There has been a momentous shift in the amount of remote hiring done in the United States. Before 2020, the concept of having a workforce that rarely, if ever, came to the office to get their work done was rarely considered. Then the pandemic and resulting lockdowns struck, and everything changed. Employees discovered that they could still get their work done, and many employers discovered that they could create and maintain a team of full-time employees while downsizing their brick-and-mortar offices.

The Changing Factors in Hiring Remotely

Our recent remote hiring study sought to provide insights into the tech industry’s remote hiring market landscape in order to understand technology teams’ challenges with acquiring tech talent, maturity and solutions in remote hiring. We also wanted to understand the key factors hiring managers value most when hiring remotely.

Before the pandemic, remote hiring was usually done in the form of outsourcing. Although these outsourced workers were expected to have the experience and technical skills required to get the job done, the largest factor considered when hiring them was cost. Remote hiring is viewed very differently now. Today, employers are often looking to hire full-time remote employees who can quickly become integral parts of their workforce.

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Now, when considering remote hires, technical expertise and communication skills rank amongst the highest priorities. It is also considered important that these remote employees can seamlessly fit into the company’s culture and values.

Lack of Awareness of Remote Staffing Solutions

Another finding of the survey was that almost half of the respondents were unaware of remote hiring platforms and how they can streamline the process of finding and hiring remote employees.

With the current Great Resignation movement, we know companies are also faced with the challenge of lack of workers. It is not that Americans don’t have the skills required to do technologically advanced jobs, it’s just that there aren’t enough experienced candidates to choose from.

The lack of American employees leads to a competitive market, which drives up costs to hire and, in many cases, lower standards.

When It Comes to International Remote Hiring, Closer is Better

In the technologically based global marketplace, innovation and adaptability are the keys to long-term success for any business. Remote workers, especially those from different regions or countries, offer new perspectives. These unique perspectives provide optimal breeding grounds for innovative thinking.

Working with people in widely different time zones is an endless source of disruption and frustration. Not only will some of the members of the team have to lose sleep in order to stay in contact with the rest, but the chances of confusion about times, dates, logistics and deliverables increase with every hour difference.

“There is a renewed, and welcome, emphasis on people. Your business is only as good as the employees working for you. How you enable those employees through culture, training, and technology supports the long-term vision of an organization. At UiPath, our mission is to accelerate human achievement. CPOs can lead by being key strategists that maximize employee potential, introduce support and wellness that keep employees motivated and happy, and support the next generation of leaders and enable sustainable growth.” –

Bettina Koblick, Chief People Officer at UiPath

 

In addition to quality of work and availability, our study revealed that the ability to communicate fluently in both written and spoken English as one of the most important factors to consider when companies are looking to hire remote employees. Surprisingly, the survey also found that speed of hiring and lower costs were the least important factors considered when hiring.

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Remote hiring is here to stay. The more companies that understand how remote hiring platforms can open the door to a large pool of qualified candidates, the more employees, whether from the United States or elsewhere, are likely to stay at the current jobs and improve their situation by improving the company they work for. This is a winning situation for both the employers and employees.

[To share your insights with us, please write to sghosh@martechseries.com]