What is hybrid work?
If the past few years were all about remote work, this time it's all about hybrid work, a blend of in-office and remote settings. Hiring for a remote workforce has its challenges but finding the right hire for a hybrid model is worse than that.
Traditional recruitment methods are not going to work if you want to find the right talent for the hybrid team. That is where strategic hiring practices come into play. We need to consider both remote and in-person dynamics to make a good hire.
This blog
post will lay out some of the strategies to make a successful hire for a hybrid
team.
(Collaboration Kernel, 2024)
Know
what to look for:
Contrary to the traditional recruiters, today’s head hunters look for the following in candidates;
Ability to work remotely: A stable internet connection and a quiet area are on top of the list. We are not talking about an office room specifically set up for WFH. It can be a corner of your house or a coworking place where you can focus on work and attend calls whenever necessary.
You can include a video interview to assess this. If the call is patchy, taking too long to connect, or noisy to hear properly, you don’t have to think twice before proceeding with the same candidate. However, if the organization can provide additional resources such as work-kits and a stable internet connection, these issues can be avoided to some extent.
Self-motivated employees: Since you don’t get to interact with others in the office, and work under little or no supervision, chances are high that you don’t find your work meaningful. To avoid this laid-back mentality, it's always better to look for self-motivated individuals who can work on their own under minimum monitoring for your hybrid or remote team.
Flexibility: Set clear expectations with your future team from the beginning about
flexibility. It's not just about working fixed days from the office and home,
but also requiring to pop into the office for urgent meetings, fixes, etc. Make
sure that both parties use flexibility for each other’s benefit.
According to Prof Zweig (2023), on a resume, flexibility should look like
hitting and exceeding targets before and after the pandemic or high
performances in different roles in different settings.
(Andrea Yu, 2023)
(Lisa Russell, 2022)
Several recruitment agencies and headhunters say that scenario-based questions help them understand the candidate's capabilities better. So, it’s always better to ask open-ended, real-life scenario questions to see how they would act in such a situation.
Also, make sure to schedule interviews through the platforms that you would use in the organization. This should give you an idea of how well they can navigate along these specific tools.
(Teri Saylor, 2022) and (Lisa Russell, 2022)
It is very important to set a standard of open and transparent communication from the beginning of the recruiting process. Clear and honest information about the job role, company culture, expectations, and the hiring process helps candidates feel valued and eventually leads to trust.
Respond promptly to their inquiries, treat them respectfully throughout the interview process, listen to their questions carefully, ensure that the interview is a two-way process, encourage candidates to ask questions, even if they don’t get selected, and make sure to give them feedback. These actions would not only build trust but also help with the organisation’s brand name.
(Karla Reffold, 2019)
According to Prof David Zweig, Professor of Organizational Behaviour and HR Management at Toronto University, “interviews alone are not enough to hire the right candidate” (cited in Andrea Yu, 2023). He also believes that it cannot predict future behaviours and since there is no one to constantly oversee your work, personality traits such as conscientiousness and emotional stability are more important in a hybrid environment.
He suggests using personality tests such as Hexaco to understand the new hires better. Several organisations such as Google (Situational Judgement Test - SJT) and Amazon (The Amazon Workstyle Assessment) use different personality tests in their hiring process to learn about the suitability of a candidate for a particular job role.
(LinkedIn, 2024) and (Shlomik, undated)
To sum up, hiring a hybrid workforce requires different tools and strategies as it is different from a traditional team. Understanding each potential hire is crucial to building a good team, from knowing their ability to work remotely to flexibility to personality traits that suit the organisational culture to employers' ability to build trust and reputation in candidates' minds. According to a survey conducted by Gallup (2019), “the cost of replacing an individual employee can range from one-half to two times the employee's annual salary”. Hence, we must get the right fit.
(Shane Mcfeely and Ben Wigert, 2019)
Andrea Yu (2023) Hiring for a hybrid workplace? Keep these lessons in mind. University of Toronto. available from https://www-2.rotman.utoronto.ca/insightshub/talent-management-inclusion/hybrid-work-hiring. [Accessed 02/04/2024].
Karla Reffold (2019) How To Build Trust Into The Recruitment Process. Forbes. Available from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2019/06/26/how-to-build-trust-into-the-recruitment-process/?sh=1bfc58e7637d [Accessed 28/03/2024].
LinkedIn (2024) How to Pass Google Pre-Employment Job Interview & Assessment Test: Questions with Answers & Solutions. Linkedin. Available from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-pass-google-pre-employment-job-interview-juwyc/ [Accessed 28/03/2024].
Lisa Russell (undated) The Hybrid Workplace: Best Practices for Hiring [blog]. Available from https://www.disher.com/blog/hybrid-workplace-best-practices-hiring/ [Accessed 28/03/2024].
Shane Mcfeely and Ben Wigert (2019) This Fixable Problem Costs U.S. Businesses $1 Trillion [blog]. 13 March. Available from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/247391/fixable-problem-costs-businesses-trillion.aspx [Accessed 28/03/2024].
Shlomik (undated) Amazon Assessment Test 2024: What to Expect and How to Pass Your Online Assessment. Jobtestprep. Available from https://www.jobtestprep.com/amazon-assessment-test#:~:text=The%20Amazon%20Work%20Style%20assessment,it%20as%20a%20single%20exam. [Accessed 28/03/2024].
Teri Saylor, (2022) 4 tips for building an effective hybrid team [blog]. 29 November. Available from https://www.fm-magazine.com/news/2022/nov/4-tips-building-effective-hybrid-team.html [Accessed 28/03/2024].
Baron, I.S., Melania, and Agustina, H. (2020) The Role of Psychological Testing As an Effort to Improve Employee Competency. Available from GATR Journal of Management and Marketing Review. Available from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339687189_The_Role_of_Psychological_Testing_As_an_Effort_to_Improve_Employee_Competency [Accessed 01/04/2024].
Katie Nguyen (undated) How to Effectively Recruit and Manage a Hybrid Workforce [blog]. Available from https://www.workast.com/blog/how-to-effectively-recruit-and-manage-a-hybrid-workforce/ [Accessed 28/03/2024].
Patty Yan, (undated) 7 top tips on effective hiring practices with a hybrid workforce [blog]. Available from https://recruitcrm.io/blogs/hybrid-hiring-tips/ [Accessed 28/03/2024].
Reman, P. and Nordin, A. (2021) Personality tests in recruitment. Researchgate. Available from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349466573_Personality_tests_in_recruitment [Accessed 29/03/2024].
Stephanie Sparks, (2023) Recruiting for a Hybrid Workplace: 5 Expert Tips [blog]. 16 March. Available from https://www.lever.co/blog/hybrid-workplace/ [Accessed 28/03/2024].
ReplyDeleteEffectively hiring for a hybrid workforce requires a strategic approach that considers both remote and in-person dynamics. It involves assessing candidates' adaptability, communication skills, and ability to work independently (McKinsey & Company, 2021). According to my personal experience I believe hybrid working model can improved to fully remote positions even in large organizations as well. The mind set of the leadership and traditional managers make huge obstacle on it.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts regarding the challenges of transitioning to a hybrid or fully remote working model. To be successful, we need to overcome obstacles related to mindset and leadership.
DeleteYes.. Organisation should give the chance to employees to share their thoughts and make inquiry about their concerns and organisation should listen and support them. And I believe hybrid working environment is more effective for a company than working from office or work from home concept, as employees can do more work when theiy are not traveling but if they wanna change the way cango to office once a week or twice for a change to get a break from the pressure. What is your feeling on this?
ReplyDeleteHi Dinesh, vary insightful strategies for hiring in a hybrid work environment, emphasizing the need for remote work skills, self-motivation, flexibility, experiential interviews, trust-building, and personality tests. It's essential for adapting to evolving workplace dynamics and ensuring successful team integration.
ReplyDeleteInformative article. By leveraging correct tools and strategies, organizations can effectively manage and support a hybrid workforce, maximizing productivity, collaboration, and employee satisfaction across all locations.
ReplyDeleteA timely and relevant article, Dinesh. All your strategies mentioned for recruitment for a hire based on the hybrid model are very accurate and practical. Rather than longwinded theories or vague spinoffs of journals, you have focused your article on actionable HR strategies that can definitely be implemented by a HR focusing on a hybrid workplace. Good job!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this informative article on effectively hiring for a hybrid workforce! It provides valuable insights into the unique challenges and strategies involved in recruiting for a blend of remote and in-office settings.
ReplyDeleteGood job including the importance of building trust among the employer and the employee in to this article. I think this is the foundation to the remote work culture. If the trust is not there, with micromanagement the employee might feel stress and burnout. Not productive at all! Most younger generations prefer remote work and the HR need to be ready strategically to encounter the challenges that comes with it. Nicely explained.
ReplyDeleteA well-comprehended article, Dinesh! This article highlights the importance of effective hiring for a hybrid work environment. You have done a good exploration of what would be the effective ways to hire the right candidate with the right requirements for the job. For example, I like the way you have shown that conducting experiential interviews can help in the process. Motivation, remote -work ability and flexibility all play an important role when it comes to hybrid work landscapes.
ReplyDelete