Remote hiring adds new complexities to existing recruitment challenges. So, how do you identify, attract, and secure the right talent for your company if you will barely ever meet them? Whether your brand has embraced telecommuting or you want to dip your toes in the virtual work environment, this guide is for you. We’ll cover the unique challenges of hiring remote employees and share proven strategies for finding, assessing, and securing the ideal remote workers.
Does Your Business Need Hiring Remote Employees?
You shouldn’t just start searching for remote workers because others are benefiting from it. Work-from-home employees are not right for every position.
Learning how to hire remote employees involves identifying the right positions in your company, if any, to fill with telecommuters. You must also consider whether your business has all the right tools to implement remote work.
Considering these factors can help you prepare better for a remote work environment. They can also help you decide whether to implement a remote-first or hybrid work environment. Let’s cover all the things to evaluate before starting to hire employees online for remote work:
Nature of work
The type of work involved in each open position plays a critical role in determining whether an employee should work remotely. You must ask yourself the following:
- Can the employee perform their duties without the need for on-site visits?
- Does the job require physical, in-person supervision?
For example, workers cannot telecommute if they have to physically handle on-site work equipment. These questions will also help you determine the worker’s distance from the workplace even if they are to work remotely.
For instance, you may limit your search to a specific region if there might be a need to visit the workplace, however rare.
Technology and infrastructure
Remote work heavily relies on technology. You must confirm that your company has all the hardware and software infrastructure to support each employee’s telecommuting needs.
This is particularly important if you plan to hire remote developers, as their work is often highly dependent on advanced technological tools and platforms.
Remember that every position is different, and brands have unique needs. So confirm that your company is well-equipped to run remote recruitment campaigns, handle workloads and collaborate virtually, and provide the required support for your telecommuting workforce.
Productivity and performance
After confirming that the position and your business support remote workers, consider how you can measure their performance. Can you track productivity and performance for the specific role in a remote setting? What feedback can be received to evaluate metrics like KPIs?
Security and data protection
Remote work exposes your company to new security risks. It is often easier to secure devices connected to an onsite network than to provide critical protection for remote systems. Determine whether your business can properly secure company data and sensitive information in a remote work environment.
It’s also important to assess the protocols in place to train new remote staff on how to identify and avoid practices that may lead to cybersecurity breaches.
Culture and team dynamics
With remote work, you’ll face the new challenge of retaining the workplace culture you have nurtured in your in-person workspace for years. Consider how employing remote workers to fill former in-person roles will affect your team dynamics.
Legal and compliance considerations
Legal and compliance implications are another set of reasons that complicate remote hiring. Employment laws vary across locations. You must consider which labor laws apply to remote employees working in different states or countries to avoid legal backlash.
You must also recognize your legal responsibilities when hiring outside your country. For example, American companies are expected to file W-8 BEN forms with the IRS for employees working outside the U.S.
Costs and savings
Before hiring remote workers, consider what the entire process will do to your budget. You should evaluate the cost of the recruitment process and the running cost of maintaining the work-from-home framework, from purchasing hardware and software tools to evaluating the risks of a security breach.
But before you conclude, you should also consider how remote work benefits your business in the long run.
What Is a Virtual Team?
A virtual team, another term for a remote team, is a group of workers who use digital tools to communicate and collaborate. Being virtual means they do not all work from a dedicated physical workspace and are equipped to do their jobs from anywhere.
The following are the key characteristics of virtual teams:
- Remote collaboration: Virtual teams collaborate and communicate primarily through digital tools such as email, video conferencing, instant messaging, and project management apps.
- Geographical diversity: Team members in virtual teams can be located in different cities, countries, or even continents, allowing businesses to access the best workforce from bigger talent pools.
- Flexibility: Remote work environments allow team members to choose their hours and work location. This structure has shown to boost productivity and work satisfaction.
- Traditional work structure: Flexible work times and diverse work locations do not mean virtual teams must implement different organizational structures. Companies can still maintain traditional work hierarchy while implementing remote work.
Challenges:
- Technology dependence: Virtual teams rely heavily on technology to facilitate communication, collaboration, employee management, and project management.
- Communication barriers: Time zone differences and non-uniformed working hours means virtual teams have to depend on asynchronous communication. Cultural differences can also hurt understanding and impact productivity if a unique strategy is not implemented.
- Work-life balance: Remote workers often blend their work with personal lives, so that it sometimes becomes difficult to separate both. This practice could lead to stress and a significant drop in productivity.
The concept of virtual teams sounds exciting, and it is. But managers must handle its challenges to enjoy the net positives of collaborating remotely.
Remote Employee Must-Have Skill Set
Formulating a remote hiring plan involves creating the ideal employee persona. The right candidate must have the following skills to flourish in a virtual workspace:
Communication skills
Clear and effective written and verbal communication is not negotiable for remote work. Remote employees should be able to express themselves clearly, actively listen, and communicate with team members using various digital tools. They must also be teachable, able to adapt to cultural differences, and understand when to rely on synchronous and asynchronous communication styles.
A good remote worker will also be bold enough to ask questions and seek guidance when things are not clear.
Time management skills
Remote workers must master time management skills to honor deadlines, stay productive, and maintain consistency. Flexible work hours make it pretty easy to lose track of time and get distracted. Telecommuters should also know how to use time management applications, such as time trackers, to stay focused and accountable.
Self-motivation and emotional intelligence
A great work-from-home employee should know how to deal with the feelings of isolation or disconnection that affect remote workers. They must have adequate internal motivation, such as a strong passion for their work, to easily deal with these issues.
High emotional intelligence can also help one handle interpersonal professional relationships, show empathy towards colleagues, maintain positive working relationships in a virtual setting, and stay motivated when things are low.
Adaptability
Remote work environments can be dynamic and may require employees to adapt to changes quickly. The ideal telecommuter should be flexible, open to new work arrangements, and able to adjust to shifting priorities.
Tech savvy
Work-from-home employees should be handy with digital tools and able to quickly learn how to use new remote work solutions. These include video conferencing platforms, project management tools, collaboration software, and other relevant technologies. Their remote work cybersecurity knowledge should also reach acceptable levels for your company.
Problem-solving skills
Remote workers are generally less-supervised than in-office employees. As such, they must be great at solving complex problems and finding creative solutions independently, since supervisors and senior colleagues may not be immediately available. They should also be able to temporarily take on different roles to fill in for unavailable colleagues.
Collaboration skills
Remote collaboration is often more challenging than in-person cooperation. Telecommuters should know the ropes of virtual teamwork, such as participating in virtual meetings and discussions, contributing to team projects, and assisting colleagues who work from different time zones.
Organization skills
Remote work requires strong organizational skills to track tasks, deadlines, workflows, project details, and commitments. An organized person will also create and maintain an efficient workspace that boosts productivity.
Best Practice to Hire Employees Online
Defining all the qualities you want in a remote worker is a great way to identify them. But how do you source, attract, and screen candidates for your company? These tips will help:
Define your needs clearly
Clearly defining the skills, experience, and qualities you are looking for in a remote employee is one way to attract the right candidates. You should also ensure your job ad and description contain as much information as possible about your brand and the role.
While you can’t control who applies for the role, automation technologies can help you narrow the list once you have defined what you need.
Utilize online job boards and platforms
Place attractive job ads on popular niche platforms, such as remote.co, with a focus on connecting remote workers with remote jobs. That way, you’re accessing a pool of professional telecommuters actively seeking work-from-anywhere opportunities.
Tap into your network
Leverage your professional network, industry connections, referrals, and social media platforms to spread the word about job openings.
Attend virtual job fairs and events
Virtual job fairs, networking events, and industry conferences focused on remote work can expose you to the right talent. These platforms provide opportunities to connect with remote talent, showcase your company culture, and engage with potential candidates.
Tips for Hiring a Remote Team
You must use the right tools, strategies, and intentions when searching for the best remote worker for your brand. There are different things you must do to put yourself in the right position, identify the ideal candidate, and get them to love your company.
Broaden your pool
Don’t limit your search to traditional candidates. You can cast a wider net to accommodate individuals with unconventional backgrounds or career paths. Freelancers, contractors, people returning to the workforce, or those with diverse skill sets may be the perfect fit for your remote roles. Look for transferable skills, adaptability, a passion for learning, and high emotional intelligence.
Define remote work policies and expectations
Provide clear expectations from the start. Outline the responsibilities, goals, and performance metrics required for the role. Ensure candidates have access to the necessary resources, tools, and training to excel in their interviews.
Craft detailed job descriptions
Make sure you outline everything about the role you want to file in the job description. The JD should also include qualifications, what they can look forward to, your company’s work culture, and incentives.
You should also communicate with candidates to understand their situations and preferences, such as time zone differences and disability considerations. You’’re essentially making the interview process feel like an onboarding operation, allowing candidates to settle in and feel comfortable.
Screen for remote readiness
Assess candidates for their remote work readiness during the recruitment process. Look for indicators such as previous remote work experience, self-discipline, time management skills, the ability to work independently, and knowledge about the remote tools your company uses.
Provide a realistic job preview and offer a trial period
Share information about your company culture, remote work setup, team dynamics, and expectations. Consider implementing a paid trial period for new hires. These practices will allow the candidate to experience your organization’s work methods and traditions firsthand and help you assess how they’ll fit into your process.
Offer flexibility and autonomy
Remote workers want to feel connected to a company’’s mission and values, and the best talents will have multiple offers, possibly from your competitors. Remember, they’’re also choosing you as much as you’’re choosing them.
Share your company culture through your website, social media, and job postings. Highlight the benefits of working remotely for your organization, such as flexible schedules, work-life balance initiatives, and opportunities for professional development.
Invest in onboarding and training
Onboarding lays the foundation for a remote employee’s journey with your company. Creating a memorable induction experience can make all the difference.
Foster a remote-friendly culture
Make sure your company’s work-from-home policies speak for themselves, as they will attract experienced and talented remote workers to your job advertisement. Ensure your culture is not a secret and spell-out the telecommuting benefits intending employees will enjoy when working for your brand.
Conducting Remote Interviews
The interview is your first opportunity to connect with potential candidates and assess how they fit into your virtual team. These tips will show you how to prepare, set up, and evaluate each prospect:
Choose the right video conferencing tool
Select a reliable video conferencing platform that aligns with your company’s needs and budget. Popular options include Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. Consider features like screen sharing, recording capabilities, and virtual backgrounds to enhance the environment.
You can also use your company’s internal platform to assess how easily the candidate can set up within your team.
Test your technology
Leave nothing to chance. Test your internet connection, audio, video, and any other relevant equipment well before the interview. If multiple interviewers will be present, also confirm that they have tested their equipment in advance.
Set up a professional environment
Choose a quiet, well-lit space with a neutral background to minimize distractions, interruptions, and other unfavorable distractions. Also, ensure you clear your schedule and tell people around you not to interrupt. Additionally, dress the part to boost the interview’s professional setup.
Communicate clear instructions
Send candidates detailed instructions on how to join the video conference. Share the meeting link, start time, and any relevant information well in advance.
Prepare interview questions in advance
Craft thoughtful questions that assess not only the candidate’s skills and experience but also their adaptability, communication style, and cultural fit. Focus on questions that reveal their ability to work independently, manage their time effectively, and collaborate virtually. Prepare a list of questions beforehand to ensure a structured and focused conversation.
Incorporate different types of questions, such as:
- Behavioral questions that assess experience,
- Opinion questions to understand perspective,
- Multitasking questions to evaluate how candidates handle multiple tasks at once,
- Technical questions to score subject knowledge,
- Time management questions to check their time management skills
- Brainteasers to gauge logical skills and composure under pressure.
You should also add questions that will help you measure their telecommuting, teamwork, and interpersonal skills.
Write down the types of answers you want to hear and design a grading system before walking into the interview.
Engage in active listening
Active listening is a valuable interview skill that helps you go beyond hearing the words your interviewees speak. It’’s about observing non-verbal cues, reading body language, and understanding the intent and sincerity behind their words.
Maintain eye contact, nod to show understanding, and summarize their points to demonstrate that you’’re fully engaged. Keep an open mind when hearing their answers. That way, you can spot candidates with unique perspectives and unconventional ideas.
Assess remote work skills
You should also pay attention to the candidate’s remote work skills, asking them how they navigate virtual workplaces.
You can use behavioral questions to gauge certain skills needed for remote work work, such as communication, collaboration, time and task management, and problem-solving.
Provide time for questions
Allow candidates to ask questions about the role, the company, and the remote work setup. Encouraging them to seek clarification on any aspects of the position or your organization also helps you appraise how they view things and their willingness to learn.
Follow up with next steps
Once you conclude the interview, outline the next steps in the hiring process and provide a timeline for feedback. Thank the candidate for their time and express appreciation for their interest in the position.
Onboarding a Virtual Team Member
Onboarding is the recruitment process that largely determines how fast and how well a new hire integrates with your team. These tips will help you nail the remote onboarding experience:
Pre-onboarding preparations
The onboarding process begins well before the new employee’s start date. The offer letter should ideally include a welcome packet containing preparation materials, summary info about team members, and the kinds of tools they will use. Using different media, such as explainer videos, can enrich the experience. You should also ensure their equipment, software, and access to necessary tools and systems are set up and ready to go.
Schedule a virtual onboarding session
Your onboarding session shouldn’t be a generic meeting where you just display presentation slides and reel out a lecture. Make it more engaging by preparing activities and tasks to make your new hires participate. Use multiple team members for the session to get the new hire familiar with their colleagues.
Assign a buddy or mentor
Pair the new team member with an onboarding liaison who can show them the ropes, answer questions, and provide support. Ensure you assign a person with the right qualities to integrate the new hire and make them comfortable.
Provide training and resources
The onboarding program is also about preparing new team members for their roles as much as it is introducing them to the company. Offer training sessions about company policies, procedures, tools, and systems to help them understand their responsibilities and how things work in the organization.
Introduce them to the team
Getting new workers to meet your team is one of the best ways to help them settle in. It also provides an opportunity to start creating connections and building relationships from day one. You can use different team members to handle aspects of the induction process.
Establish communication channels
Great hires will ask a lot of questions even before their first day. Your onboarding process should adequately address this need. Share effective communication channels and point people to ensure they receive immediate feedback and answers.
Seek feedback and check-in regularly
Every onboarding process is an opportunity to make the next one better. Ensure you ask inductees how they feel about the process. You can use surveys and questionnaires after each session to understand where they feel confused and their thoughts about each process. You should also perform regular check-ins to ensure they get everything they need.
Celebrate milestones and achievements
Recognize and celebrate the new team member’s milestones, achievements, and contributions to the team, no matter how small. Acknowledging their progress and offering praise for their efforts will make them feel like a valued member of the organization.
Mistakes to Avoid Managing a Remote Team
Managing payroll
Delayed and inaccurate paychecks can lead to employee dissatisfaction and compliance issues. These issues could drive up employee turnover and hurt your productivity. Use reliable payroll software to automate payroll processes, ensure timely payments, and follow tax regulations in different regions. You can also outsource your payroll process to avoid such problems.
A time tracking software, such as Traqq, that help calculate wages based on hours worked, can also help iron out payroll inconsistencies.
Paying international employees
Consult legal and financial experts to understand international payroll requirements, tax regulations, and labor laws to ensure you’re paying workers in other countries correctly. You may have to cover cross-border transfer costs and determine whether you have any tax obligations in the country.
Calculating compensation
Ensure you consider factors like market rates, living costs, local regulations, and benefits when trying to determine each employee’s ideal remuneration. You can use market research and weigh every worker’s personal situation (especially their country of residence) to offer the best competitive salary.
Permanent establishment risk
Permanent establishment (PE) risk arises when your company’’s activities in a foreign country qualifies it to become a taxable entity within that jurisdiction. Your organization may accrue unexpected tax burdens by hiring a specific number of remote employees in some countries.
You can consult with tax experts to assess your hiring activities within each country. That way you can avoid unnecessary tax liabilities.
Misclassifying employees as contractors
Misclassifying directt employees as contractors and using wrong payment methods and failing to submit required paperwork as a result could cause legal trouble.
Unclear expectations
Neglecting to define your goals and the meaning of success from the start could leave employees in a state of uncertainty. Ignoring productivity and performance assessments can also hurt your remote work aspirations and significantly reduce output.
You can use productivity apps, such as time -tracking tools and projects management software to keep workers connected to critical workflows, boost time management, and provide clear assessment metrics.
You should also define expectations, perform regular check-ins, and encourage open communication.
IP and invention rights
Include well-defined and clear IP clauses in employment contracts, establish policies on ownership of work-related inventions, and secure agreements to protect your organization’s IP rights.
