Strategies for maximizing a remote workforce

Kristina Jokinen, Direct Placement Director at Adecco Staffing

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Adecco Staffing US

Adecco Staffing US is the nation’s leading provider of recruitment and workforce solutions.

We are the pre-eminent workforce management partner for Fortune 500 companies and career advisement expert for American workers, serving all of the key industries and professions that drive our economy forward. Adecco has over 900 career centers and, on any given day, connects 70,000 talented workers to the best job opportunities across the country, making us one of America’s largest employers.

Please visit us at adeccousa.com.

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About our presenter

Kristina Jokinen

Direct Placement Director at Adecco Staffing

• Works closely with direct hire recruiters

and Adecco's extensive branch network

to ensure successful matches between companies

and candidates for full-time roles

• More than 15 years of experience in the recruiting

and staffing industry

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What we’ll cover today

• Why virtual workforces are becoming more common

• Common challenges of virtual work teams

• Strategies for making a virtual workforce successful

• Tools and technologies that can assist your virtual work

teams

The benefits of a remote workforce for the employer

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Benefit #1: Cost reduction

• Save on office space rent

• Ability to hire employees in areas with a lower cost of living

• Decreased pay in exchange in exchange for fewer work expenses

• Reduced turnover

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Benefit #2: Increased productivity

• Uninterrupted work time

• Reduced sick time

• Time is not lost due to inclement weather or traffic

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Additional benefits

Able to hire talent outside of the organization’s geographical boundaries

without the cost of relocation, expanded viewpoints

Opens up new labor sources

Retention Can be offered as a type of “bonus” to employees

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Additional benefits

Time spent on commuting can be spent on personal life

Customized workspace, no dress code, fewer illnesses

Work/life balance

Increased quality of

working life

Common challenges of virtual work teams

• More difficult for managers to know what employees are working on

• Employees can feel isolated

• Time zone differences are not as conducive for team meetings

• Employees may feel under-valued/recognized

• Employees don’t understand or feel part of the company culture

• Cultural differences in communication styles

• Trust is harder to build

Strategies for success

Hire the right person!

• Not all people were created to work remotely!

• What you want to look for:

- A driven self-starter

- The ability to create a work/life balance without strict guidelines

- Skilled at technology

- Knowledge of the position and its demands

• Psychometric testing helps uncover the personality traits needed

Key traits of an effective remote manager

- Highly effective communicator and listener

- Supports autonomy

- Collaborative

- Ability to build trust quickly and sustain it

- Good delegator

- Flexible

- Open to and supportive of a remote workforce

- Macro-manager

- Excellent memory

Leadership style

- Not a control “freak”

- Participative

- Focused on results versus time/activities

- Strong vision

- The glue that holds the team together

- Deliberate about their interactions

- Demonstrates confidence in team/workers

Making connections

• Set expectations

- Provide vision of company

- Give clear and measurable objectives and goals

• Promote self-leadership

• Encourage social engagement amongst peers

• Recognize achievements

Communicate!

• Regular one-on-one meetings

• Regular team meetings

• Keep them “in the loop”

• In-person connections

Tools and technologies

Traditional tools

• Email

• Phone

• Instant Messaging

• Face-to-face time

• Intranet

Conferencing in

• GoToMeeting

• WebEx

• AnyMeeting

Additional tools/technology that can help

Document storage:

• Google Docs

• Filesanywhere

Chat platforms:

• Yammer

• Chatter

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Visit us on Facebook: facebook.com/adecco

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Question + Answer

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HRCI program approval

This program,ORG-PROGRAM-119708, has been approved for 1 (General ) recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR and GPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute. Please be sure to note the program ID number on your recertification application form. For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HR Certification Institute website at www.hrci.org.