The Remote Work Advantage: Why It's Essential for Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent
There is a general perception that we are currently in an "employer's market" - there are too many job applicants, but not enough available jobs. This means that when the companies decide to demand that their employees return to the office again and the employees complain, the companies still have the advantage of being able to choose from a large talent pool and always find someone who is willing to make it work.
But is this a good business decision?
Recruiting and retaining talent involves more than just "finding someone who can make it work." It requires a set of strategic decisions that help companies make a profit, stay competitive, and grow in the long term. If you look at it from this perspective and prioritize your people, you will need to step away from old ways of thinking and make location flexibility your ally in attracting and retaining talent.
Real Recruiting Benefits of Location Flexibility
When market shifts again
The market will become ‘candidate’s market’ again. And the employees will get to choose between different companies. Location flexibility will be important when it comes to this, both for your new hires and people who have been at the company for a long time.
Those who are the best for your business instead of those who can make it work
Imagine an excellent candidate being offered three similar jobs with similar compensation packages. One job offers full flexibility, one requires its employees to come to the office a couple of times a week, and the third one has no location flexibility at all. Which one do they choose? It's always the fully flexible job, even if it wasn't the top priority.
And remember, for a lot of people with kids and families, this flexibility is a must-have.
Bigger Pools, Bigger Fish
You are no longer limited by geographical proximity. The ability to scale up or down with on-demand specialists and freelancers allows for a wider pool of skilled candidates to choose from. Your location flexibility can attract high-quality candidates who may have otherwise not considered working for the company due to personal obligations or lifestyle changes.
If you work with clients, consider that having a team that spans multiple time zones allows for better asset coverage and quicker client response times.
Improved Diversity and Inclusion
Remote work can enhance workplace diversity and inclusivity and inable recruitment of employees from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. This is especially important for companies seeking to improve their diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Prepare an Umbrella before the Rain
When you offer the option of remote work, you attract a more versatile workforce that can adapt to unexpected challenges without halting all work. This way, your team can remain operational and productive in any situation that arises.
The Best Person for the Job is Happy to Stay
Recruiting is not only about finding the best person for the position. Good recruiting means finding the person who will stay with the company. If you do it right, you won't have to spend time and money recruiting for the same job in six months.
Onboarding is Expensive as Well
A new hire needs between three and six months to learn the ropes and fully integrate into the team. If your turnover rate is high, you will lose money on recruiting, onboarding, salaries, and recruiting for the same position. Also, you will lose money for the time that everyone in HR and in the team spent on the onboarding and training.
And yes… it’s not all sunshine and rainbows
Putting together an effective remote team is much easier said than done. It will often take several weeks and typically months for you to really create an online workflow and workforce that operates smoothly.
It is a complex task that demands time and patience. Firstly, it is important to carefully select the right candidates who have the necessary skills and attitude that align with the organization's goals and values. Once you have the right people, it is crucial to establish clear communication channels and virtual work processes that facilitate collaboration and productivity.
Must-haves of Location Flexibility
HR and Talent Processes Standardization
Standardized processes are essential for remote teams to work effectively and efficiently. When everyone on your team follows the same procedures and adheres to the same guidelines, it ensures that work is done consistently and accurately, regardless of where team members are located.
Streamlined processes in general HR help you maintain the same quality of work for each of your employees, no matter their location.
Try to incorporate standardized processes into recruiting as well, even if you're operating on a small scale and not hiring many people. This means standardizing rounds of interviews, feedback forms, and assessment tests, which helps you avoid bias when recruiting candidates from different countries and cultural backgrounds.
Tools
If you're planning to offer full location flexibility, you'll probably need good HRIS (Human Resource Information System) and ATS (Applicant Tracking System) tools to help you with recruiting, onboarding, administration, and payroll.
Onboarding new team members into a fully remote team can be challenging as well. So, you will need a variety of communication tools to help them integrate as quickly as possible and facilitate collaboration and team building.
Integrate New Team Members with Remote Santa
If you want to ensure that your team is engaged and connected, try our fun and collaborative gifting platform and make Remote Santa a part of your remote work plan.Onboard your team in no time - the setup is easy and the app requires minimal effort from your side.