Spotlight_Vol 23_Issue_3

“Managers face a variety of challenges when over - seeing remote teams, from communicating effectively to gauging workloads and preventing burnout. These four tips for an efficient communication system can help overcome those obstacles and attract and retain top talent: Communicate more. Clear communication is an essential component of working successfully in a vir - tual format, especially when it comes to employee re - cruitment and retention. Communicate with your team as much as 2-3 times more than you would in person. Transparency builds trust, so be candid when sharing company information. Get camera ready. No matter how short or long the meeting, cameras are on. Using video helps strength - en your connection with remote employees. At the end of each week, try to have some fun – encourage em - ployees to wear a favorite jersey or hat, or bring an oddity, their dog, kid, or partner “to work”! Set expectations. Managers should offer remote employees some flexibility but let them know what core hours you expect them to be online to avoid confusion or gaps in coverage. Ask your team to communicate their availability to colleagues and other business con - tacts for ease of scheduling meetings. Encourage protected time. Undisturbed focus time is important for completing projects and can help workers avoid burnout. Encourage your employees to set their mode so others can see when they do not want to be disturbed. It’s ok to ignore IMs and emails during that time. Be a technology champion. Learn as much as you can about data-sharing and collaboration apps and be an active participant in using them. If employ - ees run into tech trouble, make yourself available to help. Don’t leave your team with an IT service number or website as their only way to solve problems. Reinforce the importance of employees’ work. Make it clear that their contributions are val - ued and critical to the success of the business. Invite employee feedback on a regular basis, and act on practical requests.” Kimberly Bean | Robert Half How can I effectively conduct virtual interviews from my home to hire talent for my home-based business?

“Conducting virtual interviews has become standard practice in nearly all businesses, but doing it well is especially important for those who run their businesses entirely from home. Thankfully, there are some easy rules of thumb to ensure that your next virtual interview is a success. The most important thing to remember is to prepare in advance. Just like in-person interviews, preparation is key. Review the candidate’s resume, job application, and other relevant materials before the call. Prepare a list of interview questions to help you assess their skills, qualifications, and fit for the role. You should also take some time beforehand to test your technolo - gy. Before the interview, test your camera, microphone, and internet connection to ensure everything works properly. Familiarize yourself with the video confer - encing software, including any features you may need to use during the interview. For those who work from home 100% of the time, it is worth investing time and money into creating a professional video conferenc - ing environment. Find a quiet and well-lit room in your home for the interview. The ideal room has no distrac - tions and no personal items that may be visible in the background During the call, it may be beneficial to use visual aids and screen sharing. If you need to present

any visual materials, such as job descriptions or project details, use screen-sharing features to display them to the candidate. This helps to enhance communication and clarify any information. It also makes it easy for the candidate to ask follow-up questions. While you’re at it, provide a realistic job preview! Describe the nature of your home-based business, the work environment, and any specific expectations related to remote work. It’s important to ensure that candidates clearly under - stand what they can expect if they join your organi - zation. Finally, don’t forget to follow up and document the call. After the interview, promptly follow up with the candidate to express your appreciation for their time and to communicate the next steps in the hiring pro - cess. Document your impressions and evaluations of each candidate to aid your decision-making process. Doing so will help you make more informed and unbi - ased hiring decisions later on.” CodeSubmit How can I maintain a strong company culture and team collaboration in a home-run business setup?

SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • VOL 23 ISSUE 3

VOL 23 ISSUE 3 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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