remote

Subterms

    Latest story

    75 Shares159 Views

    Cybersecurity is an HR Responsibility, Too

    by

    Cybercrime is a constant source of fear and frustration in the modern world of business. The number of attacks are increasing as the tactics used by cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated. And the potential damage to companies is also rising, with the global average cost of a data breach rising to $4.35m in 2022, according to IBM.  
    There are various factors driving the surge in cybercrime, but one recent study linked the increasing risk of cyberattacks to the shift toward remote work in recent years, as the typical remote workspace is insufficiently protected, creating cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Furthermore, because remote workers rely on digital communication tools to do their work, they are more susceptible to phishing and social engineering attacks. The study also claims that because remote workers are not physically in the office together, they may find it more challenging to communicate with colleagues and verify the information or requests made in phishing emails.
    Given this potentially increased risk, should companies cease remote work? Doing so would come with its own costs, as remote work has been shown to lead to increased productivity and staff retention. Our survey of 1,004 HR and business decision-makers and workers across the world found that 69% of employers with a distributed remote workforce said that employee retention had increased since their business adopted the practice. Meanwhile, 72% of companies with an international remote workforce stated that productivity has risen since adopting a distributed model.
    So, what should companies do to improve their cyber defenses without sacrificing the benefits of remote work? Organizations might assume that their cybersecurity is solely a concern for the IT department, but this is not the case. In fact, focusing too heavily on technology will ignore the most important element of cybersecurity: your people. 
    According to another IBM study, 95% of cybersecurity breaches are the result of human error. So, if the people in an organization are the weakest link, then it is also the responsibility of HR to improve cybersecurity and help implement the practices needed to safeguard valuable data. HR has an invaluable role to play in preventing data breaches, and HR leaders must step up and help protect their organizations from cyber risks. 
    But what steps should HR take to address this issue? The first thing needed is to develop a culture of corporate cybersecurity safety through partnerships between HR leaders, internal IT teams, and data protection specialists. Cooperation across departments is essential.  
    One way in which HR can actively contribute is by partnering with IT to establish more refined access levels based on the organizational structure, including the employee’s level and department. By doing so, HR can assist in controlling and regulating access to specific types of information and actions. This collaborative effort between HR and IT aims to safeguard sensitive data by granting access privileges only to those individuals who genuinely require it to fulfill their job responsibilities. The principle of least privilege serves as a guiding principle, emphasizing that the intent is not to exclude individuals or withhold knowledge from employees, but rather to acknowledge that employees in different departments, such as marketing and finance or accounting, do not require unrestricted access to each other’s data. This principle should help to limit the potential damage of a data breach caused by any single employee.
    Next, HR can use recruitment, onboarding, and ongoing training as opportunities to ensure staff are aware of their responsibilities towards cybersecurity across the organization.
    For instance, recruitment is an opportunity to probe candidates for any potential red flags, given that employee misconduct is a common cause of data breaches. Running background checks on applicants to verify the accuracy of their employment and education history and screening for any history of criminal activity or policy violations is essential.
    HR departments themselves must also be careful during the recruitment period not to fall for a ransomware or phishing attack disguised as a resume or cover letter. And if they are to conduct virtual interviews with candidates, then HR teams must ensure they have appropriate network security measures in place, and confirm any recruitment software being used is installed with the latest security updates. 
    Similarly, the onboarding phase is a crucial moment for HR to help protect sensitive information. HR must keep a record of all the equipment a new employee receives and ensure it is returned if and when the employee leaves the company, so they do not take away any sensitive data. New recruits must also be made aware of important safety precautions, such as how to spot phishing emails and how to build strong, unique passwords. 
    Again, HR must also be careful during the onboarding phase, as they will receive a large amount of personally identifiable information from the new employee, usually via email or fax. HR departments must ensure such communications are encrypted before personal data is collected and stored.  
    Finally, training is a significant opportunity to invest in ongoing cybersecurity education so your team can establish and maintain best practices. Employees need regular reminders about the dangers posed by weak passwords and phishing emails. This training is also an opportunity to teach staff about the latest hacking methods used by cybercriminals and how to stay safe while working remotely. For instance, public Wi-Fi can represent a major risk, and although remote workers may enjoy the flexibility to work from a cafe or public space, they are safer using their smartphone as a hotspot rather than connecting to an unknown network.
    At Remote, all staff are required to undergo training within their first 30 days of employment and annually thereafter, to ensure they understand security policies, procedures, and best practices. Investing in your workforce through training helps to create trust among your employees, who are your first line of defence against a cybersecurity breach. 
    Companies do not have to grapple with this task alone; they can work with trusted partners who can help to protect their data while continuing to employ an internationally dispersed workforce. Employer of record (EOR) service providers can help organizations grow secure global teams, while also ensuring employers are compliant with local and international data protection laws in the markets where they operate. This frees companies to focus on managing and growing their business.
    There are further advantages of collaborating with companies like Remote, who have complete ownership over their end-to-end operations, as opposed to relying on third-party entities. This approach is particularly beneficial because it allows them to have complete control over the data and mitigates the risk of uncertain data handling practices. Remote sought out ISO27001 certification as well as the SOC2 Type II, the world’s best-known, internationally recognized standard for information security management systems, to demonstrate our commitment to information security and providing a secure platform for our customers. As EORs handle sensitive employee data, including personal information, financial records, and legal documents, these certifications provide a standardized and independent confirmation, so employers can be confident that rigorous security measures protect their employee information.
    Integrating cybersecurity into company culture must be an endeavour tackled by the whole organisation, not just the IT team. The HR department has a key role to play in building a solid and safe foundation for a business to grow its globally distributed workforce.
    By Marcelo Lebre, COO and co-founder of Remote.
    Share this post: More

    More stories

    • 88 Shares159 Views

      in Workplace

      5 Tips to Remote Cross-Border Hiring Post-Brexit

      by

      The last three years will go down in history as some of the most unusual and unexpected years in recent times. The exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union and an unforeseen global pandemic has undoubtedly shaken the recruitment landscape, but have these seismic events changed the market beyond recognition?
      What has changed?
      In a time of absolute upheaval, high-flying talent in successful tenures have held on to the permanence of their roles. We live in a time of fiercely competitive working markets as a result, particularly in the high-octane legal recruitment market. Each recent socio-political occurrence has also had a lasting impact on mobility. The restrictions on movement posed by Brexit conflict with the increased flexibility and remoteness of the working world brought about by COVID. Consistently since 2020, however, companies have had no option but to build first-class legal teams that can face and mitigate risk for these competing forces.
      How, then, do companies continue to hire the best talent despite challenging border requirements and in a way that still cultivates a connected team? The legal industry, which traditionally relies on cross-border moves, can provide a useful example of the challenges, and opportunities, of post-pandemic and post-Brexit moves. The way in which companies are navigating this landscape can provide employers with some top tips on grappling with this unique tension.
      1. Stay flexible
      Firstly, make the most of the flexibility opened up by remote working. Candidates in the Swiss life science market, the robust regulatory legal talent in Belgium, the French-speaking skills of Parisian lawyers, and tech-savvy counsel in Berlin, amongst others, have long attracted UK employers. To continue to hire such talent post-Brexit, UK headquartered companies have increasingly opted to hire a remote workforce. After all, a contemporary workforce is a remote one in a post-pandemic world. Employing the use of affiliates for the domicile of employment contracts has served as one option to facilitate foreign hiring in recent months. Not all companies have the luxury of this network, however, so what other options are there?
      2. Harness rotations and short-term placements
      The UK has set a limit of 180 days that can be spent in the UK in a given tax year. In excess of this, the individual is considered to be domiciled in the UK and is subject to UK tax regulation. Companies are availing of this to have lawyers who are based remotely spend significant time in the UK, and yearly secondments or team rotations are becoming more commonplace. The agility of such hiring strategies is an appealing tactic for employers looking to attract and retain the top talent in a post-pandemic world.
      3. Go global
      Employers should make the most of the rich diversity of an international talent pool where possible. For instance, the pedigree of UK-trained lawyers will remain coveted across different markets, despite the socio-political changes of our time. Particularly in global roles, UK-qualified candidates, experienced in a common law system, can offer input on US, Canadian and Australian matters. International and particularly American headquartered companies seeking to hire UK talent are showing increasing comfort with senior lawyers retaining a UK base so long as they are amenable to frequent travel, which often equates to as much as 50% of their role. For both employers and candidates, being prepared to look across borders could create a rich seam of opportunities.
      4. For smaller companies, it’s time to get creative
      It is unfortunate, however, that most viable options fail smaller start-up or less established organizations that do not have affiliates or sub-entities based in markets outside the UK, or who are based in geographies that do not boast a wealth of UK-qualified candidates.
      In every circumstance, but particularly for smaller companies, negating the restrictions imposed by new immigration regulations and the hiring of the right candidate (rather than the available talent) is down to a company’s ability to creatively motivate candidates to relocate.
      However, no matter what your size as a company, those with robust and inventive HR teams, who collaborate with tax and legal stakeholders to create opportunity, have thrived in their recent hiring strategies. Top talent feels valued, rewarded, and motivated when given the opportunity and when remunerated generously to relocate.
      5. Tailor your strategy to suit your employee’s needs
      When it comes to relocating no judgment can be held against individuals who are unable to move due to family or other personal reasons. Companies often find the willingness of candidates to change geography, despite political and social landscapes, to be an encouraging demonstration of commitment to the role, but other options such as weekly commuting are no longer as accessible. Employers and employees should be open to short-term rotations or a hybrid system in a more meaningful way than before.
      In short, employers looking to stay ahead in the post-Brexit European talent race should: stay flexible by leveraging the best aspects of hybrid working, look far and wide, get creative with relocation strategies, and be understanding of a candidate’s working preferences, including their location. These strategies will allow employers to reap dividends with a committed, loyal workforce. After all, “all mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move”, as Benjamin Franklin once said.
      By Elena Bajada, Managing Director at Major, Lindsey & Africa. 
      Share this post: More

    • 138 Shares139 Views

      in Workplace

      How Experienced Remote Workers Bring Value to New Ways of Working

      by

      Despite their mass roll-out during the pandemic, remote and hybrid working are not a new phenomenon for many. Some people have worked for years in remote teams spanning different continents. Others may have worked in virtual companies or may have had regular home working during the working week.
      Many parents or carers have requested remote working over the years in order to manage their caring responsibilities better, although there are a range of reasons someone may need or want to work remotely. Technology has been the big enabler for many.
      In most cases, these workers have been left to ‘make it work’. And it is often the case that they have not been asked how they have done so or been invited into discussions about how to make mass remote or hybrid working better. This is despite the fact that different ways of working can be challenging and many employers are still in the early stages of adapting to change or may still be resisting it.
      “Too often remote workers have been left to their own devices to make the best of remote working, but this one-sided approach means neither the employee nor the employer overcomes the biggest challenges or reaps the full benefits,” says Gillian Nissim, founder of WM People.
      WorkingMums and The Changing Work Company have recently collaborated on a qualitative survey of regular remote or hybrid workers, half of whom have been working that way for more than three years and a quarter for more than five years. The majority work for SMEs.
      The survey revealed some interesting findings. Over two-thirds of respondents [68%] had not been asked about their experience of working from home to help others who switched during Covid.
      There was also a distinct sense of having been sidelined as a result of working remotely. 80% said they had not been promoted since working in this way and 44% had not had access to training. Moreover, 30% had found it hard or very hard to negotiate remote working. The sense of having been sidelined was further evidenced by respondents’ feelings about missing out on information. Nearly a third felt they had missed out on crucial information and most of those who hadn’t said this was because of their own efforts to find out what was going on, rather than their employer’s. 36% felt they were not included in decision-making due to being remote.
      Two-thirds [66%] of respondents were offered resources such as laptops by their employers, but 71% said their employer did not pay for things like work-based calls. A third [33%] didn’t have access to technical support.
      Respondents were also asked what helped them when it came to isolation at home. Keeping in touch, planning social interactions outside work, and keeping to a routine were popular choices. To keep in touch one respondent had started a virtual lunch chat. Others had created Teams chats and other forums for communication.
      Asked what skills they think are needed to work remotely – something that might be useful for recruiters and HR managers – 85% said self-motivation was a vital skill; 68% said independent thinking, and 58% said resilience. 74% said they had honed these skills through remote working and 22% had developed them due to homeworking. When it came to management of remote workers, the ability to communicate was by far the most popular skill they felt managers needed.
      So it was no surprise that, when asked what would improve their situation, remote workers said better communication and appreciation of what they do. While 58% felt as valued and listened to as office-based people, the rest mostly didn’t or were unsure.
      Yet respondents felt they had developed greater skills as a result of their experience, including more discipline and a greater awareness of their own capability and resilience. Their advice to other remote workers included organizing and planning, having a structure, sticking to your working hours, and thinking about alternative forms of social interaction.
      Bridget Workman of The Changing Work Company, who has advised Government departments on flexible culture change and is a big advocate of employee engagement, said: “These workers know the pitfalls and have learned the necessary skills and tricks through their own resourcefulness and resilience.” She would like to see more employers tapping to the wealth of experience that may be sitting right under their noses.
      Mandy Garner is the Managing Editor of WM People.
      Share this post: More

    • 113 Shares119 Views

      in Workplace

      Are Workers & Applicants Demanding Remote Flexibility for Good?

      by

      The COVID-19 era of work and life has been a crazy ride. Life was seemingly put on hold for many months last year and parts of it are still not back to normal today. As we all work to get past COVID-19 and the long-lasting impact on work and life, one thing has surely changed for good — the corporate office.
      Recently, GoodHire surveyed 3,500 Americans to gain a better understanding of what has actually changed in the world of office work as well as remote work.
      What they uncovered seems to be extremely useful information for recruiters, HR pros, and their employers.
      Remote Work is King
      GoodHire’s survey found that an overwhelming 68% of Americans would opt for remote work over in-office work. This is a huge shift from previous decades in which the majority of people had never experienced even a single day of remote work.
      In most cases, people now have the technology at their disposal to perform at a high level from any location, so it makes sense that they would prefer to avoid their usual commute, office clothes, and many other things that bother the average office worker.
      What’s even more shocking is the part of the survey which revealed that 61% of survey respondents said they would take a salary cut just to continue working remotely!
      It’s clear that the people want to maintain remote work, and they’ll literally pay for it.
      Adjusting to the New Normal
      Just because employees are fond of remote work, that doesn’t mean employers feel the same way. But should they?
      The same survey revealed that 67% of Americans believe that companies not offering remote work would struggle to attract applicants, and many also stated that those same companies not offering remote work might have to increase salaries to attract talent willing to work in the office.
      This is hugely important information for recruiting purposes. In order to attract top talent, employers must consider the option of a hybrid approach or even a remote-first setup.
      While recruiting for remote roles can be more difficult at times due to the lack of face-to-face interaction, recruiting pros are becoming increasingly more adept at this process as the year goes on. And for good reason. Companies offering remote work are offering more than just that, and it means a lot to their employees.
      They’re offering freedom, autonomy, and trust. They’re straying away from the old-school office environment that so many dislike. And by embracing remote work, companies are giving themselves a head-start toward attracting the nation’s top talent.
      Keeping Current Employees Happy
      While recruiting can be hugely helped by offering remote opportunities, we should not forget about current employees, either.
      GoodHire’s survey found that 74% of Americans believe that they would need a continued remote work offering from their current employer to stay at their current job.
      This is a huge shift for HR professionals who are not used to monitoring culture and working environments with remote employees. But the people have spoken, to retain employees and to keep them happy at work, remote opportunities are key.
      More Key Findings
      In addition to the findings mentioned above, GoodHire’s survey also revealed that:

      A huge majority — 85% of Americans — believe that their colleagues and other employees around the nation prefer working remotely rather than working from the company office.
      61% of Americans would be willing to take a pay cut to maintain remote working status. Some workers even suggested they would take a 50% pay cut to avoid returning to the office.
      45% of Americans would either quit their job or immediately start a remote work job search if they were forced to return to their office full-time. Almost one-quarter of the respondents said, specifically, they would quit if a return-to-office mandate was instituted.
      74% of Americans need a continued remote working arrangement to stay at their current job.
      85% of Americans prefer to apply for jobs that offer remote flexibility, while just 15% would apply for a position that requires total full-time office work.
      60% of Americans would move to a new city just for the opportunity to work remotely in any capacity.
      70% of Americans would forfeit benefits to maintain remote working status, most commonly: health insurance, paid time off, retirement accounts, and more.
      84% of Americans need to see COVID-19 safety protocols in place before considering a return to their company’s office.

      By Sara Korolevich, Director of Content at GoodHire. GoodHire is a company that provides a flexible and efficient alternative to complex background checks.
      Share this post: More

    • 88 Shares169 Views

      in Talent Acquisition

      How to Make the Right Executive Hire

      by

      Last year, many executives opted for early retirement when COVID-19 hit. Others were let go by their companies due to perceived redundancy in roles or the need for financial cutbacks.
      More than a year later, the economy is bouncing back and companies (both new and old) are trying to recruit quality leaders. And they’re discovering that hiring the right executive is more challenging than ever. But now is the time to invest in visionary, long-term leaders who can help your company adapt to the new future of work.
      The consequences of the wrong executive hire
      The consequences of making a bad hire at the executive level can be felt across the entire organization. The wrong leader — especially in the C-suite — can have lasting repercussions that continue long after they’ve left your company. Here are just a few potential outcomes:

      Lost productivity: A bad executive may lead their team down the wrong path in pursuit of goals not aligned with the company as a whole. Bad leadership and the wrong attitude can also bring down an entire team’s morale and productivity. In addition, all the time and money spent recruiting, onboarding, and training an executive hire will have to be reinvested — potentially costing your organization six to nine months of the desired position’s salary.
      Tarnished reputation: In the digital age, a bad hire can quickly tarnish your company’s reputation. They, or their dissatisfied former direct reports, can drop negative reviews on job review websites which can affect your ability to recruit top candidates, regardless of level.

      Turnover at the executive level also sows seeds of discontent and dissatisfaction into your workforce. Employees may question your company’s stability, and even worse, look for a job elsewhere.

      Decreased valuation: Effective leaders determine company success and shareholders often react negatively to executive turnover, especially if it’s unexpected. According to PwC, CEO turnover reduces median total shareholder return to -3.5% and a forced turnover can cost $1.8 billion more than a planned succession. If your business is service-based or project-based, a bad executive hire and changes in leadership could also impact customer satisfaction and retention.

      5 ways to recruit the right leadership
      Strong executives are vital to any business. They bring innovative ideas and energy that help your organization evolve. So, even though today’s hiring landscape is extremely competitive, you can’t afford to hire the wrong executive. The following tips can help you recruit, close and retain the right leaders in the current environment:

      Know your company: Before you start the hiring process, make sure you understand your company’s culture, values, workflows, and weaknesses. Then, practice how you communicate it. Hiring a good fit means they need to want to work at your company. This requires setting accurate expectations during the interview and hiring process.
      Know your goals and challenges: Similar to knowing your business, you should know where it’s headed. Identify your company’s goals. Then, consider the challenges your organization, industry, and sector will face in the next five years. This will help you determine the ideal experience and expertise of the type of executive hire who can get your company to the place it needs to be.
      Be clear about your remote work policy: According to a recent survey, 55% of the workforce wants to be remote at least three days a week. A company’s remote work policy is now a key consideration for candidates, so determining how often you need your executives to be in office (and whether it is negotiable) will help set expectations and ensure long-term success.
      Maintain momentum: Once you’re in the hiring process, make sure it doesn’t drag on. A slow process can frustrate candidates and cause you to miss out on a good hire. When you find the right person, be decisive and clearly identify next steps. In this way, recruiting is like sales: Time kills all deals.
      Lean on networks and partners: The best hires aren’t always those looking for a new job — the right person for the job may be an internal candidate, a referral from an employee’s network, or a product of outbound recruitment. A talent partner who has the experience, expertise, and existing relationships can help you uncover the perfect candidate, even if it’s someone who isn’t raising their hand.

      Good people power success
      We’re at the precipice of a new era of work. The pandemic continues to change the hiring landscape, accelerating digital transformation and popularizing remote work. Companies need strong leaders to ensure they not only evolve, but stay ahead of the competition. With the proper practices and partners in place, you can make the right executive hire to help propel your business forward.
      By Phil Gaddis, President of Executive Search, Addison Group.
      Share this post: More

    • 113 Shares179 Views

      in Talent Acquisition

      3 Reasons Why We’ll Continue Remote Interviewing Post Pandemic 

      by

      Interviewing has gone remote. While some think this is temporary, it’s actually the future.
      When the pandemic began, businesses were focused on putting their heads down and weathering an uncertain economic environment. For many, this meant a temporary freeze on hiring. As things thawed, hiring came back; but this time, it was remote.
      A Gartner poll found that “86% of organizations were incorporating new virtual technology to interview candidates” by the second month of the COVID-19 pandemic. This mad scramble to integrate new interviewing tools was, for some, disorienting; but in tech hiring, it’s been a godsend. While we still appreciate face-to-face interaction, the digital nature of remote interviews comes with so many benefits that we won’t be whiteboarding coding challenges with candidates ever again. Here are three reasons why:
      1. Less Work; More Data
      I work in tech and love data. Tech companies evangelize harvesting data wherever possible, but before the pandemic, interviews were a data dark spot. Most of the information conveyed lived either in the mind of the interviewer or via their notes. Even if there were coding assessments that added a quantitative element to the interview, these were often done on whiteboards or pieces of paper that then needed to be digitally transferred. The result was that interviewers often spent an extra 30 minutes simply capturing what had already transpired.
      Today, the entire process is digital, which means that so much more data is automatically captured, and it’s now being put to use. We have transcription tools and video recordings that make reviewing the interview that much easier. According to HackerEarth’s State of Developer Recruiting 2020, 56.9% of recruiters said a major benefit of remote interviewing came from pair programming with a collaborative code editor, as this automatically captures and assesses a candidate’s coding skill in a collaborative, work-like environment. We even have automatic feedback generators that request performance input after specific questions. These are then compiled into an after-action report that simply needs to be edited rather than written from scratch.
      This means that interviewers spend less time writing and more time carefully weighing a candidate’s skill. Starting digitally puts all the data at our fingertips and allows us to make the most informed decision. Instead of a data dark spot, remote interviews are now richer than a resume.
      2. Geographic Flexibility
      There’s no question that tech has a talent shortage. Only 60% of all tech positions are filled. When we were dependent on in-person interviews, we constrained our talent pipeline even further. With tech roles only becoming more important over time, we can’t think locally about tech hiring anymore.
      The pandemic opened up new talent reserves in geographically diverse locations. We can now hire anyone from anywhere. According to HackerEarth’s State of Developer Recruiting 2020, 50.6% of recruiters say that remote interviews are beneficial due to their logistical flexibility. A further 40.4% said they saved significant time. Remote interviews with built-in features like pair-programming and real-time code editing, which now constitute 11.1% of all remote coding interviews conducted, have basically solved the problem of onboarding the most qualified candidates regardless of location.
      There is now a bigger pool of tech talent that can work from anywhere, and assessing them remotely has never been easier. In fact, 30.7% of recruiters said that remote hiring had actually increased their talent funnel. As the global workforce becomes even more accustomed to remote work, this means that remote interviews will be a feature of the hiring process for years to come.
      3. Reduced Bias
      57.6% of enterprises have placed extra emphasis on hiring for diversity in 2020. But as much as we love meeting candidates face-to-face, first impressions are often clouded by personal biases that can unintentionally limit diversity. Recruiters and hiring managers tend to prefer candidates that mirror their own backgrounds in what has been termed by researchers “Looking Glass Merit.” While interpersonal and other soft skills are absolutely important, face-to-face interviews sometimes overvalue them relative to hard skills.
      Thankfully, remote interviews add a layer of separation that gives interviewers input on things like body language without placing undue influence on them. While 10.2% of recruiters at SMEs say that challenging unconscious bias is still a major pain point, and 13% of recruiters are specifically choosing assessment tools that help eliminate bias in the interviewing process.
      One way to combat this problem is to mask personally identifiable information (PII) during remote interviews so a candidate’s skills can speak for themselves. This means things like their name, gender, academic background, etc. are hidden during the interview itself, so the interviewer’s impression of a candidate is solely based on their skills.
      A Remote Interviewing Future
      Even after a vaccine is widely available and things start to return to ‘normal’, we won’t be looking back at how we used to hire. We may still meet candidates for in-person interviews from time to time, but will certainly continue to use digital interviewing tools for a better interviewing experience. Pair programming is just better on a computer, and we shouldn’t want to go back to the days of whiteboards and hand-written notes.
      Today, tech hiring is more competitive and geographically untethered than ever, so we need to make the interviewing process as convenient and flexible for candidates as possible. In the end, remote interviewing saves the company and the candidate time, and more importantly, allows interviewers to limit bias significantly relative to in-person interviews. These more objective interviews are helping managers create the best tech teams where only skills matter.
      By Sachin Gupta, CEO of HackerEarth.

      Share this post: More

    • 75 Shares129 Views

      in Employer

      A Guide to Remote Employer Branding

      by

      For years, we’ve framed the virtual workplace as “the future of work”—a distant vision, and one many employer brand managers overlooked, despite the fact that more than half of workers worldwide were spending at least half their workweek telecommuting. However, as HubSpot’s Senior Manager of Employer Brand Hannah Fleishman reminds us, “The future is here.”
      COVID-19 has forced companies with little experience supporting a remote workforce to embrace working from home. Some were better equipped to make this transition in stride. Before COVID-19 closed offices around the world, HubSpot was already positioning itself as a leader in remote employee experience. Of its 3,500 employees around the world, 400 were full-time remote, making HubSpot’s remote workforce its third-largest “office.” That success wasn’t an accident—a major component of its success was its commitment to remote employer brand.

      Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Soundcloud.
      If employer brand describes how your values and culture differentiate you competitively, then remote employer brand describes your remote workforce’s place in that culture, as well as the competitive advantage you offer to remote candidates. As Fleishman puts it, “How you market and position your company, not only as a great place to work but a great place to work remotely, is really important as that becomes more competitive.”
      Before 2020, the remote employee experience was an afterthought at many companies. For years, HubSpot was no exception. Framing remote work as “the future of work” allowed companies to deprioritize it in favor of more immediate goals and concerns.
      However, supporting remote employees is becoming increasingly urgent as more and more job seekers opt to work from home for health and safety reasons. “Because of this pandemic, we can expect that candidates are going to expect more remote work opportunities.”
      Employers shouldn’t expect the importance of remote employer brand to subside as the pandemic subsides, either. According to Fleishman, an internal survey revealed that 61% of HubSpot employees are planning to work remotely more even after in-person office life resumes.
      To follow Hannah Fleishman’s work on remote employer brand, follow her on LinkedIn. You may also want to check out her previous interview Inbound Recruiting: HubSpot’s Approach to Employer Branding. For help creating data-driven, actionable strategies you can use to make real change in your company, talk to us.

      Share this post: More

    • 138 Shares189 Views

      in Workplace

      Adapt or Fail: Why Employers Need to Redesign their Workplace Culture

      by

      The Coronavirus pandemic has dramatically changed the way people live and work — forcing British businesses to pivot to new, digital, and remote ways of working. But, while many of these continue to manage, how many will truly thrive in the months – and perhaps years – to come?
      Today, as many companies pass the eight-month mark of remote working, and with no clear end in sight, working from home is no longer the exception, it’s the rule. But despite the advantages remote working has to offer, our latest research revealed that ‘hidden fractures’ are emerging among workforces, which risk causing irreparable damage to cultures and productivity.
      To ensure their businesses remain resilient – and prevent them from being permanently held back – it’s clear that employers need to take a proactive approach to manage and, in some cases repair, their workplace culture. The time to take action and rethink the employee experience is now; and here are four things employers should focus on:
      Design for remote
      First and foremost, business leaders need to design for remote. Indeed, when it comes to creating a positive company culture – that’s vital for a stable workforce – the same old tactics that were used pre-pandemic won’t work. Employers need to redesign the employee experience to ensure that people feel supported and connected with other team members as well as part of the same experience, wherever they are.
      For instance, just because your workforce isn’t together in the office, it doesn’t mean you can’t create meaningful experiences at key moments in employee life-cycles – at a distance. That could involve providing a new hire with a starter pack and a virtual buddy during onboarding, sending a bottle of fizz to newly promoted staff, or bringing the team together virtually to give a heartfelt farewell to a colleague who’s leaving. If effectively supported, these key moments can positively shape sentiment towards employers, roles, and colleagues.
      Continuously build familiarity
      When people are working in the office, familiarity — that is, feeling part of a team and being able to talk to colleagues and be heard — helps breed successful teamwork and a trust-based culture. But with everyone working from home, it’s easy for relationships to become momentary and transactional — a short video call here or an instant-message there, followed by weeks of nothing. And yet, familiarity is a critical outcome of employee experience, so businesses need to find new ways to weave it into every touchpoint.
      In our research we found that things like recognition for work well-done (33%) and being able to access support and guidance when needed (31%) aren’t just ‘nice to haves’ — they are the most important elements for creating a next-level workplace culture. When these are absent, the workplace culture is viewed as negative – and trust levels nosedive.
      But it doesn’t have to be this way – employers can continue to build and nurture relationships and instill a sense of familiarity by other means. Digital culture platforms, for example, could offer the solution many are looking for. These allow employers to create a space – outside of work channels – dedicated to building culture and familiarity, that all employees can participate in, as and when they please. If they’re to re-create familiarity in their remote workforce, businesses need to think differently and innovatively about how they can keep workplace connections alive and drive meaningful conversations and interaction.
      Strengthen employee networks
      As much as relationship-building is important, it’s also vital to nurture and support the development of peer networks that employees are reliant on for support, guidance, and reassurance. In fact, the cracks in networks are already starting to show, with 51% of employees saying they feel it’s harder to reach out for help from teammates when working from home. This should be a key concern for employers because when employees feel unable to lean on their peers for support and guidance, they can become increasingly anxious and more reliant on their Line Managers as a result. This, in turn, can create pressure points within the organization, causing productivity to plummet.
      Pre-pandemic, peer networks that extended outside of work teams were commonplace – something that has been altered by home-working. At a time when many people feel less visible and connected, it’s clear that businesses need to re-examine their remote working models and create the right channels to ensure employees feel seen, heard, supported, and trusted – and to help them to connect and thrive.
      One way to do this is by celebrating and acknowledging employee wins and achievements in a way that is long-lasting and is seen and heard by everyone across the business. Whether it’s highlighting their achievements over a company-wide video call or updating the team on a digital newsfeed that can be read by the whole organization, employees will feel recognized and appreciated. It’s by adopting these types of creative culture initiatives that employers can help remote workers to feel more ingrained in their business and encourage a more positive and connected workplace culture, no matter where employees are working.
      Measure and track culture
      Finally, in order for employers to effectively keep their finger on the pulse of workplace culture, it’s critical that they measure employee experience and culture. But traditional employee surveys aren’t necessarily the best option, as they’re often slow to implement and can cause survey fatigue when overused. Instead, managers and business leaders should look for ways to harness real-time and consistent culture analytics. By implementing pulse surveys more intelligently (and less frequently) they can benchmark measurements and use findings to help build and maintain an effective and happy remote workforce.
      For many organizations, returning full-time to an office is unlikely to happen any time soon and we believe that in the longer-term many companies will embrace hybrid working practices, as employees look to get the best of both worlds during their working week. But whether businesses are planning for it or not, it’s important to realize that remote working is here to stay, and not just in the short term. In order to protect their workplace culture and their company, employers need to redesign their thinking and adapt their employee experience to this new reality. Those that fail to evolve risk being held back and those that embrace the change will stay one step ahead, now and in the future.
      By Marcus Thornley, CEO of Totem.

      Share this post: More

    • 175 Shares169 Views

      in Talent Acquisition

      Why the US Suspension of Foreign Work Permits is Good News for UK Companies

      by

      As the legalities of employment in the US continue to evolve, the conviction that the future of work will be remote becomes stronger.
      In June, the US President decided to halt access to several employment-based visas, including H-1B visas for high-skill workers. This decision was quickly slammed by leading US tech companies, including Google, Twitter, and Tesla.
      Indeed, many organizations depend heavily on H-1B visas to recruit a diverse pool of high-skill talent from abroad. Without access to those visas, companies must look beyond their borders for the talent they need as they simply cannot compete in a globalized market without access to global workers.
      Documents such as green cards and work visas make it possible for businesses of all sizes to look beyond their local talent pools. Without H-1B visas, companies (especially those in industries with talent shortages, i.e tech) will suffer. However, these jobs will not simply disappear. Companies will still hire the talent they need – just not in the US.
      With the availability and acceptance of remote work opportunities growing, this latest decision presents a great opportunity for businesses from across the globe. They are now in a unique position to access a wider pool of talents than ever before while breaking free from governments’ regulations. This could be the chance for companies who are facing a shortage of skills, an issue particularly prevalent in the UK, to recruit candidates with the relevant skills.
      A chance for the UK to solve its digital skills shortage
      While the UK employment market remains resilient despite the uncertainties brought by the Covid-19 crisis, UK businesses continue to face a talent shortage, especially in the tech sector.
      In a recent report, The Open University found that up to nine in ten organizations are facing a shortage of digital skills, which has a direct impact on their productivity, efficiency, and competitiveness. Stats from the IET concur with this finding: in 2019, more than half of UK engineering and technology companies said they believe a shortage of engineers threatens their business.
      There are now hundreds of people, with in-demand digital skills, who have been affected by the new US policy. This means that more candidates are now available to fill the thousands of open vacancies within the UK tech sector crying out for skilled talent. UK companies seeking specialist talent should ensure they are among the first in line to attract them.
      By recruiting candidates affected by the latest change in the US, UK companies have a chance to shrink the digital skills gap they currently face.
      The question is how?
      The opportunity is massive yet recruiting and bringing foreign talent into the country can be cumbersome. Currently, UK companies looking to employ foreign talent must meet various requirements depending on candidates’ nationalities, skill sets, and contract lengths, in addition to holding a sponsor license.
      This can be difficult, especially for start-ups or small businesses without the necessary resources to carry out this process. Until recently, many large US companies offered support for visa applications as a perk to speed up the process of bringing talent from abroad into the country, locking out smaller companies and international organizations.
      To compete, the UK has established a series of visa schemes to attract foreign tech talent, such as the Tech Nation Global Talent Visa and the Start-up Visa. However, for UK companies who want to take advantage of the opportunities brought by the recent changes to the US visa system, a more immediate solution exists.
      The opportunities of global remote work
      By turning to global remote employment, UK companies can act quickly to recruit talent from anywhere in the world, bypassing the need for visas altogether. Self-serve platforms for global employment enable companies to recruit knowledge workers independent of their locations.
      Technology can now entirely manage global payroll, benefits, compliance, and taxes on behalf of companies, freeing them from the administrative burden of global talent management. Remote work offers opportunities to employees no matter where they live, allowing businesses to hire the best talent regardless of location.
      There is no doubt that other companies, especially in the US, will also jump on the remote working bandwagon to remain attractive among high-skilled workers. UK businesses should, therefore, seize this opportunity as quickly as possible and ensure remote positions are readily available to a wide range of talent.
      By doing so, they will be able to compete with other companies, not only within the country but from across the globe, for a chance to close their digital skills gap.
      By Job van der Voort, CEO and co-founder of Remote.

      Share this post: More