If you’re hiring for remote positions during the pandemic, it’s important to recognize which candidates will be effective when onboarding and working from home. Businesses should work to support all employees—including those who may not thrive in remote environments—but it’s useful to know the handful of traits that will lead a new hire towards success without intense supervision or a strict schedule.
Self-Discipline
Employees with good self-discipline typically do well in remote work environments. They are able to set their own goals, meet deadlines, and hold themselves accountable. They can also easily build themselves a structured workday in their own home without the routine that office spaces often give to other workers.
Emotional Intelligence
Although emotional intelligence is often interpreted as useful for in-person communication and teamwork, it’s also an indicator of an employee who will succeed remotely. A person with high emotional intelligence excels at regulating their emotions. Because they understand their own stress triggers, they can respond to them accordingly. This means managers are less likely to worry unnecessarily about burnout or reduced quality of work.
Written and Verbal Communication
With so much communication happening via email or slack channels, excellent remote workers are usually competent at crafting messages—even small, innocuous ones—with speed and precision. They will also be equally competent communicating via phone or video calls. In the current global situation, all methods of communication are being relied on, meaning that an effective remote worker should have a good grasp on multiple ways of exchanging information with coworkers.
These traits are not limited to remote employees. They also apply to workers who excel in a classic office space, and thus they will be able to shift back to the office with little difficulty or reduction in work quality. However, current trends are leading towards a higher percentage of employees who work remotely, and keeping these traits in mind will help you hire a successful remote employee.