Things Can Go Wrong

Remote workers won’t have the opportunity to be involved in spontaneous conversations or team lunches, but there are other things you can do to help them settle:

• provide info with new job critical stuff: team member introductions (personal bios, photos, advice for new employees), HR training links, task checklists, long-term goals, and more.
• assign mentors to new hires, who schedule regular video check-ins, make themselves available on Slack and make new employees feel welcome.

Remote workers need a dedicated, quiet space to do their work, so it’s important to set some guidelines:

• encourage workers to join coworking spaces;
• encourage workers to set a dedicated insolated space at home for work, with suitable furniture;
• fast reliable internet access;

They can still work from a coffee shop every once in a while, but they need a good default setup. 

For many, hunger is still an issue they contend with, and you can help with that.

Contact local churches, homeless shelters or soup kitchens to find out what their food needs are and help. You can also reach out to other community groups in your area to see what’s there.

Mentoring allows you to hone your skills, develop talent in your trade and create a lasting legacy. It also lets you help people who may not get resources and support to develop themselves.

If you’d like to work with people in your industry, look for professional organizations or opportunities through your employer. 

One has to check if the candidate is genuinely interested in the job or is just checking all boxes of dressing right and talking right to land up with an offer letter.

How they treat and interact with others (like the guy handing them the coffee) also helps gauge their personality. One can take the candidate on a tour inside the company building, noticing how they ask questions, or how curious they are.

Sharing a meal provides the recruiter with a big opportunity to observe the candidate, like how they make eye contact, how polite they are, or the way they ask questions.

One can see what frustrates or flusters them and if they are patient or agitated. The whole personality of the candidate can be gauged by one meal with them.

Teams need people who speak up and express their thoughts and ideas clearly, directly, honestly, and with respect for others. 

Teams need team players who listen first and speak second. They need players that can absorb, understand, and consider ideas and points of view from other people without arguing every point.

Elders and anyone with a compromised immune system have to be taken care of by limiting direct contact with them while making sure any contact is done after thoroughly washing the hands. One can stay connected using text messages, phone calls or video chat, as we have to avoid visiting elders at any cost.

Infected people are initially unable to realize they are, in fact, infected, as there are no symptoms. Yet they are spreading the infection to others silently.

• It is imperative to limit contact with others in one’s household, and practice social distancing from them, in separate rooms.
• Wash your hands regularly and maintain good hygiene.
• Do not share utensils or household items.
• Clean surfaces like remote controllers, handles, faucets and your phone, with mild cleaning liquids.
• Self-quarantine is required for at least 14 days.

Probe: give me an example…

Dig: who, what, where, when, why and how on every accomplishment or project

Differentiate: we vs. I, good vs. great, exposure vs. expertise, participant vs. owner/leader, 20 yard line vs. 80 yard line

Situation- What's the background of what you were working on?

Task- What tasks were you given?

Action- What actions did you take?

Results- What results did you measure?

• How do you establish trust? An environment with trust promotes higher working engagement
• If you worked for your top competitor, how would you beat yourself?  This question could show the candidate's ability to put the good of the organization ahead their own pride.
• Can you use a belief statement to explain the value of what we offer? Ask a belief statement that gets at the heart of what an organization or team offers.

• Talk together. Each person should have adequate time to say what he or she believes the other party needs to hear. 
• Listen carefully to gain understanding. Give your complete attention to the person who is talking without interrupting. 
• Resolution is possible only when you find points of agreement. 
• Guide the conversation without taking sides. 

• Be quick to forgive. Every conflict needs a clear resolution that acknowledges hurt feelings and finds a solution that begins to mend them.

Until two decades ago, the general goal of colleges was for academic pursuits and teaching individuals to become more well-rounded. The general thought was that colleges were not vocational institutions.

Now, and possibly in the future, colleges will have to focus more on training and change their curriculum to meet the demands of employers.

A four-year college education remains the best choice for those who can get admitted to a selective university. But for everyone else, an alternative path might be the best way to go.

In the future, one training path will be company-sponsored apprenticeship programs to cover the skills missing between the secondary system and what employers are looking for.