According to Zippia, 26% of U.S. employees work remotely; by 2025, that number is expected to grow to 36.2 million. Remote work has its share of advantages and disadvantages for businesses. The hiring process is one aspect of remote work that can be particularly difficult. There are six especially significant challenges to hiring remote workers. Gaining awareness of these challenges can allow anyone to enhance their process and overall experience.
The Process May Take Longer
Bringing in a new remote worker often takes longer than would be ideal. For one thing, hiring remotely greatly expands the candidate pool, as living locally is no longer a necessity. While this change is an overall advantage, it can extend the length of the hiring process. In addition, it may take longer to evaluate candidates, as forging connections is harder when interviews are not in person. Even scheduling interviews can be trickier when people are located in different time zones.
Remote Work Doesn’t Suit Everyone
While remote work has become more common, only some workers have experience working remotely. Others, of course, do have experience but are not well-suited to the remote work style. It’s essential for hiring managers and candidates to explore whether a specific candidate will be effective or happy working remotely. Careful consideration of the drawbacks of remote work is necessary for both parties.
Candidate Assessments Have to Be Modified
When hiring remotely, certain qualities become more important. This necessitates a subtly different approach in terms of evaluating candidates. For example, working remotely means a closed-grain managerial style is impossible, which in turn means that remote workers have a greater need for self-discipline. Other qualities that become more important for remote workers include strong communication skills and a proactive, willing attitude.
Communication Is Harder
The biggest challenge of remote hiring is the most obvious: communication. Getting on the same page when all communication is digital is more complicated. The subtle cues of body language that naturally exist when people are in the same physical space disappear. While video conferencing is a valuable tool, it cannot replicate in-person communication. There is no way to resolve this difficulty perfectly.
Imparting Company Culture Is Tough
Subtleties surrounding the particular culture of a business or a specific team can take a lot of work to pick up, even in the best of times. Remote work adds further difficulties. In every business, there are subtle norms concerning tone and level of formality in interpersonal communications. Typically, these norms are only sometimes explicitly expressed. However, trying to do so may be necessary when hiring remote workers.
Integrating the New Hire With the Team Is Harder
A successful team depends on a sense of togetherness. But that camaraderie and team spirit are harder to generate when a new hire is working away from the office. Again, it comes down to the fact that being in the same physical space helps people connect enormously. Integrating a new person into the team can be particularly difficult if all (or at least most) of the other team members have experience working under the same roof with each other.
Remote work certainly can be a positive development for employers and workers, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a downside. Like with other challenges in business and life, there is no use wishing these difficulties away. Dealing with them as effectively as possible is necessary for the management and remote workers.
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Organizational culture and ethics are two concepts that are closely intertwined, affecting one another in multiple ways. Organizational culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, behaviors, and customs that shape the environment and influence the actions of those within the organization. Ethics, on the other hand, refers to the principles and values that guide an individual or organization’s behavior and decision-making, determining what is considered right or wrong. Organizational culture sets the tone for ethical behavior and establishes a foundation for ethical decision-making.
A strong ethical culture within an organization can have a positive impact on the behavior of employees and contribute to the success of the organization.
Conversely, a weak ethical culture can lead to unethical practices and negatively affect the brand of the organization.
In conclusion, the relationship between organizational culture and ethics is complex and multifaceted. A strong ethical culture can positively impact employees’ behavior, promote ethical decision-making, and enhance the organization’s reputation. Conversely, a weak ethical culture can lead to unethical practices and damage the reputation of the organization. As such, organizations should strive to cultivate a strong ethical culture to promote responsible behavior and ensure the organization’s success.
Ready to build a strong organizational culture? Workzinga is here to help. Try our validated Culture Fit Assessment today!
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In many companies, employees often hear from their bosses that they need to be creative. Unfortunately, those bosses seldom tell them how. If you’re a business leader and you care about creativity, you need to make it a part of the work culture and facilitate it. One of the most important approaches that you can introduce to the workplace to make this happen is to adopt divergent thinking for your team.
What is divergent thinking?It can be helpful to attack any creative problem-solving challenge with two thought approaches: convergent thinking, where you use pre-existing knowledge to draw a logical solution, and divergent thinking, where you apply your imagination to find the solution because there is no pre-existing knowledge. Most people learn to use convergent thinking because it tends to be quicker and more dependable; unfortunately, it only works when you need to solve familiar problems.
Divergent thinking can be a time-consuming process, but it is closely associated with creativity and used by many creative-oriented corporations. To persuade your team to adopt divergent thinking, at least sometimes, try the following methods:
Set up a combination of convergent and divergent thought: The sporting gear maker Nike encourages its designers to alternate between divergent and convergent thinking for the best results. Designers adopt divergent thinking when they need to understand what the market would find exciting. When they come up with an idea, they switch to convergent thinking to refine it into a commercially viable product
Aim for a diverse team:Setting up divergent thinking in an individual is different from setting it up in a team. In a group, an important approach involves bringing in people from very different backgrounds. Their different points of view could make for a powerful way to bring new, out-of-the-box viewpoints to the group.
Introduce accepted, divergent thought strategies:Any business organization requires divergent thinking for ideating and creating innovative concepts, and then convergent thinking to exploit those innovative ideas for commercial gain. Mind mapping is one possibility. You start with one direction to take, put it down on paper, brainstorm, and put every new idea down on paper to help you see how the ideas connect. The SCAMPER technique analyzes what assumptions might be in the background when you approach a problem and then challenge those assumptions.
Introduce journaling:Keeping a journal of ideas can be a productive way to think divergently. Seeing your thoughts written down over time can be a powerful way to get the mind to find a new angle.
When you introduce divergent thinking to your team, you’re likely to do it for the culture of innovation that it’s likely to bring in, but it can do more. A team that uses divergent thinking can experience more flexibility and an increase in morale. Divergent thinking can help make your team better in every way while reinforcing creativity in your workplace culture.
Ready to build a culture of creativity? Our unique Culture Fit Assessment can help you do just that! Contact our team of experts today to get started!
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While some may feel that companies should concentrate on their regular, full-time workforce and their cultural needs and have less concern about the alignment of their part-time, seasonal, or temporary workforce. After all, those groups are not part of the main workforce and have less impact on the health of a company’s culture…right? Absolutely wrong. Even though their time with you is short, they are still connected by your company’s culture; they interact with their teammates and, quite possibly, your clients. You must engage these workers in a meaningful way on cultural issues, just as you do full-time teammates. Here are a few ways to promote your company’s culture with this set of employees.
Strong Onboarding ProgramThis will start them off on the right foot. Keep it aligned with what you use for full-time employees so that they receive a similar experience. Don’t forsake robust onboarding simply because they won’t be with you for a long time…they’ll still be brand ambassadors after they leave you. If time and people resources are limited, make it a virtual onboarding augmented with videos and self-guided materials. Pack it with cultural topics that paint how your company’s culture looks and feels. Since these employees will likely have less exposure to fellow employees and leadership, they won’t have the natural reinforcement about the culture that others receive, so it is even more important than ever that they launch their time with a solid understanding of your company culture.
Create Culture AmbassadorsMost companies have those employees who are excellent examples of the culture, embodying it and serving as role models for others. Create a team of culture ambassadors made up of these star employees who are tasked with specifically helping your temporary or seasonal teammates feel at home. Joining a company or new team can always be challenging, but even more so if the person knows they may not be there a long time…it is easy to see how they may stay disengaged and distant from others. Using Culture Ambassadors to help align these teammates with the company culture can help reduce that concern and lack of engagement. Culture Ambassadors can help create an environment of safety, equality, and inclusion.
Make Them Feel Welcome and IncludedOne of the best sources for helping your temporary, part-time, or seasonal employees gain a sense of the organizational culture is through their interactions with your full-time workforce. Seeing company culture play out in everyday relationships and conversations is the best teacher and reinforcer of the type of behaviors and values the company wants to exhibit. Encourage full-time employees to break down any perceived barriers that may exist simply because some teammates are only with the organization for a limited amount of time…investing in those relationships is just as rewarding and meaningful, so embrace them and avoid them feeling a sense of isolation.
Hire for Culture FitWhile successful companies have a workforce with a diverse pool of thoughts, feelings, and experiences, within this diversity, there is still a common thread of shared values and alignment on what type of culture both the company and its workforce desire. That alignment is predicated on individuals working toward the company’s goals while the company also supports each individual in achieving their own goals. In this ideal cycle of “help me, help you,” everyone gets what they want, leading to greater workforce satisfaction and improved company outcomes. This is the core principle of culture fit or cultural alignment, where both the company and the candidate win.
Unsure of how to hire for cultural fit? That’s where Workzinga comes in. Our Culture Fit Assessment is designed to help you find the candidate that best fit your culture. To get started schedule a demo, or talk to a member of our team for more information.
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We all want the perfect candidate…the one who checks all the boxes and is a perfect fit. But the reality is we face trade-offs…stronger soft skills at the expense of 10+ years of experience, or vice versa. Certain culture and values-focused traits transcend work experience or skills and become must-haves for every hire. While we all search for that elusive ‘ideal candidate,’ we offer up a few specific traits we think you should be looking for right now. While not exhaustive, this list hits on some broad themes which would help companies facing trying and challenging times ahead.
Standing firm in the face of adversityRight now, there is a high level of uncertainty in the market and the broader economy compared to previous years. Looking for candidates that highly value or display resilience and grit is key to weathering the coming challenges. While it makes sense to always look for high levels of resilience, when you see challenges on the horizon, it’s even more critical to find candidates who can stand against the wind and the rain and come out as strong as they started. They’ll be more likely to display loyalty and endurance during the harsh times, still giving you their best work.
Flexibility is kingWith the job market constantly shifting and responding to any number of trends, there is always a great need for flexibility. When employees adopt a flexible mindset, they tend to experience lower stress levels and better overall well-being. A typical amount of agility is expected out of any employee, but there are some who are highly adaptable and can move into new roles or assume new responsibilities quickly and without a loss of satisfaction or engagement. Having one or more of these strong contributors can be a boon when dealing with the unknown. As a true “utility player,” their ability to adapt and fit any role as needs change is only the starting point to their exponential value. Look for these teammates and their potential to be key players on your team.
Working independently, but not aloneIndependence, especially in candidates who are more productive when unsupervised, is a good trait if you’ve noticed that your leaders are stretched thin. These hard workers can maintain focus and drive even when “the boss” is not watching or immediately available. Having someone who can be left alone with a list of tasks, going hours, or even a whole workday with only one or two check-ins can offset those individuals on the team who require more intense supervision. Balancing your team with a healthy number of independent workers broadens the scope of what your leaders can manage while not wearing them down.
Innovation and curiosity drive resultsOne key trait to look for in your job candidates is a high degree of innovation. This ability to use creativity and a healthy dose of risk-taking can bring about positive change in many facets of your company. If you have products to sell, innovators may think of a new channel or message to help generate leads and close clients faster. They may be the employees to find ways to do more with less, thus driving efficiency. It could be a quality issue they improve, increasing the overall value of your product. This level of innovation is complemented, and fueled by, one crucial trait: curiosity. Look for people who take on each new challenge with enthusiasm and a spirit of learning and challenging the status quo. Innovative employees are able to make a larger impact in their roles. Through creative problem-solving, they also find ways to work more efficiently and effectively, which can cut costs for their employer.
All four traits are strong characteristics that could drive an organization to success, but only if they’re firmly embedded in the company’s culture. Simply hiring people with these aspirational traits is not enough…they need to align with your atmosphere and workplace values. Organizations that stand firm against the adversity of industry and market challenges are well-served by recruiting candidates who likewise share this resilience. Agility allows companies to respond to changes and trends only when they align this focus with their workforce. Hiring candidates who optimally perform when given the trust and freedom to operate independently will only stay engaged if the leadership shares this vision for their teams. Lastly, companies and individuals who innovate have a similar tendency toward humility…learning and curiosity is born from the belief that one doesn’t know everything. When that is expressed in an organization’s culture, the sky is the limit. As mentioned before, this is not a list of the only important culture-focused traits you should be considering, but they’d be at the top of anyone’s list who wants to prepare their workforce for the challenges ahead.
Wondering how to hire for culture? Explore Workzinga’s solution — the Culture Fit Assessment!
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A strong, cohesive culture is essential for any business. After all, your company’s culture determines how your employees interact with each other and your customers. If you want your business to succeed, you must ensure that you have a strong, positive culture in place. Leadership plays a significant role in shaping company culture, but every employee also contributes to it. While the topic of creating a strong culture would consume far more time than we have here, these three summarized steps can help you get started on the journey to creating an intentional company culture in your organization.
Define, Design, and Deliver Your Values Before discussing building a cohesive culture, you must first decide what type of culture you want, what is required to get there, and how you’ll make it happen. What does your company stand for? What are the things that are most important to you? Once you have answered these questions, you must ensure that your values are reflected in all your policies, best practices, and procedures. Your values should be evident in every goal you set, every initiative you undertake, and the processes you implement. These logistical steps create the foundation for delivering your culture.
Hire the Right People The second step is to ensure you are hiring the right people. It is not enough to hire people with the skills and experience necessary to do the job; you also need to ensure that they fit in with your company’s culture. Leadership needs to make cultural alignment a top priority for its recruiting strategy; companies must make both technical qualifications and culture-fit prerequisites for new hires. The best way to do this is to use an objective culture-focused tool like the Workzinga Culture Fit Assessment during the interviewing process. Getting it right in the talent acquisition phase is critical to building a culturally cohesive workforce.
Culture Lives and Breaths in Your Relationships Now that you’ve created a comprehensive culture strategy and are hiring the right people, it’s time to vault your organization into one of those top workplaces we all hear about. Culture is all about relationships. Whether it is a relationship between coworkers, between a supervisor and an employee, between sales and a customer, or even between the company and a vendor, culture is a living and breathing part of every relationship in your organization. You must be vigilant that every encounter is governed by and demonstrates clearly your culture and values. Do not assume that your list of Core Values or your Mission Statement is enough to reinforce the culture you want to see. You must be mindful and aware of what is happening throughout your organization. What level of engagement does your workforce have, are your leaders exhibiting your values with their teams, do your processes bolster your desired culture, are your key measures and goals all supportive of your culture? Ambivalence and apathy are the enemies of strong culture – you must stay engaged and aware of what’s going on throughout your organization.
The value of a coordinated and intentionally-designed culture in your business can be evident in how well the organization thrives and how the individuals within the organization thrive. A strong culture can also be a key differentiator in both recruiting and retaining high-quality talent. Following these steps will put you well on your way to developing a robust and cohesive culture at your business.
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Workzinga was represented at the SHRM 2022 Inclusion Conference in San Diego, California, by DEI strategist and IO psychologist Dejannae Lang as part of the company’s commitment to employee professional development. Boosting employee skills is advantageous for both the organization and the individual employee. Similarly, maintaining a constant pulse on workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion positively influences human capital and overall organizational success.
“If diversity is the noun, then belonging and inclusion are the verbs that make it happen.” – Riia O’Donnell
Five key takeaways from the conference:
Hire with Intention
Intentional hiring and helping employers efficiently adopt DEI strategies were the unofficial themes of the conference. An organization must hire for diversity and actively promote a culture of equity and belonging. This focus ensures employees perform to their maximum potential. The caveat is that employees will only perform to their full potential once they feel part of something and that their ideas are valued.
Did you know that less than half of organizations reported having a strategic diversity plan? Even though this is essential in creating the organizational alignment needed to bring about change. Despite the business executives addressing employee interest in DEI, they still need to prioritize it.
Actions, Not Just Words
Representation is essential. According to the 2022 Women CEOs in America Report, only 44 women and 6 Black CEOs are leading Fortune 500 companies. So when powerhouse Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall opened the morning session of Day one, equity was on display. DEI implementation is challenging, and listening to the first African American female CEO in the NBA, the CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, raised the stakes for upcoming African American and female DEI practitioners.
Organizations must take intentional, actionable steps to produce change through diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Only 50% of those surveyed claimed to have a DEI mission statement, despite 63% of businesses indicating they hosted DEI-related gatherings and conversations. Anyone can release announcements in the height of social unrest or roll out diversity calendars on social media to fall in line with the current trend surrounding DEI. However, an organization must invest in resources and follow through with implementation to ensure sustainable success.
Sprinkle DEI On Everything
Laquenta Jacobs, Chief Diversity Officer at XPO Logistics, set Day 2 of the conference a blaze, proclaiming that “like hot sauce, DEI needs to be sprinkled on everything.” The importance of embedding equity and inclusion initiatives throughout an organization is understood. Yet, many companies still need help with how and where to apply these strategies.
Companies can hire a DEI strategist and audit current business strategies to determine where and how they can best implement DEI initiatives. Contributing diverse ideas, viewpoints, and experiences to your organization are just a few advantages. Still, other downstream effects of strong DEI initiatives result in higher employee engagement, trust, and job satisfaction.
Understanding Your Organization’s Maturity
The Hershey Company’s Chief Diversity Officer, Alicia Petross, reminded us that managing DEI is like hosting a Thanksgiving meal; some guests are only there for the food, while others want to discuss the recipes. Organizations must understand where it falls on the maturity index. Too many lofty goals can make it tough to carry out efforts. Keep it simple and intentional, and celebrate the small wins of progress.
Inclusion Today, Retention Tomorrow
Research has shown the benefits of incorporating DEI principles into business decisions. According to McKinsey, organizations with ethnic and cultural diversity are 36% more profitable. Diversity is good for a company’s bottom line. On the other hand, we understand that there are ramifications for companies that need to take intentional steps around diversity, equity, and inclusion. The indirect costs of turnover, low productivity, lost knowledge and experiences, broken customer relationships, and an overall loss in employee engagement and morale are additional repercussions when firms do not foster a sense of inclusion or belonging.
Inclusion22 addressed DEI-related obstacles, trends, and solutions. One thing for sure is that we all have an inherent bias. Businesses must arm themselves with the necessary resources and tools to effectively manage business strategies. Companies need an objective solution to decrease bias while interviewing and hiring to ascertain how well they align with the organizational culture. Workzinga’s Culture Fit Assessment measures 26 unique characteristics specific to the workplace to assist firms in achieving this objective and advancing the cause of workplace inclusion.
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Job seekers and hiring managers face the same challenge: a more effective and objective process that shortens the hiring process. Empirical-based assessments solve the problem for both parties. An ethical hiring process is objective, reduces unconscious bias, and eliminates discrimination. For the company, higher productivity, increased employee retention, and a reduction in costs associated with turnover are additional benefits of utilizing assessments during the hiring process. Pre-employment testing allows companies to screen, identify and assess a candidate at a fraction of the cost of extended work trials. Still, they’re only effective when using the right tool.
What are pre-employment assessments?
Pre-employment assessments measure those few characteristics or traits well established in the academic world as factors that can determine an individual’s performance in the workplace. Hence, the most widely used tests measure one of three things – cognitive abilities, or “IQ,” personality factors, and values. Some assessments measure ethics, job-specific knowledge/skills, or leadership skills like emotional intelligence, or “EQ,” which have also gained popularity over the last few years. However, these metrics need to be more comprehensive to determine future success within an organization.
Not all pre-employment assessments are equal.
When crafted and validated for hiring and recruitment, these tools provide greater insight allowing companies to make more informed decisions. It is not enough to assess an individual to know if they work steadily or under pressure. Research shows personality characteristics are a minor predictor of employee retention and performance. As we test them, cognitive abilities continue to fall short of telling the story of how an employee fits into a company’s culture and interacts within their team. Not to mention, the one-sided approach offers zero information to the candidate. Companies want to know from assessments how this person will fit into the company, interact with colleagues, and participate in the overall culture. Equally, candidates seek greater insight into what the company offers them. When asked about pursuing a culture fit while looking for a job, 62% find it hard to determine if the company’s culture is a good fit for them based on the information available.
9 in 10 believe that job applicants should have more information about the company’s culture during the hiring process
How are pre-employment assessments different from other tools?
These tests are more effective than screening resumes because they measure objective factors and soft skills vs. a traditional resume focused solely on hard skills and experience. They also reduce unconscious bias in the hiring process that relies on human decisions alone. The only other way to accurately measure how a potential hire would fit and work in your organization is by using a probation period. However, the financial and time investment required is significantly more expensive than an assessment.
When to add a pre-employment assessment to your hiring process?
The short answer is: the sooner, the better. The longer answer depends on your organization’s needs and circumstances to yield fast and accurate results. The goal is not to replace hiring managers or interview processes with pre-employment testing but to make the decision more informed, objective, and inclusive to all parties involved.
The Culture Fit Assessment was created out of an emergent need for an objective, comprehensive tool that could serve both job seekers and companies to make well-informed hiring decisions while minimizing personal biases through the process. The first bi-directional pre-employment assessment on the market. Make every interview count. Get started today! https://workzinga.com/discover/
The Impact of Mental Well-Being on HR Professionals
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November 11 is the official day to recognize veterans for their service and sacrifice to our country. According to the most recent U.S. Census, more than 17.4 million veterans comprise about 6% of the U.S. workforce, with top employers in the government and manufacturing sectors. Veterans are a diverse population who often have experience with various cultural backgrounds, a key characteristic that supports DE&I initiatives and can fill an organization’s job skills gap.
Here are three key attributes that veterans bring to the workplace:
Problem Solving
During unit training, soldiers handle challenging tasks by implementing a methodology of problem definition, solution development, and solution implementation. While seemingly simplistic, honing this three-step process develops a transferable skill that gives veterans a unique workforce advantage.
Leadership
Another competitive edge many veteran employees bring to the workplace is strong leadership capabilities, as evidenced by the 8% of all CEOs in the S&P 500 who previously served as military officers. By operating in a highly hierarchical atmosphere, they learn how to inspire performance in others by being a role model and effectively using delegation, follow-through, goal-setting, and discipline.
Loyalty
Camaraderie is highly valued and reinforced in the military. Shared training experiences and deployment experiences strongly influence veterans’ sense of loyalty and duty. The military teaches collaboration and reliance on the team are critical to success. All these factors make for a natural transition into private sector careers where teamwork, shared accountability, and trust are key requirements.
Employers should become more skilled at diving into veterans’ experiences to better understand their skills and abilities. Veterans often possess a wealth of valuable knowledge. However, they may not effectively translate that knowledge into the language private sector professionals understand. Military experience can be a huge source of diversity for an organization. Employers need to find it and release the potential.
The Workzinga Culture Fit Assessment measures 26 workplace traits, including culture, values, leadership styles, and other vital qualities, collectively creating a comprehensive profile of the company and the job seeker. Our algorithm then compares the two profiles and identifies those areas where the company and candidate align and those where they don’t. Reduce risk and bias with an objective view. Hire for culture today.
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We believe there’s more to a company than a job posting and there’s much more to a candidate than a resume. So many companies are still recruiting, interviewing, and hiring the way they’ve always done it. Too many companies charge one hiring manager with making the best decision possible when hiring for multiple departments within […]