Hiring Remote workforce – Is it for You?

Today, most companies across the globe are moving towards hiring remote workforce to gain a competitive advantage when it comes to hiring the best talent. As today’s job seekers are growing more conscious towards work-life balance, organizations are tapping the possibility of hiring remote working employees as an added perk to attract job seekers.

If your organization has been considering hiring a remote workforce for some time, here are some interesting statistics to look at.

In a study done by Virtual Vocations, 61.4% millennials prefer to work remotely from a co-working space or a coffee shop while 79.5% said that their primary source of income is through a remote job.

One of the main reasons for preferring remote job is taking regular care of children or a family member at home, as admitted by 46.4% of millennials in the survey. However, even with this staggering data, remote hiring is not meant for all companies neither remote working is for everybody. So how do you decide as an organization, if remote hiring is for you? Here are some pointers to help you make an informed decision.

Recommended Read: – Current and Future Trends in Remote Work for 2022-2025

Why You Should Hire Remote Workers?

Let’s understand this first. Hiring a remote workforce means your employees will save time on daily commute which means they can use the time to focus on their productivity. Hiring remote employees gives you direct financial benefits by minimizing your overhead costs, infrastructure, and logistics. In fact, employers can save up to $22,000 per worker per year through remote hiring.

As the demand for niche skills is increasing, remote hiring gives you access to a wider talent pool not limited by location. It means your employees don’t need to take time off to take a doctor’s appointment or take out their dog for a walk. They can multitask, perform better, increase productivity, and in general perform better than their on-site peers. Since your employees get more flexibility and freedom at work, they tend to be happier and loyal. In short, talent retention becomes a breeze for you.

Identifying What The Remote Workforce Can Do For You?

Your decision to hire remote employees should be a well-thought-through one. To begin with, consider what your remote workforce can do for you that your on-site team is not able to achieve. For example, GitHub has developed a remote workforce that is high on emotional intelligence.

This workforce can go out of their way to get things done. They are also more willing to take chances. If you have a collaborative work culture where who is making a decision is not as important as getting the work done is, you can consider building a remote workforce like this.

Remote First Or Remote-Friendly?

You can be a remote-first or remote-friendly company. For example, if you’re spreading your business to a new city or a new country, you can go with a remote-first model where you don’t even need to have a physical presence. Your employees work remotely by default.

You need to take care of the time zone difference (in case you’re spread across geographies) from the very first day. On the other hand, you can be a remote-friendly company that allows employees to work from home or any other location, occasionally. Or maybe the employees can have the freedom to come to the office as and when needed and work remotely otherwise.

Type Of Roles To Consider For The Remote Workforce

Clearly, it is evident that remote working is largely meant for jobs that can be done on computers or phones. However, remote hiring is becoming prevalent in other industries too including healthcare, education, law, travel, etc. Roles that work great for remote hiring include – copywriters, designers, virtual assistants, regular team members like marketers, software developers, accountants, HR assistants, and so on.

How To Adapt As A Remote-First Or Remote-Friendly Workplace

When you’re hiring a remote workforce, focus on the best candidates with strong work ethics. Look for candidates who are already used to remote working. People who have worked as freelancers or those who have worked with start-ups are already used to remote working.

When you hire a remote worker, you promise to give the employee freedom of work and flexibility. Stay away from the idea of micromanaging, instead focus on results and sustained productivity.

Make use of technology. Invest in online collaboration tools to help your remote workforce work together. For example, many remote working teams use Zoom for video conferencing, Trello for project management, Dropbox for file sharing, Slack for communicating, Keka HR for attendance management, etc.

Setup guidelines of best practices with clear goals and objectives. Encourage inclusivity and teamwork.

Hiring a remote workforce and sustaining as a remote workforce requires lots of careful planning and process in place. Zapier has been encouraging remote working and remote hiring since 2011. They have tons of tips and advice to share in case you’re looking for more suggestions on remote hiring. Also, read our post on how to build an indomitable team spirit in your company.