Should Your Company Offer Remote Work?

In our last post, we discussed offering a relocation package so you, and your agencies, can recruit and close your top choice candidates. The argument was that good talent can be hard to come by, and that a relocation package opens up your search beyond local candidates and entices them to join your company over any other opportunities they have. The issue with this is that it’s expensive. With the already high cost of recruiting and rising compensation trends, adding relocation costs can be a burden on employers.

Remote work could be a more viable option. Indeed’s Talent Attraction Study found that salary, location and work flexibility are the top three factors when deciding on an offer – 77% said good compensation attracted them to a job opportunity, 54% said a good location, and 51% said flexible hours. Data from Indeed’s The Talent Driven Economy also shows that candidate searches for flexible work options are increasing and that remote work, in particular, is growing quickly.

Candidates are looking for remote work, so offering it to employees can help you attract and close talent, near and far. Depending on your company’s level of comfort with remote work, here are 4 different ways you can structure it:

1. Allow remote work on an as-needed basis. This would give on-site employees some flexibility to work from home when they have doctor appointments, sick children, or even an early evening flight that they need to catch. This can be a good option if you’re just getting started with remote work options because it allows you to test the waters while giving employees some work-life balance.

   It can also help your employees stay productive. By eliminating the need to commute to and from the office, employees may be more productive on days they have appointments or travel arrangements. And rather than taking an entire day off to care for a sick child, employees can work on and off throughout the day.

2. Allow remote work on a specific day each week. Allowing employees to work remotely only on a specific day each week is obviously more rigid than allowing it on an as-needed basis, but makes scheduling meetings and tasks easier.

   Particularly if you have a large team, it can be difficult to schedule an all-hands meeting if people are constantly out of the office. Sure, conference calls can mitigate this issue, but aren’t always an ideal solution for real collaboration.

3. Allow 80% remote work. This can offer a good balance for companies who prefer onsite employees, but want to hire candidates who are not local and won’t relocate. Asking remote employees to come into the office once per week, or for a few days in a row each month, can give everyone the face time they need while allowing flexibility.
4. Allow 100% remote work. Finally, offering 100% remote work allows you hire employees anywhere in the world, which could help you overcome the talent shortage and close top-tier talent. If your company is struggling to fill in-demand positions, extending your search nationwide or worldwide allows you to tap into a bigger talent pool and find the most qualified candidates for your role.

   And, based on Indeed’s data, these coveted candidates may choose your opportunity above any others because they want a flexible work arrangement. It’s win-win!

Many companies can structure remote work to fit their needs, and the needs of their employees. One company may offer it on an as-needed basis for their entire team and strategically offer 100% remote work for specific employees, while others may use every Wednesday as a “heads down” day.

Whatever it is you do, make sure you share your remote work policy with your direct hire agencies. With more people looking for remote work, it could be the deciding factor in getting qualified candidates to respond to outreach, interview with your company, and accept your offers.

Does your company offer remote work? Is it open to all candidates, or used strategically?