How many times has your company found the perfect candidate for an important role, just to find out he or she lived hundreds of miles away and wasn't willing to relocate? Imagine you could hire anyone, regardless of their location. It would undoubtedly be much easier to find talented people to fill your difficult-to-staff positions.
Luckily, according to an article published in the Harvard Business Review, your business should feel confident hiring those A-players to work remotely, even if it hasn't realized it yet.
In the article, author Cassandra Frangos identifies several substantial barriers that keep companies from assembling successful virtual teams, despite those same companies reporting being open-minded about leveraging remote workers.
Structurally, Frangos says, hierarchical decision-making limits the agency of small teams, which typically benefit most from remote talent. In terms of culture, Frangos cites the value companies place on face-to-face meetings, holding them up as the symbol of productivity. Finally, Frangos mentions a mindset that has leaders nervous about losing control as work becomes less physically centralized.
Overcoming these barriers can be a challenge, but managing to embrace remote workers can put companies in a position to reap significant benefits. By opening up the playing field to include those who might work remotely, organizations instantly expand the talent pool, giving them access to top candidates all over the world.
As a result, hiring managers can create more diverse teams capable of tackling difficult problems in novel and creative ways. Plus, employees benefit on the individual level because they are able to live where they choose, which can be a major factor in improving productivity and retention.
If your organization is considering reaching out to candidates regardless of locale, working with a global executive search firm can help. At YES Partners, we put our local knowledge to work for you, connecting you to championship-level talent in your industry no matter where in the world they work. To see some of the positions we have already successfully placed, click here!
Finding people is easy, but finding the RIGHT people is not. YES Partners helps companies FIND the right people – for all company functions, across many industries and globally.
