The A to Z of Work from Home (Remote work) – All New Recruiting Trends in 2020 – 5th Article

Google, Microsoft, Twitter. Hitachi, Apple, Amazon. Chevron, Salesforce, Spotify. From the UK to the US, Japan to South Korea, these are all global companies that have, in the last few days, rolled out mandatory work-from-home policies amid the spread of Covid-19.

Some employers will be facing this situation for the first time, which means figuring out how to stay on top in a new environment that may not affect productivity. I'm your guide today to help you explain the ways to deliver results and avoid going stir-crazy, from setting up expectations to the way you communicate to your team.

Here is my fifth article for the top 12 recruiting trends for 2020 that you need to start implementing ASAP…

Let’s get started:

From Recruitment support, Web development, sales, customer and technical support, to copywriting, translation and many more: Remote work is growing across many sectors for which the location of workers is not relevant anymore, but their knowledge and experience is...

Top recruiting trend no. 5: Remote work (5/12)

Remote work is the future - if you let it be that. The number of people working remotely is on the rise and it has reached the next level by the spread of Covid-19. According to the US Census Bureau, 10 million people (5.4% of the working population) in the US worked from home in 2018. That share was 5% in 2016 and 3.3% in 2000.

The Benefits of Remote Work

According to a recent survey by Buffer, 92% of remote workers state they want to continue on their current path. The reasons given for this, in the order of importance, are as follows:

Reason #1: More productive employees

The statistics are out there! A two-year Stanford study found that remote workers are more productive than people who sit in a cubicle for a 9 to 5 job. Depending on the day, workers may get Comfort of Working from Home, No Commute and want to put in 6 hours or 16 hours. The study demonstrates that people working from home get double the amount of work done rather than when in office.

Now that’s something to consider seriously.

David Heinemeier Hansson, the creator of Ruby on Rails and the Instiki wiki and also a partner at Basecamp says:

“A lot of people just get a lot more done when they are not sitting in a loud office; when they can work on their own time on their own schedule and just collaborate in moderation.”

Reason #2: Decreased costs 

According to a Forbes magazine report, companies of all sizes report significant decreases in operating costs when they have remote teams on board. Major companies such as Aetna (where some 14,500 of 35,000 employees work remotely) got rid of 2.7 million square feet of office space. This saved the company a whopping 78 million dollars! American Express reported annual savings of approximately 15 million dollars, thanks to its remote work options.

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Reason #3: Diversified talent pool

One of the most oft-cited reasons companies hire remote employees is to expand their talent pools. Hiring people from different geographies not only gives organizations the flexibility to attract great talent, that otherwise might not want to travel to a location but also allows them to expand their talent pool. 

Additionally, breaking down geographic barriers offers opportunities to the other members of the workforce, such as the disabled, rural, inner-city, and single parents. In fact, hiring a diverse team helps companies develop their products.

Reason #4: Doing business across time zones 

Last but not least, different time zones! Time difference is more of an enabler than an inconvenience. For organizations looking to set a bar for customer support, embracing time zones can help them achieve it with ease. You can speed your response by manifolds if your employees are spread across multiple time zones.

How top companies make remote working work:

Now that we have a fair share of knowledge of how remote employee benefits, let us run through some examples of top companies that are known for hiring remote employees and the best practices they follow. Inspiration galore!

#1 American Express

Named as one of the top 20 companies for remote workers, it offers remote job roles or globe-trotting-friendly positions in many of its departments such as customer service, human resources, etc. For most remote positions, they’ll set up a separate high-speed internet connection from one’s home network.

#2 Amazon

The company has a virtual location career page for remote jobs that you can filter by location and category. In 2020, the company plans to get more than 3,000 remote employees on board.

#3 Apple

For all remote employees, Apple provides an iMac and a headset so one can complete tasks efficiently. Additionally, remote employees receive robust benefit packages, including paid time away and product discounts. It has an “At Home Advisor job” page where people interested in remote jobs can find the perfect role for themselves.

Keep your remote workers productive:

With all of the benefits of working remotely, why would anyone not want this trend to continue? Well, there are some challenges, too. According to the Buffer survey, these are the struggles that remote workers often face:

Let’s take a look at the top four and their solutions.

1.   Unplugging from Work. It’s easy to be “on a roll” and not want to stop, and it’s easy for remote workers to become workaholics, especially when tasks are numerous and deadlines loom. Many find the solution in setting a reasonable but flexible work schedule for most of their days, at least.

2.   Loneliness. The gig economy and employee telecommuting tend to bring isolation for participants. While they may be members of a team and may communicate remotely, it is not the same as face-to-face interaction. Going into the office a couple of days a week or finding a co-working space can help to resolve this issue.

3.   Collaborating/Communicating. Fortunately, technology continues to help to remove these challenges with such tools as video conferencing and a host of other messaging apps. Workers may still face challenges related to making remote presentations, however, especially during group meetings. The best advice here is to get in the mindset of giving an actual physical presentation, preparing for it just as you would in person. Stand, set up a small podium if it makes you more comfortable, practice your voice tone, keep your audience engaged with anecdotes, some humor, etc. Visuals are especially important too as that’s what most people will see during your remote presentation. Thus, use an attractive PowerPoint template to prep an attractive deck in advance, and even consider sending your slides to other participants ahead of time in case of technical difficulties.

Distractions from Home. Those who telecommute from home and have small children face unique challenges. Obviously, this has to be remedied. Many remote employees use outside daycare just as if they were going to work every day. Others work around the kids’ school schedules. But there are other distractions too. It’s easy to get sidelined with household chores, social media, etc.

Final thoughts: A remote work is a reality

If current trends continue (and there is every reason to believe they will), it is estimated that, by 2025, about 50% of the workforce will be working remotely at least part of their workweek. According to the study conducted by Owl Labs, 42% of current remote workers have plans to increase their remote work over the next five years, and over 50% of on-site workers state they want to work remotely. 

“A remote workforce is a reality. The sooner your organization adopts it, the better it will be.”

Stay safe out there!

Neil Verma,

Business Development Manager | KTRIAN Solutions

Consult us today and Revolutionize Your Recruiting: CLICK HERE