4 misconceptions about hiring remote consultants

Remote work began long before the pandemic. Many companies have discovered that opening up opportunities to workers who either worked from home or were located far from their facilities made a lot of sense. There has even been a rise in remote companies, which are businesses that don’t have a physical office.

These benefits apply to the hiring of remote consultants as well. By opening up remote positions, talent shortage was no longer a problem. Businesses that hire remote now have access to highly-skilled workers from all over the world. The hiring process is faster. A company will spend less on office space, equipment, and bills associated with having employees on-site. 

And yet, despite these advantages, a vast majority of companies still hold back on hiring remote workers and consultants. They give in to common remote work myths, particularly when it’s about practicality and efficiency. In this blog, we go through some of the misconceptions about hiring remotely and what the realities are.

1. Remote consultants aren’t as good

This concern might arise from a lack of familiarity with the quality of work produced by consultants who work remotely from other parts of the world. The truth of the matter is that broadening your search to include remote workers really does allow you to find top talent. You will also have a higher chance of finding someone that fulfills very specific needs.

The fact is, you can apply the exact same requirements and selection standards for your remote consultant as you would for on-site consultants during the interview process. You will probably be able to find your consultant faster because of the significantly larger pool of talent that you’ll have from remote recruitment.   

Companies have learned to focus on employee work outcomes instead of physical presence, and the same should apply to your remote consultant.

2. Communication will be tough

You won’t be able to drop by their desks or bump into them in the office but that doesn’t mean that you can’t reach your remote consultant easily. 

There are a variety of internal communication tools that businesses use for effective remote collaboration – some of which you probably already use for communicating with in-office employees.

Emails, private messaging software, document sharing software, video chat, and project management applications are just some examples of communication channels that help you stay connected to your remote consultant without requiring you to be in the same space. 

You may not always get an immediate response from your remote worker, but that’s true for on-site employees as well. Remote consultants will appreciate that unproductive face-to-face interruptions will be greatly reduced and communication will likely be more complete and concise. 

3. Differences in culture and language will affect collaboration

For many employers, these will be the most prominent challenges. However, the solutions are simple, and worth the diverse perspectives that remote consultants will bring to your team and company. 

It is inevitable that there will be cultural differences between remote workers from other countries. Communicate expectations early on to reduce potential conflicts or dissatisfaction between remote teams and on-site teams. Discuss aspects of company culture with your remote employee, and talk about what effective communication means to you.

Be open to learning about remote working from your consultant. Find out what common issues they face as remote workers and how they managed those challenges with previous clients. Open discussions like this will help your company and team improve future collaborations with remote workers and contribute to positive company culture.

It is possible to overcome language barriers that you might have with your remote consultant in the recruitment process. Many companies are able to find highly skilled international consultants who are proficient in multiple languages including English. You can list your language requirements in your job ad; however, using English as the main language for communication will broaden your reach. Don’t forget to brief your team about the best way to communicate with your overseas hire.

4. Different time zones will cause serious problems 

Managing time zone issues isn’t as much of a pain as you may think. Employers who already work with a remote workforce use a variety of ways to make working across the globe easier. 

By sharing calendars, remote teams can better schedule meetings and know when remote members are away for site visits or bank holidays. Use time zone tools to reduce making scheduling mistakes. Use overlap in work hours to meet online or leave messages via chat apps and emails for the remote consultant to pick up when they get online. 

It’s also useful to consider recording meetings as remote consultants may find it useful to see and hear the conversations in a meeting.

Conclusion

Thanks to technology like computers, software, and a fast internet connection, remote employees have been around for a very long time and their numbers will continue to grow. Remote jobs offer freedom and flexibility, allowing remote workers to enjoy a better work-life balance and more opportunities for employment without being geographically constrained.

Remote employees have proven to have a range of benefits for many businesses around the world. But to reap the benefits, employers need to be honest about whether the common misconceptions are valid or whether they are merely myths.