Both employers and employees face unique challenges to ensure this new normal works as perfectly as possible. Learn how to get in the acceleration process and other tips to adapt successfully yo the new stage of remote work.
As the world changed in front of our eyes throughout 2020, perhaps the biggest change came in how and where many of us work. Before the unprecedented health crisis, only a small percentage of the workforce worked from home full time; during 2020, that number jumped to more than 60%. From traditional insurance companies to modern SaaS companies, the remote-first movement isn’t here until the end of COVID, it’s here to stay. Although many people are enjoying the newfound ability not to “work from home” but to work from anywhere, both employers and employees face unique challenges to ensure this new normal works as perfectly as possible.
Getting In on the Acceleration Processes
Sprints used to be every quarter — and scrums maybe once a week. Now sprints are twice a month and people are holding daily stand-ups. The pace at which software is iterating is rapid. Keeping up requires you to be in on the acceleration process and to have employees at the ready. Consultants and freelancers are in demand, and they’re taking jobs with companies big and small. They were trailblazers and revolutionaries in the remote work space pre-COVID, but now their style of work has become synonymous with development. As 2021 is ramping up hiring, even formerly full-time employees are plotting their own course and choosing to work for themselves. Pre-COVID, 34% of workers were finding their own jobs and picking who they wanted to work for. These numbers only grew in 2020, up 33%. Organizations are looking for a way to tap into these employees and get them on their staff for short and long term projects, searching for the right people from an ever growing talent pool which, for those who are new to the game, can be tough to wade through. Before hiring, make sure you have as much help and support as possible.
Team Building Applications
No one ever wants to attend a meeting that could have been an email. Honestly, no one wants to read an email that could have been a chat or group message. That’s the mentality of the modern workforce. Stop wasting time on the needless, and don’t have an office bigger than it needs to be. Some organizations still view email as the gold standard. If your organization is one of them, stop!
Even the most traditional organizations are now beginning to adopt team management and company communications software. One of, if not the most popular enterprise communications software is Slack, which saw its paying customers jump from 112,000 to 156,000 from 2020 to 2021. The organization’s annual revenue now exceeds $900M . Not to be outdone, Microsoft rolled a number of its applications into Teams, making it an even bigger selling point of Microsoft 365. Teams revenue in 2020 was an astonishing $6.8B with 115 million users in Q4 of 2020. The ability to quickly communicate across the organization, create group chats, share both files and common interests, while also ensuring everyone is on the same page is a critical part of ensuring remote employees are able to stay in touch.
Leveling Up Your Setup
Another common trend that has come from the shift to remote work has been stipends. Many technology companies, offered their employees anywhere from $500 to $1000 to outfit themselves with a battle station. The chair, the mic, the #IkeaHacks desk with a butcher block top, it’s all part of new tech workers personalizing their work environment and putting their own stamp on their job. Pre-COVID, many organizations would provide employees with a small stipend for some stickers or maybe a nicer keyboard, but now so much more is expected.
Rebuild How You Hire Your Remote Workforce
With so many freelancers and short-term workers in the IT and developer space, it can be hard to know where to start as you look to build your remote workforce. But you know that maintaining the status quo is no longer sufficient and will keep you a step or two behind your competitors.
We’re a trailblazer in this space, enabling you to revolutionize the way you search for candidates, interview, hire, and pay your developers. We make remote work … well, work for everyone. Our Talent Pool page allows you to find developers in .Net, DevOps, Data Science, Mobile/App/Web development, Front End Design and so much more. Once you find the area you’re looking to hire in, you can quickly and easily view workers profiles who are open to work. No need to look through freelance boards or skim social media because all of the best candidates for your job, with the skill sets you need, are all in one place. The Celerative experience provides a simple, transparent, and efficient solution that enables you to lead and keep moving forward.
