CHALLENGES WHILE HIRING REMOTE TALENT
Major global researches show the unprecedented increase in remote work or what companies call it #work from anywhere, this has given quality edge to the companies to hire the best talent from across the globe without any boundaries, resultantly this has contributed to the growth of the organsiational objectives as well. Open Ideating, cultural embedding and diverse thinking are few of the important contributions of this new work methodology
However it was earlier in practice but not as much as in recent times , the fall of the COVID 19 pandemic has shown remarkable increase in the growth of the remote talent hiring’s, going as per the international data available with leading researchers it has shown and increase of over 122% in year 2020 itself. So this is IN forever now and the organizations have to be ready to match this new era of global workforce.
In the process of hiring global remote workforce there are challenges which need to be addressed to have common minimum guidelines and enable a free work culture in the organizations , here in we are discussing the challenges which can be faced by the organizations in process of hiring the remote teams.
Hiring remote employees comes with unique challenges, both for managers leading those remote team management, and for the employees themselves. Along with these challenges, there are quite a few misconceptions tied to remote work that might affect your expectations when hiring your first remote employees.
For example, the idea that most remote workers are digital nomads traveling around with their laptop, working on beaches etc. , NO the truth Is most of the remote workers are working on office sharing , co spaces and burdened as much as your full time physical employees.
#09 challenges to be ready for while hiring remote team
#1 MANAGING DIFFERENT TIME ZONES OF YOUR REMOTE WORKFORCE
Different time zones is one the foremost challenge whilst hiring remote team on common projects , lets take an example the difference of time zone within the continent lets say INDIA and Singapore is around 3 hrs is not much to cope up , but it is serious challenge when coordinating across oceans , INDIA and CALIFORNIA ,or may be AFRICA and TOKYO
Its like when you are starting the day at one place the other is about to pack up for the day. It may work through Email or messaging but difficult when you are planning white board conversation or a coordination meeting.
To combat this issue of managing time zone differences can be managed with few suggestions
MAINTAIN TRANSPARENCY THROUGH DOCUMENTED COMMUNICATION from top leadership to every single member, this is important to sync everyone’s contribution
EMBED TOOLS ANS SOFTWARE’S TO ASSIST ON COMMON PROJECT for instance given them common program accessible by all to match productivity and work flow
DIALOGUE BOX facilities to place messages on common board on developments and next day plans
PEER CHAT ROOMS to improve informal bonding and collective team efforts
MORE OPEN BOARD MEETINGS as and when times and policy permits have more open board discussions on the projects and its lacking.
#2 EMPATHISE WITH DIFFERENT CULTURES AND COMMUNICATION STYLES
Sometime unforced communication errors occur when your remote team member is from different culture, what is normal for one person can be offensive, odd for foreign manager
The point is that you may not even know when you’re offending, or not getting through to someone, and the same is true for your remote employees. The only way to know is to take the time to get to know your remote employees well, and to make sure there’s a clear, open dialogue with them.
Learning these things will help you start on a stronger foundation with them. Then, over time you can learn more about their culture, and share some of yours so that you both can better understand each other.
#3 MORE TIME IN DOCUMENTING PROCESSES
When working with remote workforce, it is essentials to document the discussions, policies and progress regularly so that the communication is not lost in between, unlike office where you can just HOPP in to the desk and check the relevant understanding. Remote team needs more documentation to assist smooth work flow and inter communication.
One of the solutions to this problem is getting on the detailed software platforms where these things are generalized and unit calculations are fixed. Everyone is in sync of the units and calculations.
#4 PLANING ONE ON ONE WITH REMOTE EMPLOYEES
Every person is raised in different socio economic environments and so is their thought process. The idea of working with remote employees can be EXCITING, managing an employee whom you simply check in with periodically, gets their work done on their own, and generally saves you on salaries.
The problem is, nothing beats the magic of face-to-face interaction for both creative work and bonding. Just because one of your employees is remote doesn’t mean you never have to meet in person. Ideally, you should be flying remote employees in regularly, as much as every quarter depending on need and preference affecting your cost bucket.
#5 PAY RULES AND TAXATION IN DIFFERENT ECONOMIES
While hiring the remote employees , the major criteria is their local laws over the taxation, personal income tax and other employee benefit programs such as insurance cover, provident funds and maturity bonus. The load of such payments increase the cost of employment in general may be different in different countries.
The best way to stay in front of this is to do the following:
- Before hiring someone in a new state or country, talk with HR and legal to make sure there aren’t any special considerations to keep in mind.
- Contact your payroll provider to see what they can automate for you and what they recommend. Even for things they can’t do themselves, they often can point you to the right government website.
- Ask your potential new remote employee, as they may have gone through all of the same hoops in a previous job.
#6 APPRAISALS AND RECOGNITIONS INEQUALITY CHALLENGES
Challenges on appraisal systems, the efforts gone into the project are best known amidst the challenges the remote employee has faced locally in his scheduling. Sacrificing family time, time over commuting or cost of office sharing spaces are all included vs the appraisal offered may be of discontent in some cases and sufficient in some cases, it is difficult for the company to maintain the uniform appraisal systems.
#7 DIFFERENCE ONBOARDING
On boarding the new hire is as critical for the resource as it is for the organisation, for the long term success for both the employee and for the company it is important to have perfect on boarding process. It is suggested to have a strong on boarding systems to introduce the employees to work culture, peer relations, raise integrity toward the company, build team and maintain a sustainable communication system.
Self introductory video’s , new hire email communique, Digital buddy , one on one video chats for first few weeks, extra time to express his/her ideas in white board virtual meetings are few suggested techniques to overcome these issues
#8 AUTONOMOUS, INDEPENDENT, COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES
It is observed there can be challenges related to the language controls and ability to work autonomously, either the company is prepared to hire experienced talent at extra cost or take a chance on inexperienced candidates. Same can be the case of working independent, how much work load can be taken by the remote worker independently and his ability to manage priorities and work index is highly important for efficient execution
#9 PRODUCTIVITY
To improve productivity and build a positive work environment, you must engage in smart and thoughtful management and maintenance of the company’s culture. The lack of face-to-face supervision and access to information can be solved by managers establishing regular check-ins. Moreover, to improve employees’ mental health, it is vital to encourage everyone to maintain a healthy lifestyle and clear work boundaries while staying connected to their remote colleagues.
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