It’s no shocker that the workforce has dramatically shifted since 2020.
Many job postings and applications now specify whether the job is remote, on-site or hybrid. In fact, as of September 2021, many major companies such as Adobe, Dropbox, Meta, Ford, Google, Amazon, Indeed, LinkedIn, Apple, and Slack have shifted to hybrid work. Some of these companies are hybrid with the option to work fully remote.
According to Forbes, in 2020, only five percent of remote jobs could be done from anywhere in the world. But in 2022, as you scroll through job boards online, almost every post is labeled with a word that clues prospects in on where they will physically be working during the week.
One of the greatest things about this change is that people who are job searching have potentially endless options of companies and industries they could have never previously imagined working for based on location.
On the flip side, hiring managers also potentially have a larger amount of candidate options.
And with the collective ease of Zoom interviews, open and honest communication and vulnerability, and clearer expectations, organizations and hiring managers can use that to their advantage to hire qualified, reliable remote employees – while reaping the benefits – by considering the following.
Speed of Hire
Even though hiring remote employees is faster in the long run, we suggest slowing down where you can. Take your time to get to know the people you are interviewing, be intentional in learning about their skills and what they can add to your company and trust the processes you already have in place.
At BELAY, our team of talent acquisition recruiters gets to know each potential contractor well as they are highly vetted and we make sure they will be a good fit into the service line they are applying for.
Selectivity
One of the most important things you can do in hiring is to ensure that the candidate is a good fit within your company’s culture.
In an episode of One Next Step, we listed some questions to ask yourself to make sure that you’re looking for connections with culture.
Does the person you’re interviewing have questions for you?
Do they have questions about the company?
Are they passionate about your mission?
Few things are more stressful when hiring than bringing someone on, then realizing they are not a fit culturally. You should be getting a better sense of this with each interview. If not, you’re probably not interviewing the right person.
And culture is crucial. Building a strong remote culture will not only benefit your employees but will increase retention, productivity, trust and growth.
Culture
In the corporate setting, remote work culture refers to the shared values, behaviors, and beliefs that unify a geographically diverse team, and guide them towards common goals.
It’s an inspiring idea, but it isn’t easy to implement. The literal, physical space separating virtual team members can easily manifest as emotional and interpersonal distance as well. Because of this, leaders of remote workforces must be even more committed to establishing and cultivating a robust culture.
To do this, you must remain explicit, vocal, and intentional about your company’s identity and culture. Finding the right person is an overwhelming hurdle that some organizations choose not to attempt and other organizations must endure hoping to find the right fit.
Your approach to staffing ensures that you connect with the right person, minimize your risk, save your time, and ultimately move you closer to accomplishing your objectives.
High Performance
Whether you're considering taking your team remote or you already have made the move, there are a few options to do this. You could introduce a flex day, move to two days from a home office, or jump in with both feet and go 100 percent remote.
In the first phase of building a high-performing remote team, you lay the groundwork – primarily for yourself as a leader – before the first remote employee is onboarded. That way, you know what you’ll be handing over and how you’ll stay connected, both through communication and culture.
In this second phase, you’ve now onboarded a remote employee and must clearly share your expectations, availability, and scheduling. You must outline expectations, define availability, share goals, schedule meetings, and over-communicate.
Once you have this established, the third and final phase comes full circle and passes the baton back to you, the leader, as you now actively lead your remote team. From this point on, it’s imperative to have faith in your leadership, delegation process and people.
Hiring doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, we’ve written about secrets to making hiring easier.
Finding the right person is an overwhelming hurdle that some organizations choose not to attempt and other organizations must endure hoping to find the right fit.
Does this sound great but you’re not necessarily sure where to start? We’d love to help you hire your dream team of remote staff!