What this post is about
- Require a strong character profile
- Consider time zone management
- Adapt onboarding
- Build trust
- Integrate digital tools into work routines
Personal development is part of life and it breaks entrenched structures. What is an unwritten law in the personal sphere is currently also being experienced by the labour market. Driven by the unusual situation of the past Corona years, companies and firms have to adjust to a staff mix of employees and remote colleagues.
Home office and flexible working have displaced compulsory attendance and created more freedom. However, hiring colleagues who join the team solely as remote workers can bring unexpected challenges. Therefore, HR managers and team leaders should pay attention to these five things.
1. Require A Convincing Character Profile
Working independently in a self-selected environment requires a lot of concentration and self-discipline. Distractions lurk around every corner, especially at home, and can unconsciously minimize work management.
This makes it even more important for HR managers to pay special attention to skills for self-initiative and independent problem-solving. Motivation, flexibility and initiative should be at the top of the requirements profile for new remote colleagues. Other helpful soft skills for starting remote work are:
- Technical savvy
- Excellent communication skills
- High reliability
- Committed problem solving
Remote colleagues are primarily on their own. While colleagues and team members are only a phone call away, knowing how to help yourself with small problems simply makes all processes easier.
2. Keep An Eye On Working Hours
Working remotely means being able to do your job from anywhere in the world. However, different countries pose the problem of different time zones. Counter the time differences with a time management procedure that is fair to all team members and helps to answer tickets and mail as quickly as possible.
Keep gaps between different time zones as small as possible so that projects are not unnecessarily delayed. Or create a structure for handovers that is self-explanatory. Find individual methods that create a good working basis - for remote colleagues and on-site workers.
3. Digitalize Onboarding
Your company certainly has complex processes and structures that new employees must first learn to understand. This task can hardly be accomplished with a short call. Go for digital onboarding, which helps remote colleagues gain a detailed insight into the company.
Established reporting channels, processes and information sources can be looked up again and again in this way. All information must find its way into onboarding that is permanently relevant. Be sure to enrich the route with video tutorials, step-by-step instructions and FAQs to simplify onboarding.
A good place for this could be your internal knowledge base. Here we show you which formats are best to use to set it up. The great advantage of decentralized knowledge is: All materials are pre-produced once and you save a lot of time in the future!
4. Create A Transparent Relationship
A high degree of transparency is part of the fundamental basis of a remote working relationship. On one hand, the employee should openly show when and how he or she works to strengthen the relationship of trust. On the other hand, the team must ensure that the remote colleague is always on board.
If there is no flow of information or updates, a feeling of exclusion arises. This in turn can have a negative impact on morale. This makes it even more important to involve every team member in all ways and to communicate appreciation. Establish a culture of sharing in your hybrid teams.
5. Use Digital Tools
Without digital helpers, hardly anything goes forward in modern collaboration! The use of ticket systems like Zammad or project planners is essential for successful goal achievement and informed colleagues. Rely on the proven support of tools for:
- Project management
- Shared inboxes
- Direct messages
- Time recording
- Video conferencing
Create a list of onboarding materials with all the programmes that are relevant to your team. This way you can guarantee a smooth onboarding process and collaboration.
Summary
In the search for the perfect remote colleagues, the priority is to create suitable conditions for remote work and flexible working. Every newcomer can have the desired characteristics and skills, which remain worthless if there are no tools, incomplete work processes or insufficient digitalization. Prepare yourself and your company for the current labour market situation. New remote colleagues and suitable candidates will appreciate this pioneering attitude.