If there is one thing that the internet has had a significant impact on, it is the workforce. And while that was seen to the extremes during the pandemic – what has happened after has been brilliant for millions of businesses and workers.
The ability to work from home was forced upon most people, and businesses saw how much more flexible they could be. They saw better profits because they had fewer overheads, and what’s more, is that the global talent pool opened up.
But if you haven’t had experience running a remote and flexible team, it can still be a challenge. So for any small businesses that are growing their team or people stepping into the role of managing a flexible team – here are some tips.
Communication
Communication x 3 and then some. If there are miscommunications within remote teams, things can get tricky quickly. While there is a joke about a video call or a meeting that could’ve been an email – sometimes conversation via video is best.
All of your team members might have a preferred way of communication, and if that is the case, you will need to learn that and accommodate them. People generally give their best work when they feel comfortable and accommodated.
Try weekly calls, check-in emails, direct messages, and being open to being contacted when needed. See what works, see what doesn’t, and streamline it. Keep in mind you might only realize that there is an issue when something goes wrong. Proactiveness and vigilance will help.
Talent Pool
The job is the job, and the tasks are the tasks. But you have the ability to design the team, and this gives an incredible amount of flexibility.
Don’t stick to the regular recruiting methods; instead, make use of all of the platforms online that can help you put together a literal dream team. Go to specialists like a marketing staffing agency, a content writing agency, and more to hand-pick the best people for the job.
You’ll have access to a wealth of skills, and what’s best is that they are likely already vetted.
Using a global talent pool will mean that you and your team will be flexible on working hours – which can be beneficial to night owls and early risers alike. Don’t be afraid to split jobs up into parts so that you can have two or more people per task, allowing for part-time and ad-hoc people too.
Reimagine the team, and build it as you see fit.
Trust
Freelancers who were working from home or across the world ahead of the pandemic have always had a level of trust that people who went from office to home didn’t have. Trust is one of the most important parts of being able to have a flexible team. The only way you can build trust is to show it and act like it.
Focus on the deliverables, be able to talk through issues, and avoid micromanagement and constant check-ins when they just are necessary.
After you build the team, let them work on their strengths and get on with what you have to do.
Hiring people for your business is both time and capital intensive process that some employers just aren’t prepared for. Others get the completely wrong idea about what they should expect from this journey. So, let’s explore some of the misconceptions that you might hold about hiring new team members.
The Interview Is The Final Step
First, you might assume that the interview is the final stage of the hiring process. However, this is not true at all. You might also want to think about the pre-boarding process. You find more about this on sites such as https://www.learningbank.io/blog/onboarding/preboarding-from-yes-to-day-1/. Once you have found the right candidate for a position, you should then start to prepare them for this role. This process can begin before they are ready to start work. It can help mitigate the issue that some businesses have with team members leaving shortly after winning the role.
There’s No Legal Issues To Worry About
Next, you should think about the legal issues that you can stumble into when you are hiring people for your business. You might think that there are no legal concerns to worry about, but you’re quite mistaken here. The reality is that there are lots of ways to slip up when hiring people for your company. For instance, you could find the person that you want before the interview process is complete. If you give any direction that this person has won the position, then you could be sued for unfair hiring practices. Particularly, if people who you hadn’t interviewed yet were professionally better suited for the position in question.
It’s All About A Candidate Winning You Over
Another common misconception about the hiring process is that it’s all about making sure that you find a candidate who dazzles and delights you as an employer. This isn’t the case at all. The reality is that you need to make sure that you’re winning them over too. If you don’t do this, then you’re going to miss out on great candidates who have other offers that are worth exploring and could become their preferred choice. In terms of how to win a candidate over, you need to make sure that you do deliver the right benefits that they expect. You can learn more about the most sought after benefits on sites such as https://www.myhrtoolkit.com/blog/best-workplace-perks.
You Don’t Need Professional Help
Finally, while it’s true that you don’t necessarily need professional help to hit the right marks with the hiring process, it can help a great deal. For instance, you might want to consider using a recruitment agency. Recruitment agencies essentially act as gatekeepers on the job market. They often control the best talent. So, they can certainly deliver the upper hand that you need here. You can also consider hiring a recruitment manager to ensure that this process is less time intensive overall.
We hope this helps you understand some of the things that businesses can get wrong about the hiring process and how to avoid the issues that come with these key misconceptions. If you take the right steps here, you can get the right people on board and ensure that they are ready to hit the ground running.
