How to hire and manage remote workers: working through the crisis of trust

Remote work models have opened new doors for both employers and employees on a global scale – here’s how they could help your business thrive.

If you experience difficulties with employee retention and filling open roles, opening up the hiring process to remote working employees is a gamechanger.

Our guide to hiring remote talent outlines how you can start making changes to keep pace with the demands of the modern job market – and how hiring remote working employees can help boost productivity, increase your talent pool and help you retain your employees.

What’s the difference between hybrid and remote work models?

Remote working

The remote work model allows you the opportunity to work from anywhere in the world on either a full-time or part-time basis. Team members can work from the comforts of their own home, at their local coffee house or even choose to take their laptop and set-up in a co-working space.

Hybrid working

A hybrid work arrangement tends to combine working with traditional office-based work hours. The company however usually determines how many days  a week team members are able to work remotely and how many of those days are spent on-site.

Out of sight but not out of mind! Countering the crisis of trust

To access the benefits of hybrid and remote work models, you’ll need to embrace the new way of working, and counter traditional employer biases and doubts about what workers do when you aren’t watching.

Upwork’s Future of Work Report found that after COVID-19, 61.9% of companies surveyed were planning more remote work now and in the following years to come.

Despite those predictions, in 2022, only 16% of companies in the world are 100% remote, whereas a significant 44% of companies don’t allow remote work at all.

The reason for this has been suggested as a crisis of trust between employers and business leaders at the top of the ladder, and their workforce of employees. Employees feel they’re working harder than ever – and their employers worry they’re not working at all.

Microsoft’s survey findings based on input from 31,102 workers world-wide in March 2022 showcased this gap in perspective:

• 50% of leaders reported as saying that their company already requires or plans to require employees to return to in-person work full-time in the next year.
• 52% of workers in that same survey said that they are thinking of switching to a full-time remote or hybrid job in 2022.

In the current job market, hiring managers are competing with each other for the best candidates. Broaching the crisis of trust between employers and employees is crucial to an effective talent acquisition strategy in 2023.

Zippia’s survey results released earlier this year (2023) show that 84% of company leaders place workers’ well-being as a top priority, followed closely by productivity (72%).

These go hand in hand with each other – but it’s easy to see how biases around presenteeism and employees needing office hours to be productive can offset their wellbeing and desire to control how and where they work. Here’s why employees value flexibility, and what you can do to support them.

Understanding more fully what a remote work system looks like, and what it can mean for both employee wellbeing as well as achieving your business targets, will help adapt to the fast changing norms of the workplace in a post-pandemic world.

Remote teams do come with challenges – but there are ways to manage those challenges so you and your business can still reap the benefits of remote or hybrid work models. We’ve highlighted 3 key things you’ll need to manage a remote team effectively. For more detail, we love this detailed guide from VirtualHQ about fostering high-performing remote teams!

What are the benefits to hiring remote working employees?

If you set up a remote work system for your business, you are then able to tap into international talent from other countries, from both contract and permanent talent pools. 

There are lots of benefits for your business – for your existing teams and for your new hires.

Improved work-life balance for both employer and employee

Both hybrid working and remote working often results in a more balanced work and personal life which is a great benefit for both the employer, and the employee.

When employees feel fulfilled and happy outside of work hours, they tend to be more productive and engaged while they are working. This leads to improved job satisfaction, boosting employee retention and lower rates of burnout within the team.

It also leads to less attrition. Flexibility and the ability to work from home is a highly sought employee benefit in a tight job market. Owl Labs found in their State of Remote Work report of 2022 that if the ability to work from home was taken away, two-thirds (66%) of workers surveyed would immediately start looking for a job that offered flexibility, and 39% would simply quit.

Reduced overhead costs to your business

Another great benefit of hiring remote working employees is that your company won’t have to worry about paying for an expensive office space, monthly utilities, or other common office-related expenses.

 It’s also an effective way to reduce your carbon footprint so that your business can become more environmentally sustainable overall. 

IBM saved an incredible $50 million while Sun Microsystems was reported to have saved around $68 million in real estate costs by choosing to go remote.

Increased productivity and efficiency

Remote working employees can often provide high-quality work in faster turnaround times. With control over how and where they work at home, and with fewer distractions like co-worker chatter or commutes, they are more likely to remain focused while working and feel more motivated to complete tasks and projects.

• Global Workplace Analytics found that remote workers were 20-25% more productive than office-based employees.
• The Muse reports that workers feel 77% more productive when they work remotely.

A diversified and inclusive workforce

Inclusive hiring is key to all businesses and choosing to incorporate a remote work system can help to widen the talent pool and create a truly diverse team.

By opening the talent pool to include those wanting to work remotely or partially remote in a hybrid work system, this creates opportunities to hire people from different geographic, socioeconomic, and racial backgrounds boosting innovation and diverse perspectives within your company.

It also is an opportunity to hire workers with disabilities, who might struggle to work well and feel happy in a traditional, physical office space.

It’s also a great way to eliminate a quota mindset or increase candidates within your female talent pipeline, so that you can recruit more women across all levels of your business.

Thinking about creating an inclusive workplace? We have lots more advice about improving equality, diversity and inclusion overall.

Hiring remote working employees? Salt finds the best remote talent in the world

Whether you’re looking to expand your team or improve your work life balance, hiring remote workers can help to achieve your goals. Your international talent hire could be a mere (virtual) handshake away!

Salt is committed to diversity and inclusion. Our expert consultants can help you build a team that delivers results now and in the future. We can help you find the right talent for your needs.