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Creepy silence in meetings? Zombie collaborators? Onboarding nightmares? Many leaders still fear a distributed workforce and are haunted by the ghosts of remote recruiting.
However, plenty of tricks exist to overcome the challenges of international and remote talent acquisition strategies. They can help you cast out the ghosts of remote hiring and offer efficient solutions for your business.
Who’s afraid of remote work?
Remote recruiting and team management models are surrounded by mixed opinions. Still, remote work is here to stay, with research showing that 71% of companies are permanently allowing it. Additionally, 98% of workers want to work remotely at least sometimes.
It’s a crucial drift in the work industry because it allows companies to hire from anywhere while saving costs. It also lets people achieve a work-life balance.
On the other hand, digital communication can present its own set of struggles. In such context, some of the haunting aspects described include loneliness, working across time zones, motivation, onboarding, and overall focus.
So, while remote work seems like a blessing, some people believe it may also be a curse in disguise. But fear not! Here, we identify six common spooky ghosts of remote recruiting and offer solutions to cast them out once and for all!
The 6 ghosts of remote recruiting
1) The monster of time zones
Hiring talent from different regions comes with the task of managing time zones. Without careful coordination, scheduling interviews and meetings can feel like putting Frankestein’s monster together.
How to cast it out: Use scheduling tools like World Time Buddy or Calendly to help manage global time zones and automate interview scheduling. You may also outsource recruitment to an international recruitment partner because they can easily use their broader time zone coverage to accommodate interviews.
2) The big bad video glitches
Using video allows for better communication in the digital environment. And, yes, the majority of remote workers prefer to be on camera during calls, according to research. But nothing sends chills down your spine like a tech breakdown during a crucial interview, with frozen screens, lost connections, and garbled voices.
How to cast it out: Although minor problems can happen, set up video expectations with candidates beforehand, especially if they are applying for customer-related positions. Send basic instructions for video quality and internet connection when scheduling meetings.
3) The shadow of candidate ghosting
Ghosting is dreadful in any situation, and this includes remote recruiting. Candidates vanishing into thin air after interviews can leave anyone confused. Just like recruiters not sending any feedback leaves candidates frustrated and may even affect your company’s brand.
How to cast it out: Foster consistent communication throughout the process. Set up regular follow-ups and provide candidates with status updates to keep them engaged. A well-organized candidate experience keeps the ghosts away.
4) The poltergeist of compliance
Hiring across borders can evoke compliance nightmares, in which one wrong step can lead to costly fines or legal scares. Navigating international labor laws is a complex fright fest.
How to cast it out: Stay informed on local laws, set up a local legal entity, or partner with an employer of record (EOR). These experts will guide you safely through the haunted maze of global compliance so you don’t get trapped.
5) The phantom of cultural fits
In remote recruiting, you’re sourcing talent from all over the world, but a global talent pool comes with diverse cultural backgrounds. What might be expected in one culture could be unusual in another. This includes work hours and language barriers.
How to cast it out: Prioritize cultural sensitivity training for recruiters and hiring managers. Consider leveraging tools that assess cultural fit or partner with a global expert who understands local markets.
6) The curse of bad onboardings
Survey shows that remote new hires are the most likely to have had a terrible onboarding experience. This influences talent retention and can jinx your company’s growth.
How to cast it out: A holistic approach to onboarding, including 1-on-1 meetings, clear expectations, open communication, and reference material can work like a charm. Remember that proactive employees, from the start, are the main ingredient to lift any productivity curse.
Additional spells
The scary “graveyard shift”: Avoid it or embrace it?
A lot of leaders still avoid remote recruiting because they are scared of hiring employees from distant time zones and dealing with the so-called remote “graveyard shift”.
The graveyard shift means that a part of a team starts their work shift while others are completely off-work, or even deep in their sleep time. This can be quite a department organization zombie nightmare, right?
Well, not exactly. First, it’s important to realize that recruiting people around the globe can present a unique opportunity, because it means you can have a team working around the clock.
However, if you want to avoid asynchronous working, you can still enjoy remote recruiting with the right strategy, such as nearshoring. When you hire collaborators in similar time zones or create strategic remote units, you make this issue disappear in thin air.
Don’t let remote recruiting spook you… conjure Serviap Global
If you’re tired of being haunted by the monsters of remote recruiting, employer of record services can come in handy to save the day (and night).
As an experienced EOR, we are a ghost-free company ready to handle recruitment, compliance, payroll, and HR, so you can focus on hiring the best global talent. Contact us and let’s exorcise your remote hiring fears!
