HR Challenges of Building a Global Remote Workplace and How to Mitigate Them

Studies show that remote working helps companies and employees generate significant savings and helps improve worker productivity rates. Reports show that telecommuters are up to 70% more productive than people working from offices. The increased productivity rates result from the fact that workers don't waste long hours traveling to and from work through busy, hectic, traffic-packed roads every day. 

More than 53% of reputed global corporates offered work from home options to employees even before the dawn of the Covid-19 era. While remote working arrangements offer a range of perks, they also pose challenges for the HR department. Hiring an employer of record to take care of employee hires and payments might solve several remote working issues. 

Hiring New Employees

HR managers of remote workspaces typically hire employees through video meetings or phone calls. Making accurate assessments of a potential employee's skills and capabilities over the internet might be challenging. It might not be easy to employ spontaneous tests or innovative techniques online to test employee caliber online.

The manager will also have to deal with technological issues like slow internet connections and wavering signals. The solution to this issue might be a more elaborate recruitment process. 

The HR task force will have to design tests and tasks that can successfully test a prospective worker's potential in remote recruitment scenarios. Real-time video-monitored tests and more extended probation periods may be necessary to ensure that the employee fits the role. HR managers managing remote workforces will also have to be extra cautious while analyzing a prospective employee's resume and records. 

Communicating and Implementing Company Policies

More than 80% of global business organizations made remote working mandatory for employees because of the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic. Communicating and executing company policies and staying transparent about the business's changes is essential to build a competent workforce. 

The manager will have to rely on emailing, video conferencing, and other technological mediums to communicate with their remote workforces. New strategies and policies may require employee training, and HR managers will have to find ways to provide training online.

Successful remote working companies recommend working with an employer of record to make the process easier. The EOR will help the HR team formulate effective strategies to guarantee the successful implementation of company policies. The EOR may also with technological support needed to provide training and other seminars online. 

Managing a Remote Workforce

Since the managers do not have the luxury of monitoring employees from the same physical office, they will have to design other methods to do the same. Login records and logout records are often used to monitor employee's time usage. Many remote working companies use performance assessment and time management software to analyze the productivity levels of workers. 

In a perfect remote working scenario, employees would log in to work on time, manage their time efficiently, and submit tasks on time, and report minimal idle time rates. However, the situation might be different in an actual scenario. The lack of monitoring and accountability might impact productivity rates adversely. 

Regular monitoring and communication with employees through technological mediums and phone calls will help improve efficiency rates and engagement rates. 

Employee Recognition 

Only 25% of employees in remote workplaces report feeling recognized and rewarded. Remote workplaces may not focus on the recognition aspect and employee engagement aspect as much as physical workspaces. Managers in a physical workspace have several opportunities to meet, greet and reward employees every day. The employer-employee communication in a remote workspace is often limited to work-related emails and task assignments.

Remote workspaces can consider hiring an employer of record to help with this issue. EOR companies have adequate experience taking care of payments of remote workforces and other organizations.

The HR management team can work with the experts and design systems, methods, and programs to boost employee recognition and engagement rates. Conducting online meetings or events to recognize high-performing employees or address employee issues will help make the situation better.

Employee Retention Issues

Research shows that remote working arrangements help increase employee retention rates by over 30%. Studies and surveys show that employees working from home are more likely to stay with the company provided other factors are favorable to their retention. 

However, it's critical to implement impactful steps to ensure employee retention. Over 70% of US employees report that they don't intend to stay in the same job for over 5 years. Adequate work compensation, timely discharge of compensation, and healthy work hours are core factors that determine employee retention rates. Hiring an EOR can help improve all these factors. 

Hire a Reputed Company

An efficient EOR team can help boost productivity levels of a remote workspace by over 88%. Hiring an EOR will help improve efficiency levels and free employers of tasks like making payments to employees and hiring new employees.