For most businesses the benefits of creating and managing a hybrid workforce are unquestionable. Offering opportunities to talent to contribute to a business no matter where they may be situated and in a way that keys in with their lifestyle and needs can open business to the best range of candidates available in a way that satisfies those employees.
However, making this work isn’t entirely straightforward. A remote workforce requires special attention and management to ensure communications, culture and team spirit can thrive. Moreover, getting it right means getting it right from the start and that means addressing the recruitment and onboarding process. This is not just a ‘nice to have’ experience. According to research from digital employee experience company Nexthink, 25% of new IT hires who have an ‘underwhelming or terrible’ onboarding experience leave their role. The company’s US figures suggest organisations are effectively wasting $2.2bn on rehiring IT and tech talent every year.
Jess Lambourne, Head of People at production company Mediazoo, says their hybrid employment model includes stipulated days when employees need to come into the office. This enables the business to build its culture and team relationships.
“One of the challenges of a hybrid or remote workforce is the lack of face-to-face interaction,” she says. “This makes it more difficult to evaluate interpersonal skills during the hiring process, and once new employees start, it can be even harder to build relationships and foster a strong company culture, especially when team members work on different schedules and come into the office on different days.”
A Structured Approach to Onboarding
For this reason onboarding at the company is extremely structured. The business ensures equipment and guides are sent ahead of time and any training sessions, introductions and interactive virtual team building exercises are ready and functional for everyone.
“Culture comes from the people and management,” says Jess. “So as long as employees are giving their time and really getting to know the new employees it is possible to create the culture remotely. The biggest part of any culture is the communication and connection with each other.”
“The shift to hybrid and remote work has undeniably revolutionised recruitment,” agrees Jonathan De Kryger, Leader Campus Recruitment North Human Resources at payment company Worldline. “While traditional, in-person interviews were time-intensive, the widespread adoption of virtual platforms like Teams has significantly expedited scheduling and broadened our reach.”
However, as De Kryger says, this evolution has come with its own set of challenges.
“Assessing candidates remotely requires a different approach,” he says. “While virtual interviews are convenient, they can hinder the nuanced understanding gained from in-person interactions. Reading body language becomes more difficult, and ensuring the authenticity of candidate responses in the age of AI tools presents a new layer of complexity.”
De Kryger also states that onboarding remote employees also requires careful consideration. Online platforms can facilitate knowledge transfer but communicating and fostering company culture remotely is more challenging. The lack of spontaneous interactions, and absence of office dynamics that build camaraderie are difficult to replicate online.
“While virtual interviews are convenient, they can hinder the nuanced understanding gained from in-person interactions. Reading body language becomes more difficult, and ensuring the authenticity of candidate responses in the age of AI tools presents a new layer of complexity.”
Consequently, De Kryger argues businesses need to find a compelling reason to bring employees together in the office, appreciating this environment as a hub for collaboration, connection, and the tangible embodiment of company culture. “Well-designed facilities, social events, and opportunities for in-person teamwork can incentivise office attendance and strengthen team cohesion,” he says.
Being Clear and Up Front
“As we are a tech firm, the issue hasn’t been about the ability to work remotely, rather how we want to work and how we have this as an up front part of the recruitment process,” says Fiona Mason, CHRO at insurance software solution provider RDT. Mason notes that post-pandemic, the business found they were attracting people who only wanted to work remotely – not something the business wanted to offer: “We got wise,” she says, “and are clear about it up front.”
Consequently, onboarding, initial induction and early learning is largely office based for the company, although it will still be different for every role depending on needs.
“We utilise technology where it is helpful and saves time and admin,” adds Mason, “we still focus on the human element as a strategy, the candidate experience is massively important to us.” Indeed, building good relationships has meant the business has been able to go back to rejected candidates at a future date, thereby getting more value from the recruitment process.
Claire Webster HR Director at Avantia Group, the parent company behind specialist home insurer, Homeprotect, agrees that the challenge of hybrid often lies in candidates who expect complete flexibility. “While flexibility is a priority for us, we’ve found that when expectations aren’t aligned from the start, challenges can arise later,” she says. Webster therefore places emphasis on having explicit ‘contracting conversations’ with candidates during the hiring phase to make sure everyone is on the same page about how the business works.
“I believe hiring for attitude and behaviours has never been more important,” says Webster. “In a hybrid or remote setup, we must trust that employees will remain engaged, make the right decisions, and take ownership of their role.”
“I believe hiring for attitude and behaviours has never been more important. In a hybrid or remote setup, we must trust that employees will remain engaged, make the right decisions, and take ownership of their role.”
Following Guiding Principles
To help achieve this the business has developed a set of Guiding Principles which articulate the competencies and behaviours valued by the business. These are used in the hiring process and have been embedded in the company’s performance management framework: “We can assess not only what people do, but the way in which they do it,” Webster says.
Webster also highlights a number of techniques she uses in order to attract and assess the right candidates. These include having a strong employer brand to help attract people who genuinely align with the organisation, behavioural and competency-based assessments and leveraging technology to streamline hiring. This she describes as: “considered use of AI-powered screening tools to help with sifting, video assessments, and digital onboarding processes.”
“By refining our hiring strategies in line with the modern world of work, we can continue to bring in top talent in a way that aligns with our evolving needs,” she says.
There is no doubt that the hybrid workforce brings with it a set of challenges and requirements which did not exist in the traditional workplace. To some extent the idea of everyone being in one place – for interviews, onboarding, induction and work itself – is something that used to be taken for granted.
