When the world harmoniously moved over to what we now call “the new normal”, remote work was already starting to carve out a significant space for itself in the working world. When we all became confined to certain spaces, the remote work industry skyrocketed and has continued its upward trend.

It remains and has always been a smart, cost-effective staffing solution across industries and geographies. Hiring a remote employee is definitely something to consider for any small business. So below, we’re sharing some tips on hiring and managing remote employees to ensure your company thrives.

Define your criteria

Before you do anything, you will have to take a long, hard look at your business to identify the missing gaps and what exactly you need help with. This will be a great help to both you and your potential candidates.

Advertise on relevant spaces

Narrowing down your needs and hiring criteria will help you determine the best platforms on which to advertise your job ad for hiring a remote employee. Working Nomads, Flex Jobs, and We Work Remotely are a few popular options to consider. However, be prepared for an influx of applications.

Review a select number of applications

If you’ve defined your criteria well enough in the beginning, the task of sifting through CVs may be more manageable for you. Look out for certain keywords and specific requirements that are deal-breakers for you. Then set up video interviews with about three candidates to get to know them better. Besides skills and experience, this includes assessing a good culture fit. If you’re lucky, you’ll have that “it just feels right” moment.

Do background checks

Once you’re set on a potential candidate, make sure you do background checks. As with any job, you can ask for one or two referees to get a perspective from a third party who has experience working with the individual. Often, this is a good gauge of the candidate’s credibility.

Use a remote employee agency

If all of the above seems too daunting or time-consuming for you, you could enlist the services of a remote employee agency. Going this route means you simply need to define your needs and criteria; they do the rest. You end up with quality leads who have been screened, assessed, and matched to your needs as best as possible. Outsourcery will send you one to three candidates based on your criteria, leaving you to simply interview then and make your decision.

Landing the perfect remote employee is only half the job done, though. You will have to put in the work of managing them efficiently to ensure success on both ends.

Do a thorough onboarding process

Set aside time in your and your team members’ diaries to officially welcome your new remote employee to the company. This should include an onboarding document that includes all the company nitty-gritty, expectations from the employee, and even their key performance indicators. Make sure your team offers a friendly, warm welcome and is open to any assistance they may need.

Set clear expectations

Nothing is worse than going in blind, which can be made even worse when you’re working remotely. From day one, it’s vital to list exactly what you and the business expect from the remote employee, as well as means of gauging success.

Establish working styles and boundaries

If you need your remote employee to be online for certain times during the day, make that clear from the beginning. Or if you’re more open to a flexible-approach-as-long-as-the-work-gets-done, let them know. This will be a great help in terms of prioritising tasks (and life).

Institute regular catch-ups

Depending on the nature of your business, it would serve you well to do weekly or daily catch-ups with your remote employee. Admittedly, this can sometimes feel like a drag, in which case we strongly recommend having a live status doc where the entire team can update their progress and the status of tasks. This way, anyone on your team will always have an idea of what’s happening across the company.

Outsourcery offers leading remote employees available on packages that are tailored to your business’s needs. What’s more, they come at prices that are within reach for small to medium businesses. Get in touch with the team for a free consultation.