How to Effectively Recruit and Manage a Hybrid Workforce

Since the pandemic breakdown in 2019, global workforces have been on the receiving end of several changes. First, the companies have been still learning to manage remote task forces, and now a hybrid workplace has emerged. 

A hybrid workforce is a flexible work model that has already been adopted by over 30% of employees. This model has a high potential to enhance the productivity and efficiency of employees. 

But managing and hiring a hybrid workforce is a challenge for HR leaders. In fact, 66% of recruiters already advocate that hiring was more challenging in 2021 than in 2020. Retaining and managing remote work was challenging, but the challenge will be paramount in a hybrid environment. 

But there’s nothing to worry about if you follow the right way to hire and manage hybrid employees. Here you can find a few tips to effectively recruit and manage hybrid professionals. Let’s have a look. 

Set Clear Goals

The basic thing you should do to hire and manage a hybrid workforce is define your business company. When you set a clear objective for your hybrid team, they can work according to your expectations. This even allows recruiters to hire employees who can understand your company’s vision and goals. 

Map Out Hybrid Work Policy 

Whether you want to hire or retain your hybrid workforce, you have to first create a proper hybrid work policy. It will work as a roadmap for employees to work and make decisions. For example, having a hybrid policy will tell your team how many hours they can work remotely, protocol to work from home and office, etc. 

Leverage Technology 

Like remote work systems, technology is also the backbone for hybrid workplace recruitment and management. Technology-enabled hiring can empower recruiters to exploit global talent pools to shortlist the best candidates. Using AI-powered recruitment tools, recruiters can screen applications, schedule interviews, and do much more to make recruitment simple. 

To further supercharge the recruitment process, recruiters can leverage a full-fledged recruitment software that not only lets them source candidates but also use recruitment automation. That way, you can automate your mundane, repetitive tasks. For example, you can set up automated email campaigns that help you automatically notify candidates about their application status. 

After recruitment, companies can use time tracking and task allotment tools to assign work and monitor the progress of hybrid workforces. In addition, technology intervention will improve recruitment processes and eliminate human errors. 

Expand Your Hiring Horizon 

In a hybrid workplace, you are allowing your team to work partially on-site and remotely. This means you can expand your hiring area and target the global skill market to find competent employees. 

Though a hybrid work environment isn’t feasible to hire employees from around the globe, physical attendance is still required. Thus, you can create a balance between hybrid and remote employees in your organization to acquire global talent. 

For example, if you run a recruitment agency, you can hire 50% local and 50% remote staff. Once you learn to manage remote workers, you can relish both remote and hybrid workforce benefits in your organization. 

Define Remote and Office Days

With the looming threat of a pandemic, it is getting difficult for companies to go fully remote or move back to the traditional work model. This is further confusing employees as they can’t judge when they will be called into offices for work. 

Since a hybrid workforce is designed as a solution to this problem, it is essential for companies to build a proper structure for how many days an employee is expected to work from home and office. This will allow employees to better plan their work schedules. 

Seamless Communication 

You must have been hearing this a lot, but it is essential to have a proper communication flow in your workplace to monitor your hybrid task force. Communication is the key for remote, office, and hybrid teams to stay on the same page. Without proper communication, your hybrid team will never be able to meet your company goals. 

Get an advanced two-way communication tool to overcome all the hiring challenges in a hybrid workforce. Having a communication tool will help your staff to stay connected, receive feedback, and report to managers in real-time. A centralized communication dashboard is important for hybrid employees to monitor interactions - no matter where they work. 

Look for Particular Skill Sets

Today, hiring managers need to look for special skills while hiring for a hybrid work environment. Since technology is a vital part of the hybrid culture; thus, employees need a data mindset and certain technical skills now. 

Recruiters need to look for employees that can freely use modern tools and technologies. Besides this, self-motivated employees are requirements for hybrid teams who can work on their own under minimum monitoring. 

All in all, recruiters should change their recruitment strategies and methods to hire competent professionals for the hybrid workforce. 

Focus on Your Employee’s Wellbeing 

Nowadays, employee health has taken the front lines. Employees are not anymore driven by the typical carrot and stick method. They want to work for organizations that focus on their mental and physical health. After the pandemic, workers’ attitudes have fully changed. They will be more pleased to have a higher number of sick leaves than monetary rewards. 

So, you need to build an employee-centered culture in your workplace. Especially if you want to target international talent, you have to provide an extra carrot to your employees like healthy meals, flexible work schedules, more leaves, and so on. 

Organize a Get-together 

What better way to win over someone than throwing a party? You can organize an event for your remote and hybrid teams to come together and bond in a formal environment. People can better communicate and understand each other when they are away from all the corporate hierarchies. 

In addition, a get-together will provide a chance for your hybrid workforce to interact with their managers, peers, and other teammates. Plus, a party will refresh and motivate everyone in your team. 

Sum Up

The hybrid workforce is different, so you can’t hire and manage them using the traditional methods. Whether technology-based recruitment or improving communication, hiring managers have to make many changes to onboard and retain competent hybrid staff. So, let’s not waste any more time and refurbish your recruitment policies to accommodate a hybrid workforce today.