Recruitment strategies will always be high on the agenda of any human resources department at a multinational company. Like all strategies, they have evolved over time and these days tend to be a lot more complex and nuanced than they perhaps previously were. It is also the case that technology now plays a much more significant role in the recruitment process, from the initial interview all the way to the employee onboarding.
Right now, this technology is essential, as like all other business services, the human resources department is delivering their duties remotely. A global pandemic has swept the world and shifted a huge percentage of the workforce into working from home. Business goes on however, and recruitment objectives still need the exact same level of attention as before. There is an argument to say that recruitment needs even more attention, as multinational companies everywhere are designing strategies designed to respond to the implications the global pandemic is having for the business landscape worldwide.
A major survey of company leaders revealed that a massive 80% will permit employees to work remotely at least part of the time after the pandemic, and as much as 47% confirmed that they will allow employees to work from home on a full-time basis
Many companies are therefore involved in the remote recruitment of specific employees, while other companies are continuing forward with their scaling activity as they look to enter new countries and markets. Scaling activity means they need to hire and pay employees in new countries. In this article, we'll take it look at the differences between remote worker hiring and hiring due to scaling needs- these two needs share a common ground but there are also subtle differences in approach.
Remote Hiring
Remote hiring can be about filling full-time open positions for company headquarters or other office locations during a period of non-scaling activity. The company does not necessarily have to be scaling rapidly into new countries and territories with a strong need to fill open positions so that they can hit the ground running in those new countries.
Remote hiring is often simply about finding the right person for the job and not allowing location to dictate candidate suitability. In response to the
pandemic, remote hiring has simply become a necessity-in person interviews are not feasible at the present time due to social distancing regulations and therefore many of the hiring that has taken place at multinational organizations around the world in the last 12 months, has happened at a remote level. The hiring process is about acquiring the best talent, if this means remote workers then that is what recruiters will look at.
HR teams have now become used to the process of remote hiring- leveraging technology in their search for candidates, using video calls to set up initial interviews and schedule further, more in-depth interviews. Once a candidate has accepted an offer, the process of remote on boarding begins and it is simply a reality of this new normal we are currently living in, that new starters can begin their new jobs in a remote working environment with remote teams, and are introduced to their colleagues and line managers via video conferencing technology. This is remote hiring in response to exceptional circumstances brought about by a global pandemic.
Another reason why remote hiring could happen centers around the need for very specialized skill sets. The world has gone digital and digital platforms therefore seemed to be at the center of everything. These platforms require specialized employees to run them, so developers and engineers are in high demand, especially at startups and remote companies. It is not always the case, that these types of specialized employees are readily available in the cities and countries where organizations do business. In fact, it is becoming harder and harder to find these people as sourcing full-time employees with high-quality skill levels is a real challenge. In response to this, many organizations are adopting or promoting hiring policies and giving human resources professionals the flexibility to find the right candidate regardless of location. This candidate is then permitted to deliver their duties while working remotely. It is about matching the right person to the open position, and then leveraging technology to ensure this person has the capacity to contribute in a meaningful way while not necessarily located in the country of the employer.
This is a flexible, and forward-thinking approach, embraced by many organizations in the world today- where the focus is on what the candidate can bring to the company- and their location is no longer relevant. The remote job opportunity is turning out to be a win-win situation- the global employer has a greater capacity to get the kind of skilled workers they need to deliver their services and the employees find that opportunities are not restricted by location, and they also have the opportunity to work on their preferred terms and achieve work-life balance.
Scaling hiring
In this new normal, the actual process of hiring for scaling reasons maybe the exact same as remote hiring, but there are subtle differences in the approach. The needs behind the hiring motivation are different for starters. When scaling into new countries and territories, a need is created for employees to be based in these new countries so that the organization has a base on the ground in a new country where they can set up activities and start to get things done.
This is hiring for growth and expansion and while there is definitely still a need to hire suitably qualified and specialized candidates, it is not quite the same thing as broadening your candidate search for specialized individuals.
When hiring due to scaling activity, the search focus can sometimes become narrower instead of broader. The reason for this is the need for specialized talent on a local level-i.e. companies need people with local knowledge to fill positions in specific departments within the company where localized knowledge is necessary. The global payroll team for example will need to hire people who understand local country payroll nuances and labor laws. The legal team will need to hire individuals familiar with local legislation and country specific regulations. There may be a need to hire individuals who understand the cultural norms of the country and obviously, there will be a need for people who speak the local language.
So, while there is always a desire to hire the best person for the job, when hiring for scaling reasons, the candidate’s location, first language and understanding of the local country can play a significant role in their success.
Whether remote hiring or hiring for scaling reasons, both come with implications for the human resources team as well as the global payroll team. Remote hires need to be paid the same as everybody else, but they may not have a bank account in the country of the employer. When hiring for scaling, global payroll teams will likely need to incorporate local and country specific pay elements into their monthly pay run process for these new employees. Local tax, social security and employment law nuances come into play here and they have a tendency to complicate payroll delivery. Strong business relationships will need to be established with local payroll providers right at the beginning in order to give the global employer the best opportunity to facilitate scaling levels.
What we know for certain is that companies everywhere will continue to have a desire to seek out the most qualified candidate when hiring remotely. These companies may also be in a period of rapid scaling so they will have a need also for the best local talent. Therefore, remote hiring and hiring for scaling reasons will continue as the needs of the business will dictate the recruitment strategy.
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