Despite 60% of remote workers preferring hybrid work arrangements to fully returning to the offices, the isolation that comes with the work-at-home model might eventually result in decreased motivation. As 40% of employees state they would consider switching jobs within the next three to six months, companies are changing their approach toward motivating them to stay. 

However, when it comes to remote workers, the motivational means have gradually changed over time. For instance, financial benefits are no longer the driving force to stay in their jobs as people seek incentives that would fulfill their psychological needs, like mental health support. 

Personal care and alternative benefit packages listed as great motivators 

Business experts share several means to motivate remote workers, such as digital collaboration tools, eliminating micromanaging to build trust, appreciating accomplishments, daily team calls, and others. 

“What remote leaders have to understand is that the employees’ motivation relies heavily on their actions and attitude towards them. People who had decreased motivation before going fully remote are likely to be even less motivated right now, so this means that leaders have to nurture personal connections with each employee,” Ms. Diana Blažaitienė, remote work expert and founder of Soprana Personnel International, a recruitment and personnel rent solutions agency, said. “The problem does not start when it is evident for everybody to see, it starts way before that.”

She points out that the best strategy to propel motivation within a team is to ask employees what it is that makes them work in the company. “Financial gain is a poor motivator because it incentivizes for a short period before becoming the norm. For example, IT companies that used to hand out brand new phones to motivate employees are now finding that this strategy is not long-term and people value one-on-one time with leaders, the management style that aligns with their morals and principles, and honest care about their well-being so much more than expensive things. The trick is to make the remote team feel special and, most importantly, fully supported from the get-go,” the expert added.

Ms. Blažaitienė names company-wide initiatives like inspiration days—paid days to do what inspires and recharges the employee the most, paid time for mental health strengthening, personalized gifts for Christmas or other celebrations together with empathetic management style and constant emotional support as other highly motivating tools. 

Repercussions of employee non-motivation

While it is up to remote leaders to find out what motivates each team member and put this knowledge to practical use, the consequences of discouraged employees might be dire.

“When a person loses their motivation to put in the effort and does not feel like they have formed valuable personal connections with colleagues or managers, they have no qualms about pursuing other jobs, quiet quitting, or even worse, ghosting the current employer,” Ms. Blažaitienė commented. “The fight for qualified workers is still in full force throughout many industries, so companies cannot really afford losing talent.”

Interview assignments have hit hot water recently, with candidates frustrated about the time wasted on them and the non-compensation. As far as interview processes go, it is still considered a custom practice. However, HR specialists suggest candidates ask for fair reimbursement for them or otherwise assess skills through curated portfolios or personality tests.

October 4, 2022. The practice of giving extensive test tasks that are part of a candidate screening process has been criticized as redundant and even unethical, wasting candidates’ time and preventing them from purchasing job opportunities elsewhere. While it might seem like an adequate way of testing the candidate’s skill set and fit, the unpaid interview assignment might actually sway the candidates the other way.

Test tasks—chance to get unpaid labor

“The economic recession has prompted many freelancing talents to seek more permanent positions in the labor market. Although the fight for talents is still raging across all sectors, companies might use this opportunity to their advantage to get free labor,” Diana Blažaitienė, remote work expert and founder of Soprana Personnel International, a recruitment and personnel rent solutions agency, said.

According to Ms. Blažaitienė, candidates should not let recruiters get away with it and ask a fair compensation for the time spent doing it.

“If a candidate spends a lot of their personal time completing the task, they should be properly rewarded for their work because they might not even get the job they’re applying for and, ultimately, lose both their time and miss out on other job opportunities,” she commented.

At the same time, the test task could still be regarded as applicants’ intellectual property since they haven’t made any arrangements with the recruiter. “The company cannot use the assignment for its profit if it does not pay what’s due to the candidate as per intellectual property regulations.”

Ms. Blažaitienė advises candidates to create a portfolio as a testament to their professional skills and work experience, and suggest it as an alternative to a test task. Otherwise, if the test task is still required, they have the right to demand compensation—provided the company actually uses the assignment in its operations—and can use emails as written proof of a task completed and submitted.

“Another reason why test tasks are redundant is that the probationary period is designed specifically for testing the new hire’s skills and potential for professional development and adaptation. And it is a much better tool to do that than the interview assignment because it allows monitoring how the person operates and deals with the workload in real time,” Ms. Blažaitienė said.

Personality tests—to check team compatibility

Test tasks might have another disadvantage—recruiters risk losing the candidate because they might get a better offer while they’re waiting for the company to assesses the assignment. Remote work expert recommends recruiters consider giving personality tests to check team dynamics instead.

“For certain positions, for instance, like the customer service sector, the recruiters are better off assigning personality, ethics, logical skills tests to see how the candidate fits in with the team and the line of work,” she added. “These tests are not considered intellectual property, do not take a lot of time to complete, and give a way better insight into the candidate’s suitability.”

Talent shortage is still a sore issue in many companies—there are over 10M open positions compared to only 6M new hires. Companies are therefore fighting for the best talents—even the ones who are already employed.

AI-based recruitment has been one of the recent tricks to select prospective candidates for a position, and its benefits have been recognized as numerous.

“Using this digital headhunting technique HR specialists can make strategic decisions regarding candidate hiring and selection, microlearning about certain recruitment aspects, employee experience, payroll and benefits, and workforce scheduling,” Diana Blažaitienė, remote work expert and founder of Soprana Personnel International, which is a recruitment and personnel rent solutions agency, said.

How AI-based recruitment works

According to the remote work expert, companies can use AI to compile questionnaires that are custom-tailored to the needs of the business and help to sort out the candidates more efficiently. The AI system determines whether the candidate fits the company’s profile and sends the details to the employer, who can schedule an interview.

Soprana Personnel International has tested a digital hiring tool created by Jobilla, a Finnish digital recruitment agency that employs AI. An application for a customer support position was created with AI to see how it performs against traditional headhunting platforms, like LinkedIn or job boards. While one of the job boards drew as many as 353 views, only six candidates applied. However, the AI tool allowed for 15K candidates to view the job listing and for 64 to apply within the first days, resulting in 3 hires. While regular hiring takes up to 40 minutes to assess whether the candidate is fit for the position, the AI recruitment program did this in seconds.

AI facilitates enticing talents who have jobs

Employers look for candidates who meet their criteria and bring in a quality set of skills. Yet here lies one of the main issues in talent acquisition—ideal candidates usually already have a job, which encumbers the headhunting process. Nevertheless, AI-generated questionnaires allow potential candidates to fill them out on their mobile phones without wasting time updating and attaching CVs. The process takes minutes as opposed to traditional recruitment practices and might interest talents in a position they have never even considered before.

“The global pandemic has taught people to be more cautious about changing jobs because they are afraid to become unemployed. So talents with jobs are especially hard to snatch away, which is where AI recruitment comes in,” Ms. Blažaitienė added. “It’s much faster and does not require additional preparation. This type of recruitment solution is like a dating app in that it matches employers with the desired talents without the added hassle of paperwork,” Ms. Blažaitienė added.