Broadly, remote workers are only going to be successful in two situations: 1. Remote workers are task-oriented or don't require collaboration. 2. The company i

Broadly, remote workers are only going to be successful in two situations: 1. Remote workers are task-oriented or don't require collaboration. 2. The company is set up to make remote workers equal citizens. ("Remote First") #1 tend to be the cost play, and leads to outsourcing or offshoring. (Or are things like in-territory sales managers or something.) #2 is hard unless you're starting from scratch. On top of implementing collaborative technology, improving processes, focusing management practices, and restructuring your organization, you need to change your culture. Employees who sit right next to each other should be chatting in the Slack channel, not face-to-face. Most companies have other priorities than to tackle this kind of change, and quite frankly, don't need to look outside a 30-mile radius to find qualified candidates. Hiring remote employees without the organizational foundation to support them is a recipe for disaster. Having an existing employee "go remote" is easier because they're already ingrained in the culture, and "alternate work schedules" (e.g., not 100% remote) are good in-transition approaches.