New Employer + New Employee = Fear of the Unknown
A new hire. A new job. The word new in this context expresses unknown. In a situation where a new employee is brought onto a team, there are a lot of unknowns on both sides:
- The employee is not certain of what to expect of their new position and team; and
- The employer is not sure whether the employee will be a good fit or not.
Those unknowns can cause tension and anxiety, not to mention unmet expectations, dissatisfaction, disengagement, and employee turnover. In a remote environment, there are even more unknowns because you must rely only on virtual communication methods to communicate and understand expectations.
How can you reduce unknowns?
There are several ways you can reduce the number of unknowns in a new hire situation.
Remote Employers can:
- Thoroughly vet candidates by going through various rounds of interviews, including video interviews, and checking references
- Requesting proof or examples of past work
- Require credentials that demonstrate competency or proficiency in a given area
Remote Employees can:
- Ask questions throughout the hiring process about what to expect in the position
- Thoroughly research the company
- Request onboarding materials to preview and prepare for work
Remote Work Certification Helps Both Employers and Employees
The Workplaceless Remote Work Certification is a competency-based credential that proves to employers that a new hire understands the core concepts that are critical to remote work success:
- Self-management: How to productively work independently
- Workday: What a remote workday looks like
- Infrastructure: How to safeguard your data
- Communication: How to communicate effectively when you work remotely
- Workflow: What are the best processes for completing work in a remote environment
- Productivity & Time Management: How productivity should be measured in remote environments
- Collaboration: How you work together when you’re physically apart
When an employer sees that a candidate has this certification, there is no unknown about whether or not their new hire understands what it takes to succeed remotely.
Additionally, when a new hire possesses the Remote Work Certification, employers and hiring managers know that the worker has the hard and soft skills necessary to be a dependable autonomous worker, such as:
Workers know how to work in a virtual team.
The Workplaceless Remote Work Certification program is uniquely designed to engage learners in workflows that mimic the operational models of remote-friendly companies, including group video calls, group collaboration, project management software, and community forum channels. Their familiarity with these resources means less training time for you during their onboarding.
Workers are proactive.
Because remote work certification isn’t yet a universal requirement, an applicant with this credential proves that they are willing to go above and beyond the minimum requirements in their work.
Workers have a commitment to learning.
As remote-friendly executives know, virtual work is able to move at an even faster pace than in co-located companies. So, it’s crucial that all team members are flexible and adaptable to new ideas and tools.
On the employee side, when an employer recognizes the Remote Work Certification credential, it signals to the employee that the organization utilizes the concepts presented in the program, which in turn clarifies expectations regarding working remotely. When you clarify expectations, you reduce uncertainty, and you set the stage for a more productive, effective, and positive working relationship.
