Getting up early and going to the office every morning is no longer everyday working life. This Covid-19 has introduced a new concept of remote working. Employees and employers are attracted to this flexible yet effective working method.
Moreover, with this transformation comes two common problems companies face: hiring and managing remote employees effectively.
This guide will cover all the critical areas regarding hiring and managing remote employees.
If you are a businessman and want to hire remote employees, then this article is for you.
Let’s get started:
How to Manage Remote Employees?
Establish Ground Rules
Discuss your expectations with your remote worker regarding communication, work, etc. If they don’t follow, train them under other experienced remote employees. Doing this will ensure that they will learn what is expected of them.
Think of Them As Your Own
Don’t ever isolate your remote worker. Treat them as you treat your in-house workers. Have a chat with them regularly, and give them the freedom to discuss any work-related issues.
Maintain Communication
Employees feel motivated when they feel their opinions matter. Communicate on a daily basis with your remote employees. Ask them if they are having any kind of work-related trouble. You can also arrange a monthly meeting with them regarding the critical project.
Improve Team Interaction
It would be great if old employees take the initiative to talk first to the new joiners. As an employer, you naturally must encourage team interaction. Set up video conferencing with your employees, no matter where they are. This will help in better collaboration and productivity.
Don’t Vigil
When you offer remote working opportunities to someone, it means you are trusting them with their job without monitoring them.
Employees don’t like when someone constantly keeps an eye on their work. However, you can ask them for their progress reports, call or message them, but you must trust them with their jobs.
Treat Equally
It would help if you treated your remote employees like your in-house ones. This will boost workplace equality. Always open to communication with your remote employees, and encourage and motivate them to work to their full potential.
Focusing on Important Matters
If a communication gap occurs between the employer and the employee, it will impact the company’s core values and mission.
As an employer, you must educate your remote worker about your company’s values, goals, and vision. Be open to their feedback; this will help to boost their morale.
How to Hire Remote Employees
Form a Job Description
Job description plays a vital role in hiring a suitable candidate. It helps the candidates to understand the role and responsibilities of the position. The job description should be precise, attract candidates to apply for the role, and allow them to learn more about your company.
Review Resumes
After posting the job description, people start sending their resumes. You need to review them quickly and filter the best of them.
Categorize the people who match your requirements and look for qualities that match the role.
Schedule An Interview
After selecting your favorite candidates, schedule an interview on skype.
Let them know the interview date and time, provide the meeting link, and create a meeting event the candidate can add to a digital calendar.
Assess the Worker’s Capabilities
In the interview, ask your candidates questions regarding the job role and their abilities as remote workers. You have to ensure that each candidate has the required skills for the position and the experience to be a team player, even if they’re not working in your office.
Some of the top questions to ask in the interview are:
- How many years of experience do you have in remote work?
- Have you worked on similar projects as our company’s?
- How do you overcome the challenges of remote operating?
- How do you communicate with your team members?
- How do you ask for help from your team?
- Tell me about a project where you experienced a communication issue. How did you manage it?
Discuss Expectations About Communication
Constant and effective communication is important for remote working. You need to provide communication channels to your remote workers.
If your remote worker is working in a different time zone, then ask your remote employee to check their messages at the end of their day for your team to read first thing when they wake up.
Background Check
Conduct a background check and ask for references from your candidates before hiring. Professional references can certify their skills as an employee and confirm roles and responsibilities within a particular organization. Character references will give you a sense of who the employee is as a person, and these can help you judge their character, personality, communication, leadership, and other working methods.
Wrapping Up
Companies with remote employees see increased productivity and can escalate sustainably and effectively. However, following these tips can establish an effective remote management system.
By Ritika Jain
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