Hire Up: How Video Conferencing Expands Your Talent Pool

Abrupt workplace closures and isolation stints this past year launched many companies into adapting a work-from-home business model – something many traditional industries had never even considered before. For many companies, shifting their employees to work remotely was an easy transition thanks to video conferencing platforms that kept teams, documents, and communications altogether.

What Employee Want

The long-term effects of working remotely have opened the idea to many companies, managers, and employees that they could in fact get the same level of work done from home as they did in the office. Many workers even find they have a better work-life balance clocking in from a home office. In a recent survey, 29% of employees want to stay remote even after COVID-19 is no longer a concern and another 55% want hybrid or flexible schedule options.

To keep current employees from leaving, employers will need to recognize the new preferences of their workers. Not only is remote work desired by current employees, but it’s also a leading priority for job seekers, spiking remote job searches up 360% from pre-pandemic June 2019 to June of 2021.

Emphasizing “Life” in “Work-Life Balance”

Offering remote positions comes with multiple advantages for both employees and employers. During the pandemic, the divide between “work” and “life” was blurred, and many people (willing or not) needed to shift the priorities of their lives, work, and family. In doing so, workers became more particular about the jobs they looked for as they considered their next employment to ensure they had more “life” in their “work-life” balance. A large part of this included the ability to get their desk job done at home instead of an office across town.

Not only are remote jobs a unique benefit that employees look for, but it also allows hiring managers to cast their search net wider. Your company is no longer limited to hiring people who live within physical distance of your office. This gives you the advantage of finding the right people to fill positions, regardless of their location. With remote positions to fill, hiring managers in niche industries and small markets can choose from a deeper talent pool.

Technology Updates

As they began returning to in-office environments, or at least a hybrid model between remote and returning to the office, many companies uncovered new challenges. One major challenge was that their pre-pandemic technology now limits their new workflows. Maybe their huge boardroom is the only place equipped with video conferencing technology, or employees are frustrated on video calls while they talk over coworkers in neighboring cubicles.

Structuring a permanent remote or hybrid model may feel daunting, if not completely impossible. But with the right unified communication technologies and professional services support in place, it’s possible to attract – and retain – the top talent in both in-office and at-home environments. Regardless of what your business technology was pre-pandemic or how it evolved over the past two years, having an intentional unified communication strategy will ensure the success and growth of your organization.

If you’re ready to incorporate remote workers into your business’s growth strategy, contact IDS and speak to a professional unified communications integrator. With over 20 years of AV service, we can help you design a complete strategy that supports your business initiatives.