Hiring New Virtual Recruits

Everything is beginning to reopen across the globe, from offices, venues, restaurants, and even holiday destinations, however, the lockdowns and the adjustment to working from home, has proven that for some that they don’t need to commute or be in a physical office on a daily basis to do their job efficiently. Therefore more and more companies are now allowing their staff to continue to work remotely long term or providing new hybrid opportunities e.g 2 days in the office, 3 days remote.

Because of this many organisations are offering more job roles that are fully remote. I imagine that this is fantastic for companies and those seeking new roles, as they can access new talent and opportunities that may not have been possible before physically. However, with this change, a new challenge arises for HR and hiring managers - integrating new virtual recruits remotely.

Many HR and hiring managers are trying to find the best ways to do this in the most efficient way and here at Evenchilada, we have had an increase in bookings for our short, team-building events such as Virtual Coffee Breaks. A lot of clients are coming to us to host a short event during the working day to help their new virtual recruits get acquainted with their colleagues in a relaxed environment.

How short mid-workday events benefit your team

The benefits of hosting mini mid-day virtual events, such as virtual coffee breaks are great for integrating a new team member. You may have regular team meetings, but do these work-related team meetings allow for general chit-chat amongst colleagues? Typically the answer is no, but this can differ from company to company. Scheduling a short 30-minute virtual coffee break can bring so much value. Using this opportunity to introduce new virtual recruits to get to know their team through some fun icebreakers, a brainstorming session using word games, or even a round of mini trivia, all lead by a professional host, can help them feel comfortable and at ease with the rest of the team, and hence hopefully improving the quality of communication between team members.

These mini-events can also help introduce the newest team member into the company culture and understand the company values better. From our experience, this works for those on all levels, no matter if you plan to introduce an apprentice, an individual contributor, a new manager, or director!

Reflecting on one of my previous blog posts (Why Is Team Building So Important In A Virtual World), I highlighted that a well-connected team brings with it greater results and improved communication. And there is no better way to start with connecting teams than by integrating new team members in the best way possible. So if you are hiring remote workers then don’t forget to schedule time for virtual coffee breaks and other team-building activities to make sure those new recruits can have the opportunity to fully integrate with their team and work as efficiently as possible. Those 30 minutes will be sure to make a difference in productivity and integration.