Det amerikanske tidsskriftet HR Magazine skriver at innen 2020 er det forventet at tre av fire medarbeidere jobber hjemmefra. I hvert fall noe av arbeidstiden hver uke. Dette skriver CEO Dave Nerz i NPAworldwide i et blogginnlegg denne uken.
«HR Magazine reports that by 2020, the mobile workforce is projected to comprise roughly three-quarters of the US workforce. Let me say that again in a different way. Three in four US employees will be working from a remote location at least some time each day, week, or month. Wow, talk about challenges to process and company culture; this one will be substantial. Not to mention the recruitment challenge it may create.
To continue with the numbers, more than 90% of Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials have worked remotely already and more than 80% of those workers offered time out of the office or remote work use it fully! Twice as many Millennials work from coffee shops as Boomers. Only about ten percent of Baby Boomers report working from coffee shops.
The top reasons workers give for working remotely are:
- A sick child (35%)
- Transportation issues/weather (34%)
- Avoid commute times (30%)
- Increase productivity (30%)
- Avoid distractions (like the boss?) (28%)
How about the recruitment challenge that may arise?
Excellent communication efforts and new tools will be required to stay in touch. We just started using Basecamp, a team tool not that different from 
Slack and others on the market, that allows team members to stay connected via a phone app. It is handy and helps you to feel connected even in a very distant location. I have an employee overseas that reports a better connection using a simple tool like this. Recruiters will need to look for candidates with excellent communication skills. They will also need to find team members that know how to operate independently, yet be a part of a team. A really specific skill set.
Candidates and employers alike want a good cultural fit in a new job or new hire. Can you imagine the difficulty remote work adds to building and maintaining culture? What if you never saw your teammates and only met with them on phone or email? Could you do it? More than 25% of mobile workers report misinterpreted communication with colleagues as an issue that they have experienced. Do candidates want jobs with little fixed work space and a defined office? Some will, and others will struggle to adjust. Even those that want the remote work option may struggle with the conditions and issues that surface.
As a recruiter or HR professional, have you had to recruit for highly remote or mobile work positions? What was the biggest recruitment challenge? What was the reaction of candidates – positive or negative – to remote work? What skills did you spend extra time assessing or qualifying with these candidates?