The world of business has changed dramatically over the last two years or so, with a big shift toward remote and flexible working. When you are tasked with recruitment or work in HR, this will mean that you need to update your recruitment processes to ensure that this element is explored correctly. Perhaps the business you work for is now fully remote, or maybe you offer flexible working to those who want it, for example.
Although you might think that recruiting – and retaining – flexible workers is just the same as recruiting and retaining those who work in an office, there are differences, and it’s crucial that you know what they are so you can hire the right people and ensure they stay with you, happy in their work, for as long as possible. Read on to find out more.
It Starts At The Beginning
If you want to ensure that potential employees know you are happy with flexible and remote working, this should start at the beginning with the recruitment process. Ideally, you’ll need to make this remote so that it falls inline with the rest of the job expectations, and this is particularly important if you are recruiting people from other cities, states, or even countries. It is highly unlikely that anyone will travel for a job interview when the technology exists that means that they don’t have to.
It is this technology that you need to focus on. As well as having good-quality video conferencing equipment and setting up the interview with plenty of time and knowing how to use that equipment, you’ll also need to use the right software to keep track of candidates. Software like the ATS recruitment system makes remote interviewing much easier, as you are able to keep all candidates’ details in one system. It’s hard to remember people fully when you don’t meet them in person, but good recruitment software means you’ll have all the information when you need it and are ready to make your decision.
Don’t Forget The Onboarding Process
When you hire team members and they come to the office to work, you should have an onboarding process to go through. This essentially means that their first day is spent going through policies, learning rules and systems, and getting to know the layout of the building. It might seem as though this is not necessary when someone is working remotely; you’ll just set them up on the company’s system and they’ll start working right away.
In fact, this is not how it should work. Although the employee might be working from home, that doesn’t mean they don’t still need an onboarding process. Everything about what they – and you – are doing remains the same, and they’ll still need to understand the system and other elements. The only difference is they won’t need a tour of the building. So, when you hire remote workers, don’t forget the onboarding process or you’ll find they leave very quickly because they don’t feel they understand the job well enough.
Have A Virtual Open-Door Policy
In most ways, taking care of remote workers is the same as taking care of onsite workers – you have to be good to them if you want them to work hard and stay loyal to you.
One way to do this is to adopt an open-door policy, although in the case of remote workers, it will need to be a virtual one. In other words, your employees should know they can come to you for help or advice at any time, no matter what their question might be. This might seem simple, but it can make a huge difference to how happy an employee is and how long they stay with you.
