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And find your best employees!
When growing a business, one critical step is finding the right employees or contractors you need to support your vision. If you are limiting yourself to only hiring local talent, it can feel downright impossible to find the best fit. Thankfully, remote workers have entered the scene and completely revolutionized the job market.
But many small business owners are afraid to take the plunge when it comes to hiring remote! Concern about employee productivity, legality, and trustworthiness all come into play when thinking about working with someone who you may never actually meet in person. As someone who has chosen to hire more than 50% remote employees for the company I work for, I can tell you that casting a wider net has proven to be the best way to land the most excellent talent.
I understand the hesitancy in making this shift and I'm here to tell you 3 simple ways to protect your business while finding the very best people.
Screen Smart: It's easier to take your time screening remote applicants than to regret your hire later. One time I got to a final interview with a remote candidate who, I discovered, had faked their entire application and written interview responses. Luckily I had systems in place to uncover the truth, but I remember thinking how very easily I could have been fooled! That's why I follow a very thorough screening process with every applicant, so I'm not simply wowed by an impressive resume (that could be faked) or savvy responses (that AI could have written). Not being desperate and rushed in your hiring process will prevent a lot of issues later down the road and ultimately save you money. Check out my hiring resources so you can hire with confidence!
Stay Legally Legit: There is nothing more terrifying than finding out you have broken a compliance law when it comes to hiring an employee or contractor. In fact, the fear of not knowing the ins and outs of payroll, taxes, and employee vs. contractor rules hold many businesses back from taking the hiring plunge when it comes to out of state workers. The most efficient way to stay legal when it comes to hiring is to lean on a professional program or person for guidance. My favorite program for hiring and paying out of state employees and contractors is Gusto. They will file payroll taxes for you, set up out of state taxes, allow you to run direct deposit, and remind you to send out your tax paperwork. The cost is well worth the peace of mind in knowing that you are covered and you don't have to figure it all out yourself.
Communicate Clearly: Working with people remotely can be more productive, and in my opinion, fun than working together in person. You get the benefit of collaborating virtually without having to know what the tuna fish sandwich your employee brought for lunch smells like in real life. The key is to have established communication expectations! I recommend weekly meetings (30 minutes or less) to connect on your weekly goals and priorities and a simple online tool, like Slack, to chat throughout the week. Our team uses Slack and finds it an efficient way to stay connected with fewer interruptions to our workflow.
Are you ready to join the remote revolution?
I've crafted some simple downloadable resources you can use to hire without the hassle of creating everything from scratch!
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