework so workers feel connected to and invested in the organization from day one – are critical functions that may have been overlooked in the past few years.

_____

Fostering a collaborative work environment for the entire organization is key – and integrating remote workers into this picture will also be a critical task for your CRO. They will need to guide you in creating and maintaining a positive workplace culture despite having a far-flung and dispersed workforce. They will need to do more than just schedule an occasional Zoom happy hour. Instead, sustained team-building exercises and other effective techniques will need to be deployed in order to build and maintain a positive work culture.

_____

They will want to help manage workflow of employees through collaboration and regular contact and check-ins.

_____

Two other areas that might deserve early attention: the learning and development space; and promotion and advancement opportunities.

_____

Determine the level of involvement that your CRO will have when remote workers develop performance issues. They should partner with department leaders and your HR staff in addressing the problem, identifying potential solutions and barriers to success – while supporting your organization’s efforts should it be determined that discipline is appropriate.

_____

For those CROs who will stay in the role on a longer-term basis, they should conduct regular surveys of the workforce to receive real-time feedback on all aspects of the remote work experience. They can then work with team leaders to make adjustments as necessary.

_____

From a big-picture perspective, the CRO should proactively look to the future to identify impending problems involving remote work – and then work to solve them before they arise.

_____

Another key function: serving as conduit to outside counsel regarding workplace law compliance in states or countries where remote employees work. They should collaborate with outside counsel to ensure your company is assessing risk and ensuring compliance as your remote workforce grows.