5 Ways of Attracting Tech Talent in a Remote World
Posted on:
by Cathal McAliskey
IT Jobs and Recruitment Insights
Over the past year a lot of us have got used to our home offices and kitchen tables and have adopted working from home. What the pandemic has shown us is that we don’t need to be in a physical location to complete our job responsibilities and that commuting is time wasted.
Going forward many tech companies will adopt more flexibility around remote working and this raises the question – How can Companies Attract Talent in a Remote World?
Here are a few areas I feel that companies must address if they want to attract top talent in the IT market:
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Flexible working arrangements
As IT is always evolving, people cannot be experts for long so there are always opportunities for learning. Learning opportunities can be a major selling point for companies as people want to challenge themselves and keep developing. Whether it is learning a modern development language or being mentored in people management, people want opportunities to grow and develop.
Companies with a defined progression plan for their staff are going to be able to attract talent more effectively than others. People want assurances that there will be opportunities to move up the career ladder. They want to be provided with the tools and learning opportunities to succeed. With many universities and educational institutions offering fully remote courses there is no better time to upskill your team.
Setting employee goals is key to the success of the overall business.
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Remote job benefits
This is one of the most important areas for companies to consider and is essential if they are to keep their staff content while WFH. While working remotely has benefits it also has a number of drawbacks:
- Staff can work longer hours, they can struggle to find a work life balance
- They can feel stressed or anxious about the pandemic
- Some can struggle without social interaction
- They may have to juggle homeschooling with work
- Some may struggle to focus on work with family distractions
It is important that companies address the well-being of their staff if they want to attract top talent. They can do this by promoting positive well being through yoga classes, cooking tutorials, zoom quizzes, well-being podcasts, ups-killing/online training, other exercise classes – personal training, boxercise etc.
Companies must promote a work- life balance, to do so they should try and restrict emails being sent outside working hours and allow staff flexible working hours if they have home-schooling or family commitments.
Staff working remotely should not feel isolated and there should be regular work and non-work related meetings or Zoom calls, perhaps a Friday evening team bonding activity like a Zoom quiz.
Another way companies can promote positive physical well being is by how they support their staff. If staff are having issues with their home offices perhaps companies can offer allowances for this, no one wants neck or back problems. Companies who can offer budgets for staff to invest in office equipment will promote positive well-being and this will help them attract talent.
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Remote workers onboarding
During the pandemic we have seen many companies attempt to onboard remotely and a lot of lessons were learned.
It’s not just as easy as shipping out equipment and introducing the new staff member to their team. There must be regular check ins, collaboration and inclusion. Instructions must be clear on equipment setup and how the reporting tools will work.
New starters should be given a buddy who can aid them with any issues. Most importantly the new starter should feel excited about the role and feel part of the team, this means lots of team bonding, zoom quizzes etc.
Having an effective remote onboarding process will help companies attract talent. In the IT space people talk and will share their experiences of good and bad onboarding experiences, particularly through platforms like Glassdoor. Similarly, if someone has a positive onboarding experience they are likely to promote their company to their network, friends and previous colleagues.
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Opportunities for learning and progression
As IT is always evolving, people cannot be experts for long so there are always opportunities for learning. Learning opportunities can be a major selling point for companies as people want to challenge themselves and keep developing. Whether it is learning a modern development language or being mentored in people management, people want opportunities to grow and develop.
Companies with a defined progression plan for their staff are going to be able to attract talent more effectively than others. People want assurances that there will be opportunities to move up the career ladder. They want to be provided with the tools and learning opportunities to succeed. With many universities and educational institutions offering fully remote courses there is no better time to upskill your team.
Setting employee goals is key to the success of the overall business.
-
Employee wellbeing
This is one of the most important areas for companies to consider and is essential if they are to keep their staff content while WFH. While working remotely has benefits it also has a number of drawbacks:
- Staff can work longer hours, they can struggle to find a work life balance
- They can feel stressed or anxious about the pandemic
- Some can struggle without social interaction
- They may have to juggle homeschooling with work
- Some may struggle to focus on work with family distractions
It is important that companies address the well-being of their staff if they want to attract top talent. They can do this by promoting positive well being through yoga classes, cooking tutorials, zoom quizzes, well-being podcasts, ups-killing/online training, other exercise classes – personal training, boxercise etc.
Companies must promote a work- life balance, to do so they should try and restrict emails being sent outside working hours and allow staff flexible working hours if they have home-schooling or family commitments.
Staff working remotely should not feel isolated and there should be regular work and non-work related meetings or Zoom calls, perhaps a Friday evening team bonding activity like a Zoom quiz.
Another way companies can promote positive physical well being is by how they support their staff. If staff are having issues with their home offices perhaps companies can offer allowances for this, no one wants neck or back problems. Companies who can offer budgets for staff to invest in office equipment will promote positive well-being and this will help them attract talent.
The world of work is changing but thankfully companies are responding well and quickly to these changes. If companies are to attract talent who have the option to work remotely they must address their staff wellbeing, onboarding process, working arrangements, learning and progressing plans and benefits offered.
If you would like any more advice on this contact cathal.mcaliskey@gempool.ie or check out or hire talent page.
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