The pandemic has drastically changed the way we see the world of workspace and forced many of us to adopt the remote work. While some companies such as Twitter and Slack have officially moved their offices to remote work, others like Salesforce are adopting a hybrid approach. In fact, according to a survey by Growmotely, 74% of professionals are expecting remote work to become the new standard, and 61% of employees are interested in working fully remotely.
While many companies have adjusted to the change pretty quickly, others have found it particularly challenging. In terms of hiring, employers are facing further challenges, looking for foolproof ways to shortlist candidates who can excel in a remote working environment.
Strong management leadership implements proactive hiring practices to ensure their team’s success. The leadership hires workers who are not just all-rounders in their fields but are also a good cultural fit.
Whether you are an employer looking to hire or an employee actively searching for a job, here are the attributes of an effective remote employee.
1. Accountability
Efficient workers realize the importance of meeting deadlines and holding themselves accountable for delivering their projects on time. If a worker is a highly driven and motivated person, they will be responsive towards emails, Slack messages, and other communication mediums. They will follow up on pending tasks and stay in communication with the teammates to get the job done in a timely manner.
2. Adaptability
Not all jobs come with a strict blueprint that the employee needs to follow to the teeth. A remote employee must be open to occasional changes in schedules or projects. They must be able to quickly adapt to the changes and prioritize their work accordingly.
3. Skilled Communicator
Communication is an essential trait that is a must-have for any worker. One of the strongest forms of interaction is the face to face communication. In remote work, most of the communication takes place through audio or video calls, emails, and Slack messages.
This form of communication has a challenge of its own. It is therefore important to ensure that the candidate you are interviewing possesses strong communication skills—both written and verbal.
During an interview, it is fairly easy to judge if the candidate is a good communicator or not. You can also use a written or oral assessment to evaluate their communication aptitude.
4. Reliable
As a manager or an employer, you want to hire someone who can be trusted to complete their tasks on time. In remote work, you cannot always keep a check on your team’s progress, however, a reliable employee will frequently schedule one-on-ones with you and keep you up to speed with their progress.
Reliability warrants success. As Wayne Gerard Trotman famously said, “The most successful people I know are also the most reliable.”
5. Team Player
Some employees are naturally team players, while others are individual workers. Being a team player is a highly desired and essential trait that employers look for in candidates. Often times a project requires teamwork, communication, and collaboration to ensure its timely completion. A good team player will understand the team dynamics and strive to assist in fulfilling the team goals.
On the other side of the spectrum, employers also need to be understanding and empathetic towards their team members. In The Art of Working Remotely: How to Thrive in a Distributed Workplace, author Scott Dawson talks about the challenges remote workers face and shares the behaviors and practices they can learn to thrive in a remote work environment. He raises quite a fascinating point, stating that the remote workers have to learn everything on their own.
As an employer, it is therefore important to go a little easy on your remote employees who are trying their best to balance their work and personal life together, minimize distractions, and adjusting to different time zones.
To ensure your team is doing well, you can also float employee engagement surveys encouraging team members to respond to questions anonymously.
Continue the dialogue and contact us at info@acepointconsulting.com.
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