Remote Employees:Before the pandemic, the concept of remote work was mostly experimental as businesses maintained the already effective office arrangement.
Since then, many businesses have adapted to employees working from home or alternating between onsite and remote work.
However, the major contributor to the rise of remote and hybrid arrangements in the US has little to do with necessity. Remote work data in 2018 revealed that 85% of companies either allowed or required remote work.
You’ll find that much of the rise of remote work has to do with the many benefits of the model.
Who is a Remote Employee?
To understand a remote employee, you must understand how the remote model works.
The remote model is work that takes place outside of the traditional brick-and-mortar settings.
Remote workers can perform their tasks wherever they are so long as they can access their company systems digitally.
A remote employee, therefore, is an individual working remotely and connecting with their workplace via the internet.
What are the Benefits?
Besides the benefits of the remote model to individuals, businesses also benefit from working with remote teams.
Here’s how you can benefit from having your staff work from home:
- Reduced Costs
Working with remote employees cuts down the cost of housing the team at a physical location. The numbers are incredible as you get to do away with the rent and other utility bills.
There are also costs that come with maintaining the workplace, like cleaning and providing furniture.
- Top Talent
Having a physical location will always lead to limitations when hiring talented individuals. You may not have many options for locally available talent, or their rates may not apply to you.
But when hires don’t need to be local, you enjoy access to a broader pool of experienced individuals from all over the world with varying rates.
- Productivity
Remote work improves productivity as it emphasizes employee satisfaction. Flexibility in working conditions allows employees to do their best work, which has pushed companies to develop remote arrangements to empower their teams.
- Insurance
The remote model allows your business to occasionally or entirely work with a freelance team, which removes the requirement of offering insurance coverage.
Since freelancers are subcontractors, they have their own arrangements, like seeking insurance for the self-employed.
Things to Consider When Hiring Remote Employees
Hiring remote employees is a big decision with a huge impact on the direction of your business. Here are things to consider:
- Business Needs
Before going the remote route, you should make sure the model works for your business. Think about the factors driving your motivation, and if you decide that your business will be at its best going remote, then you’re on the right track.
- How Remote?
About 16% of American companies have gone fully remote, but some businesses need face-to-face interactions for various reasons. As such, there are levels to the remote model.
While some businesses go fully remote, others adopt the partial experience or hybrid model. In hybrid settings, employees work some days in the office and others from home.
- Proper Equipment
Remote settings require tools and software that allows work to run efficiently, even with staff members scattered around the globe. You also need to invest in individual equipment as remote workers can’t share tools like they would in an office.
- Self-Supervision
Being able to perform with minimal supervision is an important trait of a remote employee. When hiring, consider the qualities your candidate presents. If possible, bring in hires with previous experience working remotely.
How to Recruit Remote Employees
The recruitment process for remote employees isn’t that different from the traditional method. But there are things you can do to make your business attractive to the best remote talent:
- Be Open with Your Values
Remote workers should fit into your company ideals the same way office staff do. It facilitates cohesion and boosts productivity. Individuals with remote experience understand the importance of aligning to the values and ideals of the companies they work for.
When hiring remote workers, be open about the qualities you’re looking for besides qualifications.
Once you have your shortlist, develop a screening process that narrows the list to individuals who share the same values as your business.
- Elaborate on the Role
When hiring remote workers, the details are everything.
Elaborate on the roles you want to fill so that prospects can determine their eligibility at a glance without having to go back and forth with you.
Providing crucial information on your vacancy ad makes things easier for you and the experts you’re looking to hire.
Things like flexibility are a vital part of the job. Instead of simply listing the work as remote, you can add a sentence on how flexible the work is.
- Present Your Rates
When looking for remote hires, be upfront with the compensation you offer, the mode of payment, and the payment terms.
Prospective workers want to know whether you offer a salary, per hour, or per project rates. This information helps to influence their decision.
- Advertise
Advertising your remote positions allows you to reach a wide audience. However, where you advertise plays a part in determining how smooth the process will be.
For instance, listing on industry-related boards and platforms provides a bigger pool of skilled individuals who understand your work.
Large job boards like Indeed and Flexjobs are effective but so are career groups on social networks. You can leverage the huge following of subject matter experts to land new hires.
Tips for Managing Remote Employees
Remote work is pretty different from the traditional office model, which adds a level of complexity to how these teams are managed. Here are tips to help you manage your remote team:
- Start Slow
When bringing in remote employees, you may want to fill their roles and get into the system quickly. You can achieve that with office staff by holding their hands and taking them through the processes.
But with your team working remotely, speeding things up right off the bat is challenging. It may also lead to unnecessary errors. As such, it’s advisable that you take things slowly to allow the new hires enough time to get used to things.
- Set Expectations
Setting expectations means being clear about how you want things done and your goals.
Filling in your employees on expectations needs to happen from the get-go so that everyone is well informed as they settle into their roles.
- Improve Communication
Remote work fully depends on communication to yield results.
You may want to diversify your communication channels to make it easier for your team to interact and work efficiently.
Invest in collaboration tools that bring everyone together in real-time to meet daily goals.
- Adjust Meetings
Longer intervals between office meetings are common as everyone is under the same roof, making it easy to be on the same page at all times.
That may not be advisable when dealing with scattered employees. If one or two individuals fall behind, productivity may suffer.
Keep meetings frequent to make sure you’re continuously updated. However, you may want to shorten the sessions to avoid being too involved.
Final Thoughts
The idea of working from anywhere has gained popularity among workers worldwide. But it’s also becoming an attractive option to employers. If you’re considering a move towards remote work, this guide may come in handy.
