Why Should More Companies Hire Remote Employees?

The demand for remote work and hybrid options from job seekers and employees continues to grow. So much so that employers must explore these options for some – if not all – of their current workforce.

While not every company can go fully remote, having flexible work options is key to attracting and retaining top talent. And to be candid, this will continue for the foreseeable future.

If your organization is hesitant about the benefits of remote employees and unsure how to hire or manage remote teams, then this guide is for you!

4 Major Benefits of Hiring Remote Employees

As you start to consider hiring remote employees, you may have already begun to think about the benefits. And quite frankly, there are plenty!

But instead of focusing on every advantage, I wanted to highlight the real game changers.

And yes, remote work isn’t perfect either. There can be some challenges you’ll face managing a remote team. But as someone who has worked remotely full-time for years and hires remotely, the benefits definitely outweigh the negatives.

1. Reach a diverse talent pool

Easily one of the best benefits of hiring remote employees is being able to access a diverse talent pool. And not only does diversity improve, but you’ll find people that have more unique skills from all around the world.

In the past, this meant hoping that where you are headquartered would have the best talent. Or that people would be willing to relocate for the job. This will still continue to happen, but remote work greatly solves that.

Even if you are specifically remote in one country, it opens up more opportunities for job seekers and you as the employer. From first-hand experience, I can tell you that when any jobs we were hiring for were remote, we had more people applying with diverse backgrounds.

2. Reduces overall business costs

As a company, one thing you are looking to achieve is efficient cash management. And finding ways to be logical with cash is (and should be) of the top priorities.

This is why one major benefit of hiring remote employees is reducing overall business costs. Of course, remote work still has operational expenses, especially if you want to build a strong remote team.

But the expenses can be greatly reduced. Think less real estate and utility costs, reduction in office supplies, and other services to maintain a clean and healthy office.

The research firm Global Workplace Analytics found that companies can save up to $11,000 for every employee working two or three days remotely per week.

From the research, these savings come from various areas as mentioned above, as well as increased productivity and lower absenteeism and turnover.

3. Improves employee retention

71% of employees say that remote working has a high impact on their retention with their company. And it really should not come as a surprise.

Employees want flexible options and a better work experience. When your company provides that, people are happier and want to stay with their organization longer.

This is good news for your company, as employee turnover can get expensive. Some studies predict that every time a business has to replace a salaried employee, it costs 6 to 9 months’ salary on average.

4. Increase in employee productivity

A popular remote work misconception is that employees lose productivity when working from home.

While you may have some lazy coworkers that take advantage of working from home, the data and studies all generally point to improved productivity overall.

For example, Global Workplace Analytics found that teleworkers were 20-25% more productive than office-based employees.

And according to this study, 77% of those who work remotely at least a few times per month show increased productivity, with 30% doing more work in less time and 24% doing more work in the same period of time.

Generally, productivity increases because there are fewer distractions and office interruptions, more ownership of their work, and lets employees do their best work at times that are more optimal for them.

How To Hire and Manage Remote Employees

While there is plenty that goes into hiring and managing remote employees, I wanted to give the basics to get started. If you want a deep guide, you can read our remote work hiring guide here.

When you begin to hire and manage remote employees, you may need further insights and help. If you do, I recommend connecting with Total Success, an HR & Talent acquisition solutions consultancy. 

Now, let’s get into some tips below. 

Hiring Remote Employees

So your company agreed that it’s time to start hiring remote talent. It’s a great move and will benefit your organization for years to come. But, where do you find the right remote talent? 

You’ll want to do a few things:

• Define the role expectations for your remote jobs.
• If you have any location limitations (like you only want those located in the U.S.).
• Know what skills signal a strong remote work candidate.
• Create strong and enticing remote job descriptions that will translate to your remote job listings on your career site and other third-party vendors.

From there, you can start listing your remote jobs to attract top talent. Beyond your own career page on the company website, you need to bring awareness to where remote talent is hanging out. This would include:

• Listing jobs on the best remote job boards.
• Use LinkedIn (To post remote jobs and build your employer brand)
• There are various remote Slack communities and those for specialty industries where your jobs could get the attention of top talent.

Managing Remote Employees

Typically, hiring remote workers can be an easier step. The real challenges for some companies are during the onboarding process and then retaining and managing remote employees.

It can be quite a culture shock to managers and executive leaders, but being prepared ahead can make a huge difference. 

In order to build a successful remote team, you’ll want to explore having these other areas in place. 

• Define and create a clear remote work policy. 
• Build your remote onboarding process, so new hires have a strong experience with your company from day one. 
• Study other remote handbooks from companies that are successfully running a fully remote business. Buffer, GitLab, and Zapier are great companies to study and read their handbooks on remote work, which are publicly available. 
• Find the right tools and technologies. Since you are not physically next to remote employees, you need the proper tech to communicate and collaborate. 
• It’s okay to not have all the answers and you may need help. This is where you should work with top experts when needed. 

Hiring Experts to Help Build Your Remote Team

Whether you are completely new to hiring, onboarding, and managing remote employees or have dabbled a bit – you may feel a bit overwhelmed.

After all, it’s a bit different working with and managing co-workers who are not physically next to you and could be in a completely different country!

But beyond some remote-first companies leading the way, you can lean on experts to help you transition effectively. That’s where Total Success can lift a huge burden for you.

The team and experts at Total Success can help with the following:

• Talent sourcing and managing your remote work recruiting pipeline.
• Contract staffing, if you are looking for contractors instead of full-time employees.
• HR Management - all kinds of services to manage HR items for remote teams.
• Outplacement solutions - help any laid-off employees with services to find new jobs.
• Managing payroll, insurance, and other administrative items.