Earlier this month, Localyze CTO, Franzi Löw spoke at Web Summit 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal. Bringing together people from around the world, the summit is focused on redefining the tech industry.
During her session, titled “Beyond the talent pool’s horizon,” Franzi and co-panelist Jonathan Siddharth, Turing CEO, discussed how companies are shifting their infrastructure to meet employee demands and avoid the confines of boundaries.
Session topics included:
Remote-first companies
Organisations that provide remote work have a competitive advantage due to having a broader talent pool. Siddharth stated that allowing for remote workers “widens the talent radius to the entire planet.” Additionally, employees tend to prefer the flexibility of a remote work environment, so companies that offer one are at an advantage for attracting the best talent.
Recruiting
Traditionally, recruiting has focused on credential-based vetting - did they go to the right school, where have they worked in the past. But, with the shift towards remote work flexibility, companies are now shifting to a skills-based vetting process - do they have the skills we need. This shift allows employees to find candidates outside of their traditional talent pool that can provide valuable skills and increase the diversity of teams.
Company Culture
When building out teams, it is important to think about the culture you want the company to have. The first step to creating an intentional culture is to define what you want and write it down. Then, use that information to inform hiring and promotion decisions.
To help build a sense of community, it can be helpful to think about timezones when hiring. Some companies prefer to have at least 4 hours of overlap amongst their teams, while others with a good base of trust may be able to go fully asynchronous.
Additionally, remote companies need to be really intentional about creating structure throughout the organisation and when bringing people together. Remote doesn’t mean no one ever meets up in person, but when you do, use the time to build that trust through a combination of structured and unstructured time.
All the processes and structure that in-office teams need to evaluate performance and provide feedback need to be need to be tightened up even more in remote settings. Ensure your managers are trained on how to provide feedback remotely and to avoid proximity bias for those they may speak to more frequently.
Local Regulations
Some companies have made headlines for saying their employees can work from anywhere in the world. However, the reality is that your company will need to think about how local requirements and regulations impact an employee’s ability to work there. The good news is that companies don’t need to be experts on this, they just need to find the right partners to provide information and support. (Localyze is here to help with your employee visa needs!)
Future Ready Workforce
It’s no longer just the economy that is becoming more global, culturally, the world is also becoming more global. Companies that aren’t focused on building dispersed or diverse workforces will fall behind - when you’re bound to local markets you won’t be able to find the talent you need as quickly as your competitors who are looking globally are able to. Even many traditional companies have realized that dispersed workforces are the way to go if you care about speed of hire, quality of talent, and diversity of your workforce.
Overall, the panel concluded that the new focus on dispersed workforces is liberating. People and companies are now able to separate where they work or fundraise from where they work. And, as every city in the world competes to attract talent, it’s important to allow your employees the freedom to move around as they wish.
