Cartoon Coffee Break: New Year, New Zoom Background

Editor's Note: This post is part of our "Cartoon Coffee Break" series. While we take talent management seriously, we also know it's important to have a good laugh. Check back regularly for a new ReWork cartoon.

While 2020 certainly revealed the challenges of remote work, it also unearthed a host of benefits for employees and employers alike: like more access to untapped talent and new opportunities and less time spent commuting. As a result, remote work seems here to stay: recent research suggests some 36.2 million Americans will be working remotely by 2025.

For companies, then, effectively tapping into this wider pool of top talent remotely will require a shift for HR teams. In 2021, HR must prioritize remote hiring as a permanent fixture in their talent acquisition and recruiting strategy.

1. Make Sure You Have The Tech Needed For Remote Hiring

Even prior to the surge in remote work, companies have begun leveraging AI, automation, and blockchain technology to screen and verify candidates, streamline all of the communications associated with recruiting, and generally make the hiring process more thorough and secure. And it’s paying off: the quality of hiring has increased and the process is more efficient without losing it’s humanness.

2. Ask The Right Questions When Hiring Remote Workers

While many employees are successfully doing their in-office jobs at home, remote work does require a different set of skills. When hiring, HR teams need to consider a candidate’s ability to work independently while remote—and integrate questions into the interview process accordingly. And in addition to preparing new interview questions, HR teams also need to be prepared to answer new questions from candidates around things like remote onboarding, COVID-19 safety measures, future flexibility and DE&I efforts.

3. Keep Empathy in The Online Interview

Even though remote work is becoming more comfortable for companies and employees alike, that doesn’t mean the human aspect of work—and by extension, recruiting—should fade. Empathy and kindness should be a permanent fixture of the remote hiring process. HR teams must bear in mind that for many, the remote job search is still relatively new. And, while things like candidate presentation and poise are important, a dog barking in the background or an interruption from a spouse or child is still par for the course when working from home.

For more reading on humanity and business leadership, check out these tips from Cornerstone’s Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer Heidi Spirgi and HR thought leader Laurie Ruettimann.