During COVID-19, all businesses were forced to operate remotely.
This opportunity, if used correctly, can result in increased productivity, as well as increased employee satisfaction and work-life balance! It’s easy to fall into the trap of a Netflix binge and not showering for three days... (don’t judge me).. So here’s how to remain efficient whilst working and hiring remotely!
As simple as it sounds, your mood and productivity are heavily influenced by how you feel… I know it’s tempting but DON’T roll out of bed at 8:55 am for a 9:00 am starts!
And definitely get OUT OF YOUR PJ'S!
During the early stages of COVID-19 I lived in pj's and trackies, I think we all did, but I promise you you’ll find yourself more focused if you’re dressed for work. Get dressed and feel cute! Routine is crucial to your well being and success- and just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have one!
Working remotely encourages flexibility which supports a work-life balance for employees, however, it becomes problematic when you’re unable to contact your colleagues! Time can be wasted waiting for a response or approval… fear not, this can easily be avoided if you implement the right tactics!
At the beginning of your day (or week) set scheduled working hours with your colleagues, managers and executives! These hours can change day to day or week to week, but it means everyone is available for immediate communication during the set hours and during those hours you’re able to collaborate and communicate.
My recommendation is afternoon hours, such as 1-4, so that you have the morning to get your tasks done and figure out where you need guidance and support in order to make the most of your set hours. During these hours you can discuss ideal candidates, hiring responsibilities, timelines, or even conduct zoom interviews.
It’s difficult to feel part of a team whilst working alone, but it’s crucial for your wellbeing and productivity to remain collaborative. Make sure you communicate with one another what you plan on getting done..
Whether it’s going through the applications, creating a posting ad or searching through your talent pool it’s important your colleagues know what you’re doing so a) they don’t do it, and b) can follow up on it! Communication is a crucial workplace skill because when you communicate a thought or idea it’ll influence another thought, therefore in order to remain creative and productive, you must communicate! It doesn’t matter how you do it, use; Zoom, Slack or Facebook messenger...the platform of communication you decide on is insignificant, just make sure you do it!
It’s also important for your wellbeing to feel valuable and important. Stay connected to your colleagues and socialise as though you’re at the office! Yes, ask your colleagues their thoughts on the interviewed candidate, or on certain applications…. BUT It doesn’t need to be all work jargon, ask about their day and build your friendship! You’ll work better with one another and get more done! Therefore, communication is key!
There are two types of goals that are useful to set.
Firstly, amongst those who are required in the recruitment process, set goals and agree on tasks that must be completed by the end of the work. This keeps you motivated and responsible for achieving your targets, and accountable if you don’t.
Secondly, set personal goals! I encourage day-to-day goals as it gives you purpose for the day and assists you in knowing when it’s time to switch off. When you work from home it can be difficult switching off because your work life and personal life are overlapped, but it's crucial you remember when you’re working you're at work...And when you’re not working you’re at home! You can't be on call 24/7, you need downtime or you’ll burn out.
That’s why setting scheduled hours, and setting goals, is the key to success!
An example of a goal could be:
“Write the key responsibilities of the new hire, their ideal soft skills and technical skills, pre-requisites and have it approved by my executive by the end of the day.”
Or
“Once I finish phone screening tasks for all suitable candidates my work for the day is done.”
These goals keep you on track and productive whilst working remotely.
It might be me, but I even love to completely plan out my day so I have a schedule to guide me! A schedule might look something like this:
7 am: Gym
8 am: Morning call
8:30 am: Breakfast
9 am: Emails, callbacks, write to-do list
10 am: Review resumes and separate into ‘most suitable’ and ‘not suitable’ piles
12pm: Lunch with my friend
1 pm: Phone screening tasks for ‘most suitable’ resumes
You get the gist!
This schedule isn’t for everyone and might seem too restrictive for you, but personally, throughout working remotely I’ve found it the best way to achieve my goals. If you’re not like me and don’t easily get trapped into the world of Netflix, simply setting goals will do the trick! Not sure how to go about creating goals? Check this out!
Helloooo, It’s the 21st century, UTILIZE TECHNOLOGY!
Utilizing a recruitment software increases your recruitment efficiency and is completely digital. Recruitment software allows you to create custom e-forms that can be saved as templates and accessed by your colleagues, managers and executives online! They can see what you’ve done, and approve it or discuss their concerns with you.
For example, with your request-to-recruit process, once you’ve built your application template with the correct questions and text fields and submit it a link via email is automatically sent to your executives which allows them to approve the information within minutes, without the lengthy process of; print, sign, scan and send. It’s a remote hiring miracle! You can reuse the same templates over and over which saves you time in the future and increases workflow efficiency.
As well as utilizing recruitment software for requisition, since you’re hiring remotely, you can also utilize Video Interviews to unearth your candidates' soft skills which result in less time spent on live video interviews (and no need for real-life interviews which don’t practice social distancing).
Working remotely doesn’t have to be problematic and result in decreased productivity. If you utilize the correct tools and implement appropriate strategies, the flexible work style can be used to you and your company’s advantage. It’s all about work/ life balance!
About the Author:
My name is Cassandra Diamantis and I am the Social Media and Content Specialist at My Recruitment Plus. I write content that specialises in assisting HR professionals and recruiters through offering advice and making prevalent recent recruitment trends. You’ll find my recent blogs here, and also see my work on Facebook and Instagram!
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