There is no good fortune or bad fortune, only opportunity. As we continue to adapt to global upheaval, awareness and preparation allow business leaders to avoid pitfalls and maximize the potential of every opportunity, regardless of the form it takes. Currently, the need for expanding remote work options is an important issue that presents challenges and opportunities.

The Opportunity

The talent pool has become more decentralized than ever. Broadening the talent search by offering remote options has become not only possible, but imperative. Candidate selection is no longer limited to your immediate area, and this flexibility tends to be good business sense. It lowers costs and increases job satisfaction among employees. Dream jobs that once were out of reach geographically can now be pursued by any interested candidate.
A recent study by Pew Research supports the idea that remote work is here to stay and that most employees have found the transition to be fairly easy.

The Challenge

One potential drawback of this increased accessibility is that companies will also begin receiving many more applicants than a local search would yield. This firehose of candidates can actually slow down the hiring process. To deal with this, it’s important to have efficient candidate screening in place, especially to determine which are the best fit for your company culture.

Establishing and maintaining a company culture is more difficult with distributed teams since workers come from more diverse backgrounds and are less likely to have shared experiences. Again, this can be turned to your advantage as workers in different time zones can expand your availability for clients. Multiple cultural perspectives can also find success with more diverse prospects, particularly in sales.

Now is the time for conversations with HR and management teams about what the workforce should look like going forward. Companies that commit early to a clear remote work strategy are more likely to reap benefits than those which implement such practices as a short-term experiment or stopgap measure. Determine where talent should be recruited from and how to maximize the opportunities it presents.

If you’d like assistance identifying candidates that are a good fit for your company culture, CRI can help. Contact us today to learn more about pre-employment assessment that is quick, reliable, and legal.