Many individuals associate remote work with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. While this revolutionized it more globally, people have been working remotely for decades, and companies are looking to hire remote employees because of the potential advantages. Nevertheless, hiring remote employees and the virtual recruitment process can have its fair share of challenges.
Continue reading to learn more about the challenges and advantages of hiring remote employees today.
How Have Remote Work Models Become Increasingly Popular?
Remote work offers employees flexibility and autonomy over when and where they work, which improves overall work-life balance for many individuals.
Again, some people associate remote work with the pandemic, but it’s been around much longer. As the internet became more popular, so did working remotely. People realized they could work from home with a cable and an outlet.
That expanded even further with the invention of WiFi and other technological advances. Individuals realized that with WiFi and if granted permission, they could work virtually from anywhere. Nowadays, more companies recognize the benefits of remote work for themselves and their employees.
Despite these benefits, many companies enacted return-to-work orders over the past year or two. But there’s an endless number of employees and employers fighting for remote work to stay.
Why Is Remote Work Here to Stay?
There’s a time and a place for in-person work. But many prefer to work remotely, and the fact remains that there are many benefits that you should consider when looking to hire remote employees.
Advantages of Remote Work for Employees
Many individuals find that work-from-home opportunities improve their overall quality of life because they have more work-life balance. But others can’t separate work from their home life when working remotely. Nevertheless, 10 potential advantages of remote work for employees include:
- Reduced costs of commuting
- Schedule flexibility to attend doctors appointments or pick up kids from school
- Improved job performance
- Autonomy to work and live wherever they want
- Access to more job opportunities
- Control over their office environment
- More time in the day to cook, exercise, or focus on hobbies
- Fewer office politics
- Lower cost of living
- An overall happier and healthier life
How Can You Start Hiring Remote Employees?
Thanks to technological advances, more companies can hire employees remotely and run an entire business virtually. Many tools and online platforms can streamline your process, helping you find top-tier candidates seamlessly.
Platforms to Help You Hire Remote Employees
Job boards are excellent ways to post open positions and attract or find new remote employees. Some of the most significant job boards are Indeed and LinkedIn.
Indeed allows employers to post new positions, filter through candidates by qualifications, contact them directly, and utilize assessments to evaluate skills before scheduling an interview. The platform reduces much of the stress associated with remote recruiting and hiring.
LinkedIn hosts similar functions to Indeed. However, it’s also the world’s gold standard for professional networking. Through LinkedIn, you can connect with countless professionals, advertise job postings, and reach out to prospective candidates to gauge their interest in your requisitions.
Communication tools will also improve your remote hiring process. For example, Zoom, Skype, RingCentral, and other technologies allow you to call, text, and video conference candidates. These tools make scheduling and conducting interviews much more manageable. They also make the process easier for candidates.
What Are the Potential Challenges of Hiring Remote Employees?
Though job boards and communication tools can help you hire remote employees, there are still many challenges you make experience during the process. Some of the most significant challenges companies face when hiring remote employees include:
- Trouble with unreliable technologies
- Ensuring the full attention of employees required for projects
- Guaranteeing candidates put in the amount of work they invoice or clock in
- Working from various locations or time zones and requiring more communication efforts
- Trouble onboarding remote consultants depending on the project
Advantages of Hiring Remote Employees
Each company has to outweigh the pros and cons of hiring remote employees. With the above challenges in mind, let’s consider some of the advantages of hiring remote workers:
- Increased productivity
- Reduces operation costs
- Access to a larger talent pool
- Enhanced cross-functional communication and collaboration
- Increased job satisfaction and employee retention due to improved work-life balance
Depending on your business needs, the pros may well outweigh the cons. Working with a staffing agency can also help reduce the challenges.
Consider Black Diamond to Hire Remote Employees Today
Another way to hire remote employees is by working with a staffing agency. Doing so can help streamline the hiring process and get quicker results, especially if you’re new to hiring remote workers. But you must be ready for the challenges to experience the advantages.
Contact Black Diamond Networks to learn more about our services, or start hiring remote workers today.
