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Hire Globally, Act Locally: Enabling Success for a Remote First Workforce (Video)

Key Takeaways from Hired CEO Josh Brenner and Oyster CEO Tony Jamous at the Hired Summit

The way we work has evolved rapidly over the past few years. Though remote work was already on the rise, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns forced businesses to spread employees out and work from home, sometimes overnight. As the world begins to take steps toward a return to “normal” after the pandemic, employers and employees alike are reluctant to go back to the old way of doing things. As a result, they’re adopting new working models.

This global shift opens some pretty big doors for businesses who move forward with remote workforces, especially when hiring. The talent pool is no longer limited to the local area or even in-country – global talent is now accessible. This is very good news for companies in the tech industry with specialized roles to fill.

If hiring a remote workforce is new to your business, knowing where to start and how to effectively manage the hiring process can feel overwhelming. Recently, Hired CEO Josh Brenner sat down for a chat with Oyster CEO Tony Jamous to discuss building remote companies and filling positions from a worldwide collection of candidates. Below, we share the highlights and takeaways from this discussion to help employers attract and engage with top global talent as well as source a more diverse pool of tech talent for your company.

3 Ways to Adapt Your Company to the New World of Working

As we come off the heels of the pandemic and the Great Resignation, it’s time for businesses to recognize that a return to how things used to be isn’t the best course of action. It’s time to create a new normal in terms of the way companies operate, qualify talent, and build trust.

Hired Summit recap between Hired CEO Josh Brenner and Oyster CEO Tony Jamous

1. Open Up to Flexible Working Arrangements, Including Fully Remote Work

While the recent shift to remote working was motivated by safety, the past two years provided employees with a level of flexibility that wasn’t there before – and that they’re not willing to lose.

“What happened in the last two years is that people have re-evaluated where work sits in their life. Clearly, they got a taste of what it means to be free from location. When you give people opportunity to have an additional degree of freedom, in this case working from anywhere, it’s really hard to take that back,” said Jamous.

Instead of making a big push for returning to the office, reexamine how your company works. Consider how to alter operations to provide the flexibility employees need. There are a number of ways to configure your workplace, from a strictly remote environment to a hybrid environment where teams are able to come together in person when necessary.

No matter which iteration of remote work your business chooses, reconfiguring the company for remote-first working is a wise move. In a remote-first workplace, the company optimizes for remote workers. Often, a central location is or locations are available for in-person work for employees who prefer to work away from home or when face-to-face interactions are needed.

Why is it necessary to reconfigure working arrangements to improve recruiting?

Offering remote work roles help you secure candidates who prefer working in these environments. According to Hired’s 2021 State of Tech Salaries data, 85 percent of tech talent say they want some sort of remote working option, whether it be fully remote or in a remote-first workplace. An additional 14% say they prefer a hybrid scenario, bringing responses to 99% in favor of remote or hybrid environments.

The demand for tech talent is also at an all-time high, especially in junior and remote roles. Following the Great Resignation, hiring has become extremely competitive. Adopting remote work options opens your hiring pool globally, as your business is no longer limited to candidates in the local area who are within commuting distance to the workplace or willing to relocate.

Plus, we know talent migrated during the pandemic. Many chose to move closer to hometowns or to family. Reasons extended from better and more affordable housing options, now that everyone spent more time at home. Others moved to care for multiple generations of family members.

rethink how you qualify talent - remote work discussion at Hired Summit: Josh Brenner and Oyster's Tony Jamous

2. Rethink How You Qualify Talent

In the past, a college degree has long been a key way to qualify talent. A candidate’s pedigree, where they went to school and who they know, largely helped get a foot in the door when a business was hiring. With today’s expanded education options and a global talent pool, hiring based on skill is all the more important.

“In our [2022] State of Software Engineers Report, we found over half of the tech talent we’ve interviewed or are on our platform haven’t even gotten traditional computer science degrees anymore. A lot of them are now learning in boot camps and self-taught on YouTube,” said Brenner.

In this new global world of working, who you know and what degree you have is no longer a crutch that hiring managers can rely upon when vetting candidates.

With these things out of the way, the playing field becomes more level for talent across the globe, as skills are at the forefront. Hired’s assessments allows candidates to prove their skills to prospective employers. “As the world moves into global hiring, you know what a great opportunity to reduce these biases and reduce the opportunity gap,” noted Brenner.

remote first discussion at Hired Summit with Josh Brenner and Tony Jamous of Oyster

3. Learn to Build Trust in a New Work World

Building trust and culture amongst virtual teams is often more of a challenge than creating those same dynamics in person. The pandemic put barriers between workers and leadership, eliminated traditional office culture, and caused leaders to mistrust employee performance. As a result, underperformance surfaced from some employees.

To create a company culture welcoming of remote global workers, leaders need to move toward more trust and less control, according to Jamous.

“It is harder to build trust when you’re not in the same place. This emotional body language signaling that we used to have when you were in the same office is gone now. Sometimes you cannot even have eye contact through video. We need to be much more intentional in creating opportunities to build trust.”

In the past, an employee’s physical presence has been correlated with results – but the workplace doesn’t work like that in a remote world. Business leadership must reassess how results are measured, from across the company down to an individual level.

Redesign the ways virtual teams work together to promote a high level of performance and personal wellbeing amongst employees. Because a crowded conference room is no longer an option in virtual workplaces, incorporate tools for collaboration and communication. This improves workflow while employees are apart.

Go Global to Find the Remote Work Talent Your Business Needs

When your business is open to remote work, the world of talent is literally at your fingertips. Reconfiguring the way your employees work creates opportunities for talent to join you from across the globe. Openness to changing education and working dynamics will help you find top candidates and keep them.

Hired helps businesses source diverse talent worldwide. This provides a much more diverse pool of tech professionals for hiring. It also fosters a more equitable work environment for everyone. Check out the entire conversation between Josh Brenner and Tony Jamous below: