Quality people are critical for corporate growth, but recruitment has faced three challenges in the last year. The in-person engagement was impossible due to lockdowns and social isolation, the economic slump hurt businesses, and Brexit influenced the available personnel pool.
The pandemic also compelled businesses to embrace digitization to maintain continuity and align with the new work future. According to a Gartner report, by 2021, 48% of the UK workforce will be remote. As a result, companies have increased their investment in the technologies that will enable this shift. EMEA companies plan to spend 17% more on collaboration and content platforms and 4% more on Cloud conferencing and communications technology in the coming year.
The thought of executing conventional business procedures electronically – not only day-to-day work but also effectively hiring and onboarding new staff – may seem overwhelming, but the work from home (or anywhere) movement is here to stay. As a result, firms must recognize that, far from being a hindrance, embracing remote recruitment may provide a slew of advantages.
Due to the pandemic, a quarter of businesses had to make layoffs. While this has increased the talent pool and made it more varied than ever, senior executives still struggle to fill skills shortages and find suitable candidates, spending over £1 billion on temporary workers as a stopgap last year. Going digital can help with this.
Identifying the best fit for your company and recruiting remotely expands your horizons, alleviates the skills shortage, and reduces employee turnover. The digital era allows you to connect with many people who would otherwise be out of reach due to geography. You’ll also appeal to new demographics, such as the younger generation of digital nomads. With physical boundaries removed, the market has become much more inclusive, making it more likely that you will be able to locate the specialist or regional experts you require. That job seekers will be able to find their ideal position.
Furthermore, the consequences of Brexit mean that remote work – and remote employment – may benefit you. There are fresh pools of skilled people who cannot work in the UK due to lengthy visa processes and other travel limitations. Employing EU residents residing overseas who can work remotely from their location can help companies overcome this difficulty. Aside from Europe, the entire world is practically accessible to you in terms of expanding your staff.
Smaller businesses, particularly start-ups trying to scale, can benefit from a digital-first hiring strategy because they don’t have the funds to employ extensively and can’t afford any business disruption due to a bad hire. Last year, 772,002 new firms were established in the United Kingdom, and their performance will be critical in accelerating the post-pandemic economic recovery. That’s why they need to be able to hone in on applicants in any place and guarantee that they’re the proper match for the company at its most critical period of growth.
This leads to another important point: a forward-thinking remote hiring strategy must prioritize attracting and retaining new workers by making them feel completely involved and immersed in company culture during the hiring process and beyond. How can businesses achieve this as the workplace becomes increasingly digital?
Employees must be able to join their new teams remotely, which necessitates visual real-time cooperation and communication. This can be accomplished by utilizing low-cost SaaS-enabled technologies that can be implemented effortlessly and quickly without the need for extensive IT overhauls.
It begins with the hiring stage, typically an opportunity to determine if candidates fit into the business culture. Of course, face-to-face interaction is required to create rapport. With today’s rapidly growing digital and video technology, it can bring in new staff and make them feel just as involved. Companies may use video technology, for example, to make the interviewing process even more interactive and beneficial. It speeds up the hiring process by allowing the candidate to meet a more significant number of possible team members and to go through many stages of interviews with distributed management.
Virtual workspaces that can mimic the visibility and access to colleagues of a typical office allow new hires to become involved right away and feel like they are contributing something. They don’t want to be alone or have their motivation dwindle. Furthermore, HR may use digital tools to provide regular assistance, feedback, training, and development programs targeted to an individual’s success.
Companies must adapt to changing expectations to attract great employees. People are more acclimated to having greater freedom to control their schedules while remaining as productive as previously after a year of WFH. Many employees would want to continue working remotely or in a hybrid environment in the future, and 54% say they would leave a job if they didn’t have the option to work more flexibly. Businesses that provide such opportunities to employees are more likely to retain top talent over time. Remote onboarding and recruitment are a natural extension of that.
Once leaders recognize the benefits of this approach and realize that remote hiring is anything but remote, a tremendous opportunity to reach previously unavailable talent and transformative to business performance awaits.
