How Do You Recruit and Retain Flexible Workers?

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant shifts in the employment industry. The demand for flexible working conditions is one of the demands employees seek, and as an employer, it is essential that you consider work flexibility to attract, recruit, and retain top talent. 

Having your employees work either on-premise or remotely will make them comfortable, thus improving their performances. In addition, you will have a loyal workforce at your disposal, dedicated to driving your business to success. However, note that employee loyalty and dedication also depend on how you treat your workers and manage work flexibility. You need the best strategy, which starts when seeking new talent. So, how do you recruit and retain flexible workers? Keep reading to find out.

How do You Recruit and Retain Top Talent

1. Strong Communication

It is a no-brainer that communication is key to building a robust culture and ensuring everyday goals are achieved. This is especially when managing workers remotely since they will be able to easily interact with their colleagues and work as a team with a common goal. You can consider using communication tools to build strong communication. These can be project management platforms or other reliable communication tools like Zoom, Skype, etc.

2. Always Conduct Candidate Onboarding

Employee onboarding is very important when hiring flexible workers. Create time to run through organizational projects with the candidates and introduce them to other staff members. Onboarding makes new candidates comfortable and ready to join your business bandwagon to deliver their best. 

Some employers may also consider meeting candidates in person, which is highly advisable even if it’s only a one-time meeting. Alternatively, you can schedule video call meetings via reliable communication tools if you feel like a one-on-one meeting will inconvenience the candidates.

3. Acknowledge and Celebrate Your Workers’ Winnings

One thing that keeps your workforce motivated is knowing that you acknowledge their efforts, no matter how minimal they are. You see, employees may go above and beyond to master new skills or complete a task seamlessly and effectively. But, in return, they expect you to show appreciation for them to keep performing their best. 

This strategy works in retaining a flexible workforce, especially when managing on-premise workers. For remote staff, be sure to appreciate them mostly during meetings or phone calls. You can also send them an email or post their success on your social media timeline to show that you are impressed with their efforts. 

4. Have a Virtual Open-Door Communication Policy

Like you usually have open communication with your on-premise workers, you should do the same with remote workers. Create an environment and culture where there will be effective communication, mutual respect, and strong working relationships. You can do so by sharing your calendar and letting them know you are open to communication if need be. In addition, be friendly so that they can easily approach you with their concerns without feeling they will get turned down. 

5. Encourage Employee Interactions

Employers can motivate flexible workers by encouraging them to get to know one another. For remote teams, create a platform or a chat group where they will be talking about anything but work issues and build strong relationships. Communication doesn’t have to be only work-related since your workers will still not trust each other even if you believe in them. Furthermore, you can include certain activities and games for robust interactions or encourage meetups by hosting luncheons to learn more about each other.

6. Ensure Workers Settle Down Effectively in Their New Workplace

When hiring flexible employees, ensure they have a comfortable working area. For remote workers, give them ideas on setting up their offices. Alternatively, you can support them and ensure all working equipment are set up. These include laptops, phones, office desks and chairs, phones, software, etc.

7. Expense Allowance

Another strategy for recruiting and retaining talent or a flexible workforce is offering expense allowance, especially when managing remote workers. You see, working on-premise comes with benefits that remote workers do not get to enjoy. For example, on-premise workers enjoy free coffee and tea, and you should encourage the same for remote workers. In this case, it is only fair that you offer such allowances. As a result, they can work in coffee shops and still get to enjoy their tea and coffee without spending their money.

8. Create Flexible Schedules

You may think that working remotely means a flexible work environment, but this is always not the case. Some employers still fear losing control and productivity, leading to micromanagement. No employee will enjoy working in such scenarios, and for this reason, you need to trust your workers. In addition, give them the flexibility they need for as long as all tasks are completed within the set timeframe.

9. Encourage Regular Feedback

Always provide performance feedback frequently as a way of motivating flexible workers. With feedback, employees will be able to understand their strengths and work on their weaknesses before they affect the organization‘s bottom line. In addition, reviewing their performances for feedback allows you to identify the best employees and reward them accordingly. 

Summary

Ultimately, flexible working is here to stay since it is one of the ways to keep a happy and productive workforce. However, keep in mind that flexible working needs to be managed effectively to attract and retain top talent. By following our tips above, your business will experience significant changes meant to drive it to success. You will also build your employer brand, thus staying ahead of the competition.