How Remote Working Can Connect Agencies With A Global Talent Pool

When the Covid-19 pandemic swept across the planet in 2020, it forced a whole lot of big changes, one of which was the switch to remote working. What began as a temporary measure soon gained in popularity as businesses woke up to the ways this work model could help them:

• Enhanced flexibility
• Increased productivity
• A more diverse workplace
• Access to specialized skills and a more diverse workforce

If your recruitment agency is ready to tap into a new way of working, we're sharing our tips on how you can get them to do just that.

1. Taking A Global Approach To Recruitment

When it comes to attracting top talent for a remote workforce, traditional recruitment methods aren't too likely to get the job done. A modern work model requires modern ways of hiring such as:

• Hiring Top Remote Talent through a renowned and trusted staffing platform that assesses candidates for you without using AI - These platforms will often also take care of international payments, HR, and legal concerns for your global remote teams on your behalf
• Utilizing your social media platforms - by actively engaging with your agency's followers, you can cultivate a ready-made talent pool
• Using targeted social media advertising with images showing details of the job
• Checking out - and signing up to - global job boards including LinkedIn as these can provide a wealth of talented candidates

Of course, if you prefer to target talent from a specific location, you can also check out regional talent agencies, however, this may limit your options in terms of skills and experience.

2. Technology Is Key

When working with remote teams, clear communication is essential. In fact, 64% of business leaders and 55% of knowledge workers say that they have boosted team productivity with efficient communication.



In today's world, we're fortunate enough to have a wide range of tools at our fingertips to help keep communication channels open and these include Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Slack. Agencies can also access specific remote working technology such as timekeeping software and project management systems. This type of technology allows teams to:

• Communicate in a number of different ways including messaging and video conferencing
• Update the progress of tasks in real-time and share with the team
• Instantly communicate changes in deadlines or project parameters
• Share files on platforms like Google Drive and Dropbox

3. Tackling Time Zone Differences

If you're getting involved with remote working for the first time, you're probably not used to managing people who are working in different time zones. But don't panic - this can be a lot easier than you think.

While it's important to offer flexible working hours to suit each person's time zone and personal situation, there also needs to be some kind of structure. A good way to manage this is to put some communication protocols in place - for example; everyone must attend regular scheduled check-ins and abide by set times for communication.

These protocols mean that all employees are aligned and informed about project goals and progress … as well as allowing time for questions and clarification.

4. Build A Strong Remote Work Culture

When your whole team is together in the office Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, building a good work culture is relatively straightforward. Things can be a little more tricky however with remote teams - but, be that as it may, creating a space where all employees feel valued and supported is essential for retaining talent.

So, how's it done? There are some fairly simple and inexpensive ways of building a great work culture and these are:

• Celebrating different cultures and traditions to promote inclusivity, for example; holding celebrations for religious holidays other than Christmas
• Getting the whole team involved in new remote employee onboarding to make the recruit feel welcome and to help them better understand their new role
• Hosting online team-building activities such as coffee breaks, game nights and informal chats to keep the team connected on all levels
• Creating a safe space for employees to share feedback and concerns on a one-on-one basis

5. Results Rather Than Rigid Regulations

Businesses that are new to remote working will often find themselves focusing on time-keeping and on trying to ensure that they're “getting their money's worth” from their remote employees. This can quickly make your staff feel resentful; the implication being that they're somehow trying to short-change the company.



Instead, focus on the results you're after by giving every member of staff clear details of what your expectations are, along with reviews and assessments. This will ensure that targets are met with a minimum of communication-related problems (“I didn't know you meant that…”)

6. Invest in Professional Development

We've talked about some of the concerns that a business may have when pivoting to remote working but employees may also have their reservations. An example of this is that remote employees often think that a company working the remote model may not support their professional development.

This, of course, absolutely does not have to be the case. Many candidates will have promotion and development pretty high on their list of must-haves and you can accommodate this by:

• Offering paid online training courses
• Offering courses which include recognized certification
• Offering upskilling training
• Offering mentorship programs with existing senior employees
• Offering career path planning

Conclusion

Although there are some significant differences when running a remote team, a great many things remain the same. In order to work efficiently and productively, employees require an attractive and competitive compensation and benefits package along with development opportunities and ongoing support. By following the tips in this article, you can build an incredible remote team and boost the overall growth of your agency.