How do you hire remote workers?

We’ve talked a lot on Remote Justice about how to be a productive remote worker and managing productive remote workers– but how do you actually find and hire remote workers? Thankfully the Society for Human Resource Management has you covered! Their article “How to Hire Remote Workers– And Keep Them Productive and Happy” gives you the low-down on this process.

We especially appreciate the feature on unique challenges organizations can face while hiring remote workers– how do you handle a potential technological learning curve? How can you assess a job candidate without actually meeting them in person? We love this great trait that Kaplan Test Prep looks for in their remote workers:

The one trait Kaplan does especially look for in its remote workers? A willingness to ask for both feedback and help when it is needed. “Someone can’t walk by and see that you’re struggling with something” when working from home, Kent said. For this reason, the company seeks employees who willingly “raise their hand and say, ‘I don’t know how to teach this,’ or ‘I’m struggling with this student.’”

Once you figure out your organization’s hiring norms for remote workers, the article gives some good tips on how to keep them productive! Read the Society for Human Resource Management’s full article here.

Making the Transition to Remote Work

We launched this blog about two years ago (how time flies!) and have had incredible readers who both work in remote organizations or are looking to make the transition. We’ve talked a lot about topics that specifically pertain to the former, but today we’ll be addressing those who are looking to make a shift in their workplace to include remote work.

Forbes recently released an impressive article detailing four ways companies can start to include remote workers in their staff.  We really like how they frame work– both remote and in the workplace– as not a one-size-fits-all kind of territory. Different workers need different things to be successful, and that is absolutely okay! They recommend providing the option of remote work for employees.

All of their tips are great, but we especially love #4: Don’t Discriminate:

When you offer flexible work options within the organization, ensure that all individuals have access to those choices: whether your people are parents with families; young millennials, men or women. For example, if parents are afforded a couple of “work from home” days to be near their kids, make sure the work from home options is made available to factions of the organization who don’t have kids or are single. Avoid preferencing one lifestyle choice over another, or your people will begin to view the offering as favoritism.

To read all of Forbes’ great tips, click here. Let us know in the comments below if you’re planning on integrating a remote work culture into your company or organization!

Maximizing Productivity by Organizing Your Workweek

Guess what? You can maximize productivity simply by re-organizing your workweek.

Jeremiah Dillon, the head of product marketing at Google, released an email on Fast Company in December that he sent to his staff on productivity.

He stresses that energy levels follow a pattern each week and breaks down how you can plan your week accordingly to maximize all you get done during the week:

Monday: Energy ramps out of the weekend — schedule low-demand tasks like setting goals, organizing, and planning.

Tuesday, Wednesday: Peak of energy — tackle the most difficult problems, write, brainstorm, schedule your Make Time.

Thursday: Energy begins to ebb — schedule meetings, especially when consensus is needed.

Friday: Lowest energy level — do open-ended work, long-term planning, and relationship building.

We don’t know about you, but we’re heading off to re-arrange our schedules!

Happy National Clean Off Your Desk Day!

Happy National Clean Off Your Desk Day, Remote Justice readers! Yes, you read that right. Apparently there is an entire day in January dedicated to clearing up your workspace to make room for a productive new year.

Keeping a dedicated space for your work is imperative for productivity– and so is keeping that space clean! So, in spirit of this holiday, we’re rounding up a few of our favorite tips to help you get organized!

1. Use a three-tray system for organizing your papers— Important, To File, and To Read. This minimizes the space that your papers take up on your desk but also leave them accessible to you throughout your work day.
2. Make your own desk tray to organize your supplies! You can purchase these from office supply stores, but if you don’t want to spend the extra money and want to add a personalized touch to your space, check out this great list of different DIY trays!
3. Hide the cords cluttering up your space. Your line of vision will be clearer and will help you get into more of a work headspace. Click here to find out how one woman tamed her office cords.
4. Lacking space but need storage? Check out this ingenious way to create floating bookshelves that will fit in narrow spaces!

Do you have any other tips on how to keep a clean remote work space? Let us know in the comments!

Remote Work and Social Change Webinar

We’re excited to announce that we will be hosting a webinar on May 12th from 1-2 pm Eastern: “Provide‘s Remote Work and Social Change Webinar”!

Remote work creates opportunities for non-profits in the social justice world. Provide will share insights for workers, managers, and organizations on how we’ve implemented these opportunities. Our Executive Director, Senior Director of Programs, and a Field Team Member will speak to the ways we create a remote work culture, share the tools we use to successfully work remotely, and explain what we get from working remotely that we couldn’t get from working out of the office.

Speakers:
Melanie Zurek, Executive Director at Provide
Wyndi Anderson, Senior Director of Programs at Provide
Bree Pearsall, Kentucky Field Coordinator at Provide

Register now to attend! We hope to see you there!

Remote Culture and How to Build It

How can remote organizations create culture? It takes clear intent for remote organizations, so make sure to read Zapier’s blog’s “How to Build Culture in a Remote Team” for a list of culture building steps! This is an excellent personal take on the importance of social interaction for remote teams.