What attributes to look out for when hiring remote workers

The remote working trend continues to gather momentum in the wake of the pandemic – here’s how to ensure you’re picking the best talent when hiring for remote workers

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Entrepeneur

While the embrace of remote work varies across countries, industries, and company sizes, the trend towards remote work continues to gain momentum. This surge is propelled by a growing demand among employees for flexible work arrangements, coupled with the recognition of potential advantages by numerous organizations. These benefits encompass heightened productivity, reduced overhead expenses, and an expanded pool of talent.

Simultaneously, high-profile corporations including Apple, Amazon, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Starbucks, Disney, and Goldman Sachs, among others, are retracting their fully remote work policies. Leaders within these organisations are mandating a return to the office for employees initially hired for in-person work. Citing reasons such as diminished productivity, hindered organisational efficiency, and stifled innovation and creativity, these decisions underscore a shift towards hybrid workplace models and stricter office return mandates.

This transition highlights the criticality of recruiting the right-fit employees well-suited for flourishing in a remote work setting. This is pivotal for the effectiveness and long-term viability of this work model.

Outlined below are four pivotal qualities and attributes to prioritise while seeking to hire staff that thrives in a remote work environment:

Initiative and Confidence

Conventional corporate structures often emphasise compartmentalised roles and predefined responsibilities, which align with certain personality types and mindsets. However, fully remote organisations necessitate employees who thrive in roles with unbounded mandates. Such employees must also exhibit the confidence, creativity, and innovative thinking required to deliver value beyond their core job functions.

The ideal candidates possess the aspiration to escape complex and detrimental corporate environments for better work-life balance, mental well-being, and personal growth. These individuals flourish in the newfound freedom to work according to their preferences, generating innovative and advantageous outcomes for the organisation.

Growth Mindset

Conventional companies often feature linear and predictable career trajectories. In contrast, fully remote enterprises offer an environment with less restrictive growth prospects. Consequently, when remote companies identify and onboard employees who perceive opportunities for professional and personal advancement within and beyond their standard job roles, these organisations can cultivate and nurture talents that make substantial contributions to their success.

Cross-Functional Aptitudes

While cross-functional teams have become commonplace in traditional organisational structures for fostering innovation, fully remote companies require employees with cross-functional competencies. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) particularly stand to gain from nurturing a diverse skill set among their staff, thereby encouraging collaboration across different areas of the organisation. These experiences enable employees to familiarise themselves with diverse systems and cultivate new skills across various roles.

This, in turn, empowers them with cross-functional proficiencies, enabling them to assume multiple roles within the organisation or transition into hybrid positions that bring added value by spanning multiple functions or offering support across teams. Such multi-faceted employees can bolster company growth without inflating headcount or expenses, expediting company expansion and achievement.

Passion and Purpose

The correlation between employee retention, productivity, and a sense of purpose is well-established. When employees find purpose in their work and are afforded opportunities to pursue their passions, both retention and productivity tend to soar. The remote work landscape provided by fully remote businesses enables individuals to align their roles with their preferred domains, irrespective of their geographical location.

This setting also permits them the flexibility to pursue their passions even beyond their daily job responsibilities. A classic example among remote employees is their ability to travel while concurrently working and earning an income. When passion and purpose converge within a job role or organisation, it typically culminates in the most fulfilling work experience, attracting highly committed employees.

In the contemporary business milieu, the remote work trend showcases both its burgeoning popularity and its challenges. Identifying and recruiting candidates possessing these four key qualities can substantially enhance an organisation’s capacity to flourish in a remote work landscape, fostering innovation, engagement, and productivity.