The average worker looks a lot different today than they did ten years ago. Putting on a suit and tie and commuting to work is becoming a thing of the past.
FlexJobs did an entire study about the increasing popularity of remote work. From 2005 to 2017, remote work in the U.S. increased by a whopping 159%.
There are plenty of workers that want to take advantage of the remote environment. As a business owner, you should look into adding remote workers to your team.
If you don’t already employ remote workers, you should consider some of the benefits that it can bring to your business:
- It grants you access to a more diverse talent pool.
- It reduces office costs including furniture, electricity bills, and office supplies.
- It can increase employee retention because your employees won’t have to endure long commutes.
With that being said, you should have a strategy for bringing on remote workers. Here are 4 tips you can follow to make the process as seamless as possible.
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Consider Time Zones
Before you start looking for remote workers, consider what time zones you want them to be in. Some employers search for remote employees that are located in the same time zone. This works best if you will require a lot of close collaboration and instant responses to communication.
Other employers prefer their remote workers to be in different time zones. This way, you can have a team that works around the clock. You’ll always have someone to respond to customer inquiries, post on social media pages, work on cases, and complete other essential tasks.
Once you have determined your preferences, make note of them. Keep time zones in mind from the very beginning of your hunt for applicants. This way, you won’t find the perfect candidate only to discover they aren’t in an ideal time zone.
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Complete Background Checks (When Applicable)
Depending on the nature of the work your employees will be completing, you may need to perform a background check. Some positions will require you to provide your employees with expensive equipment. You need to make sure your workers are responsible and don’t have a history of poor financial decisions.
If the workers you’re hiring will handle sensitive information, you should complete some additional screening. Simplified background checks will ensure that your employees do not have criminal records and can positively contribute to your company and its reputation.
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Fine-Tune Your Interview Process
Some employers won’t treat the interview process the same for in-person and remote employees. To find the best candidates possible, you should ideally hold three interviews for potential remote employees:
- Culture and values interview
- Experience interview
- Final interview
This thorough interview process will ensure you have well-rounded workers who are ready to contribute to your company.
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Offer a Paid Work Trial
Even if you’ve found a candidate that seemingly checks all of the boxes, you won’t know how they’ll perform until they start working for you.
Offer a paid work trial with pre-agreed conditions. This way, you can see how their skill set fits your company’s needs, how quickly they can learn, and how reliable they are.
This paid work trial will also help your employees determine if the role is what they expected it to be, which will reduce the chances of them quitting down the line.
Bottom Line
Not every business will benefit from hiring remote workers. If you think this route could be for you, consider your business model and talk it over with your team. From there, you can follow these 4 tips to help bring on qualified remote workers to your team.
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