Many organizations today have started hiring remote talent, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, because work-from-home employment has shown massive success all over the world.
According to statistics, 62% of employees between the ages of 22 and 65 cite that they work remotely occasionally. However, remote talent can also have its fair share of challenges, so understanding when to go for remote hiring and when to refuse it is important.
If you want to know when and when not to hire remote talent for your company, then this think piece is for you!
When to Hire Remote Talent
1. You Want to Cut Costs
One of the best advantages of hiring remote talent from the right platform is that your company can save significant costs. If you opt for traditional, on-site employees for work that can be easily done at home, the company will incur unnecessary expenses.
For example, jobs like customer care support, financial consultation, administration, and even digital marketing can be done remotely.
Moreover, companies can hire remote talent from across borders and tap into countries where the labor cost is more affordable.
By hiring remote talent, companies can save tens of thousands of dollars annually for every employee who works remotely, even half of the time.
2. You Want to Expand
Another major advantage of remote talent is that you’ll get access to a global talent pool with diverse employees.
Hiring employees from only a certain region or community might not always fetch you great results, especially if you’re planning to expand your company or launch a new product in a new market.
For example, if you want to expand your products or services to a country far away from your home office, it’ll make much more sense to hire sales and marketing professionals who can work remotely and who are from that country.
This will lead to better ideas and perspectives that can tell you how well your product will perform in new markets.
3. You Want Flexibility
Most employees today want job flexibility more than anything else, and remote work offers just that.
For example, there may be many employees who live far from their office and need to commute for long hours. For them, remote work is ideal as they can work in a time and environment that suits their needs.
In fact, many remotely working employees have also said that working from home has boosted their productivity levels. Allowing your employees to work flexibly is important because it leads to greater focus and fewer distractions.
When Not to Hire Remote Talent
1. You Need On-Site Employees
Many industries and departments require employees who have to be present on the site every day. Some of these include pharmaceutical sales representatives, jobs that require hands-on training, and roles involving logistics and transportation.
If you hire remote employees for such jobs, your company might face problems later on. Therefore, ensure that the job roles or departments you’re hiring for can be completed off-site.
If the core responsibilities cannot be done without physically going to the site or engaging with customers, then it’s better not to hire remote talent. Moreover, you need to consider if the software or technology can be accessed off-site.
2. There are Security Risks
Many companies often refrain from hiring remote talent due to security or confidentiality risks, especially in the legal and IT industries.
For example, if you hire a bunch of new employees and give them training through online sessions and videos, they might not understand the importance of maintaining confidentiality.
When developers or employees work from home, there is a significant risk that sensitive company information may be leaked, either intentionally or unintentionally.
Conducting damage control then becomes extremely expensive, so it’s simply better to go with employees who can attend the office every day and work on-site.
3. Time Zone Differences are Too Big
While hiring remote talent can make global working easier, it can also lead to problems at times.
When team members are located in different parts of the world, it becomes quite difficult to get together and brainstorm ideas. This is especially true if the time zone differences are too difficult to manage.
Scheduling meetings and coordinating work become more complicated, leading to communication gaps among teams. This can not only lead to delays in project progress but can also consume a significant amount of unnecessary time and energy.
Therefore, ensure that you hire employees from areas with negligible time zone differences or opt for on-site employees only.
Conclusion
Hiring remote talent is not for every business. While there’s no universal law that tells you when to agree to or reject hiring remotely working employees, the ultimate decision depends on your company structure, budget, and long-term plans.
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