Liam Martin explains why he became an advocate for remote work

Meet the serial entrepreneur who is running Time Doctor and Staff.com. Liam has excellent opinions on the future of work and its current impacts on the global talent pool.‍

1- Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your work.

‍I am a serial entrepreneur and I run Time Doctor and Staff.com — one of the most popular time tracking and productivity software platforms in use by top brands today. I am also the co-organizer of the world's largest remote work conference — Running Remote.

‍2- Why did you choose to be an advocate for remote work?

‍I have been working remotely for more than a decade now. I have seen remote work evolve and have the good and the bad experience of running remote teams. I thought my experience would help newbies and those struggling with managing remote teams and working remotely.

‍3- As remote working is becoming more common among companies, how do you think it will impact the future of work? Do you think the freelance economy will grow faster in the future? What are your expectations or predictions?

‍Remote work has gone from a nice-to-have to a must-have. It will be more common in the coming years. The best talent is spread globally, and businesses will prefer to hire remotely to save costs. Freelancers will definitely get better opportunities with the growing number of remote companies.

‍4- What are the current problems of working with remote employees for companies, and how could it be solved in the future?

‍Setting up a remote work policy focusing on collaboration and communication.With everyone working remotely, a lack of communication and collaboration can create a chaotic situation. Businesses must come up with and follow a policy that covers ways to collaborate and communicate to streamline day to day activities without causing burnout. This is really important for the proper functioning of business operations as well as employee retention. Setting up processes and tools will be helpful.

‍5- Are there any tools you find indispensable as you work remotely? Could you name some?

‍There are many communication tools like Slack, Zoom, Skype, which can be used at the company as well as team level. Also, online collaboration is important when the team is not working in the same office. Google docs, project management tools like Trello, Asana, and ZOHO Projects help collaboration fast and easy.

‍6- Do you have any suggestions or life-saving tips for remote employees working with corporate companies and teams?

‍Allocate sufficient time for vacations, breaks, and training. Keep your employer up to date with your plans. Get involved in local workspace communities so that you don’t feel left alone.