The employer’s guide to remote-first recruitment and hiring

The ultimate employer’s guide to remote-first recruitment and hiring

The pandemic has changed the way we work forever. It saw remote working grow in popularity on a global scale. And now, post-pandemic, the lasting impact is that more employees than ever now expect a flexible approach from employers. While there are undoubtedly pros and cons to whichever approach you take, here’s how to navigate remote-first recruitment and hiring as an employer.

The growing popularity of remote work

Have you been working remotely – from home or another destination – within the last year or so? Due to national lockdown restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s likely. Where possible, employees were asked to work from home for over a year. But if we had asked the same question back in 2019, your answer would have probably been different. A handful of people might have had remote jobs, and some may have negotiated a couple of days working from home a week.

But we’re now seeing people – both employees and employers – realise the full potential of remote working. After all, we’ve proved that work still gets done outside of an office environment. For employees, remote working means a much greater work-life balance, thanks to swapping a potentially long and stressful commute for more free time. It gives employees the flexibility to choose how to spend their time, whether that’s more time with their family and friends or newly available time to prioritise exercise.

It’s hardly surprising that more and more employees want to work remotely. According to a YouGov report, 57% of working adults want to be able to continue working from home after the pandemic – 18% who want to be able to work from home the whole time, and 39% who want to be able to work from home some of the time.

Statistics on the perception of remote working

Even if it’s pretty clear that remote work is something that a large majority of employees want, it doesn’t guarantee that they’ll all be granted their wishes. For bosses and managers who are used to seeing their employees in an office, the idea of having them work from home can feel unfamiliar. Some may assume work isn’t getting done to the same standards.

According to TUC research, more than half of workers (56%) say introducing new technologies to monitor the workplace damages trust between workers and employers.

A lot of these companies weren’t prepared for the switch to remote working. In fact, according to the YouGov report, 68% of British employees had never worked from home prior to the outbreak. It was a huge adjustment for workers and bosses.

Indeed, there was a lot to learn about remote working. When training had been provided, 43% said productivity had increased during homeworking, compared to only 29% in those which hadn’t offered training.

Remote working seems to be here to stay in some way, with almost all 50 of the UK's biggest employers questioned by the BBC having no plans to bring staff back to the office full-time. Instead, they said they’d be favouring a mix of home and office working; actively encouraging employees to work from home some days during the week.

  1. Educate people who remain distrustful of remote working
  2. Provide the tools needed to support employees to work remotely

There’s plenty of good news on this front, though. Plenty of businesses are welcoming the changes that remote working offers and are demonstrating a much greater trust in their employees. As indicated by these studies, they are backing remote working opportunities:

Is remote working a competitive advantage?

The working environment has been changing for some time. We can join meetings with colleagues from all over the world, receive our emails wherever we are, and access all the documentation we need securely online – all without ever entering an office building.

According to a survey, 75% of employees saw flexible work as a must-have, not some special benefit. 65% saying they would consider changing jobs for greater long-term flexibility.

An introduction to remote hiring

Whether it’s because of people leaving or increased workloads, keep in mind the hiring process can take months, so it’s smart to be proactive. Don’t hire when there’s too much work, or wait to post a job advert two months into someone’s three-month notice period. Instead, anticipate those future needs and plan accordingly. That way, you’ll prevent workload stress or stagnation in the overall company strategy.

The typical recruitment process is as follows:

  1. Developing a recruitment strategy
  2. Talent acquisition
  3. Application form
  4. Screening Call
  5. Remote interview
  6. Candidate assessment
  7. Reference check
  8. Negotiation
  9. Onboarding

Accessing the talent pool

Acquiring talent starts with a job description. A good job description should be comprehensive, transparent, and enticing. To attract the right kind of candidate, keep the following things in mind when writing a remote job description:

Here are some of the most common places to find candidates online:

  1. Linkedin - Mainly used for professional networking.
  2. Tempo - An all-in-one hiring platform.
  3. Otta - New tech role platform.
  4. We Work Remotely - Largest remote work community.
  5. Freelancer.com - Huge freelance community.
  6. Working Nomads - Remote job platform for digital nomads.
  7. Hubstaff Talent - For freelancers, agencies, and businesses to connect.
  8. Remote.co - Expert insight and job openings.
  9. Jobspresso - Remote work community.
  10. Upwork - Marketplace for freelancers.
  11. Fiverr - Marketplace for freelance services.
  12. Workew - Hiring platform.
  13. Wellfound - Hiring toolkit.
  14. Behance - Creative network.
  15. Stack Overflow - Online community for developers.

How to handle remote interview

To set up a remote interview, you should:

Common questions during a job interview include:

Things to consider with remote employees

  1. Paying employees: Open a local legal entity, or work with an Employer of Record (EOR).
  2. Tax obligations: Compliance varies by country.
  3. Employee compliance and rights: Follow local legislation on benefits, leave, and minimum wage.
  4. Intellectual property: Ensure the protection of IP rights.

Onboarding remote employees

A good onboarding programme should go through all the essentials.

Example onboarding strategy

  1. 7 Days before: Send work contract.
  2. 6 Days before: Order tech-setup, assign a buddy, and send onboarding schedule.
  3. On the day: Set up tool stack and meetings.
  4. Day 1: Welcome new member in public channel and introduce to department.
  5. Day 30: Provide feedback on first month.

Investing in remote training

Investing in your own staff pays off by improving productivity, engagement, and retention.

To ensure training remains effective in a virtual environment:

Example of remote companies

Useful links and resources