Louise Dell, Founder of kyero.com the leading portal for UK buyers looking to buy property in Europe discusses why a remote working model can bring benefits all round.
This year, Covid-19 has prompted even more people to consider moving overseas.
Our data at kyero.com showed a 30 per cent increase in interest from British people in European property during the first UK lockdown. One major factor influencing this is the ability many people now have to work remotely. The widespread adoption of remote working as a result of Covid means that we aren’t so tied to the office anymore and can just as easily dial in to meetings from just about anywhere; UK or abroad.
As this style of working becomes more commonplace, businesses have an opportunity to embrace nomadic working for the benefit of their staff, their customers, and their bottom line.
All of our team at Kyero is nomadic and has been for the last 12 years. Many of our team are based overseas in the very countries we help other people to buy properties in; a huge advantage in being able to offer real world experience ‘on the ground’.
Flexible and remote working has given us a real superpower as a business – it’s allowed us to attract exceptional talent and skills that we might not have done with a conventional office set up. Let’s face it, the traditional 9 – 5 with a hefty commute either side just doesn’t work – or appeal – to many bright people working these days. This is particularly relevant amid a growing awareness of better work-life balance and portfolio careers.
We’ve always been drawn to remote working; you could say it’s in our DNA. I set up Kyero with my husband Martin after we moved to Spain to escape the London rat race. Our first attempt at buying a Spanish property didn’t go quite as expected and we realised that there was a real need for a specialist overseas property portal aimed at supporting UK buyers.
Since then we’ve grown from setting up in our home in Spain to becoming the market-leader in our field, turning over £3 million a year – thanks in no small part to the success of our 100 per cent virtual, nomadic team.
Tips for working remotely
A remote working model is all very well on paper, but how do you actually make it work? Technology is key. Slack, Zoom, Trello and Tettra are our favourite remote working tools, they help us communicate effectively, stay connected and keep us organised too. Slack is a useful tool as it helps replicate an office environment, from channels to say hi when we start work in the morning to fun channels like our food channel which encourages the team to share their latest cooking triumphs (and fails).
On a cultural level it’s important to note that micro-management doesn’t work with a remote team (or any team for that matter). Instead, your role as a manager is even more about supporting and removing obstacles standing in the way of the team achieving their goal.
Recruiting the right people is also critical. Staff need to be comfortable working remotely and motivated by the challenges and rewards it can bring. Transparent communication is really important. We like using video chats with the camera on so that we can regularly ‘see’ our colleagues, and organise regular check-ins, team meet ups (including at least one annual face-to-face get together when there isn’t a pandemic), and all-staff monthly calls so that everyone feels involved and in touch.
As the UK (and wider world) moves towards a greater adoption of this kind of work, I am confident this will bring real benefits to both businesses and individuals. Our experience is that nomadic working with a culture of collaboration, transparency and teamwork can supercharge a business, meaning you can do great work, wherever you are.
About the author
Louise Dell is Director and Founder of kyero.com, the leading portal for UK buyers looking to buy property in Europe.
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