Companies and enterprises around the world are facing mass employee resignations, and therefore the list of current vacancies is regularly replenished. At the same time, most companies have placed emphasis on remote work, which became a consequence of restrictions related to COVID-19. Therefore, employees do not wish to return to the offline environment again when there is an option for online work. As a result, companies are willingly transitioning to a new hybrid recruitment strategy. Qualified specialists are interested in a hybrid model of online work, but such workplaces need special methods of attracting talent. In this review, we will examine 4 main pillars of a hybrid strategy that is aimed at attracting and retaining new employees in the workplace.

4 pillars of a hybrid talent management strategy

The hybrid strategy has already been called one of the most effective. First and foremost, this is connected with the fact that with its help it is possible to find the best candidates for a specific vacancy. Employees, in turn, receive a flexible work schedule, as well as the opportunity to choose the most convenient workplace for themselves.

But to begin with, one should familiarise oneself with 4 main principles that will help at all stages: starting from the first acquaintance with a potential candidate and ending with maintaining further working relations during employment.

Hybrid recruitment

At the first stage, it is necessary to determine the district, the zone for searching for candidates. The size of such a zone directly depends on how often employees will need to visit their workplace in the office. Therefore, transport connections, the current road situation for each day, and the possibility of applying flexible work schedules are additionally taken into account.

It is necessary to consider how much time daily the employee will spend on the “work-home” journey and vice versa. If a candidate lives too far away, then daily trips to work from one end of the city to the other will cause particular discomfort. If it is necessary to visit one’s workplace once a week, such an option will be more realistic, and if it is necessary to visit the workplace once a month, this allows expanding the search zone to several districts at once.

Therefore, when compiling an advertisement for searching for a specific candidate, it is important to clearly formulate all conditions and indicate the number of days per week/month that the employee must spend in the office. It is necessary to list all possible options for a flexible schedule, which can attract the attention of a huge number of candidates.

As for platforms and other methods of placing advertisements, one should not stop at recruitment agencies and special job search websites. Additionally, social networks and podcasts can be engaged, in which the company or enterprise should also be mentioned. Some job seekers begin their job search by turning to their acquaintances who already work in one company or another.

Therefore, at the initial stage of searching for new employees, it will be necessary to provide future workers with maximum useful and interesting information regarding corporate culture and approaches to the hybrid work model. To tell about the company’s policy regarding hybrid work, all known methods can be employed: for example, virtual elements and offline solutions, using video, audio, and text materials.

Hybrid interview

The main task of such interviews is to demonstrate the full maturity of the formed remote work strategy. For example, when giving preference to a hybrid work format, one should not require an employee’s mandatory and constant presence at all interviews that will take place in the office.

For this, it is advisable to consider options for applying digital tools in practice. An excellent solution is called the combination of online and offline interviews when the capabilities of synchronous and asynchronous communication are used. Thus, the company owner can form a multifaceted impression of each candidate, as these methods allow receiving various signals – “low-quality” and “high-quality”.

Moreover, the number of such signals received from a potential candidate directly depends on the level of accuracy of established communication. Among bright examples of applying synchronous and asynchronous communication methods, the following are worth considering:

• Low-quality signals combined with asynchronous mode – these are online forms and all possible assignments.
• Low-quality signals combined with synchronous mode – these are online chats and telephone calls.
• High-quality signals combined with asynchronous mode – these are audio and video recordings.
• High-quality signals combined with synchronous mode – these are video calls in real time.

Scheduling personal meetings with candidates is recommended after preliminary assessment of their competence, after managing to learn more information about education and work experience. In such a case, it will be possible to discuss in more detail further peculiarities of working in the company and assess how well the candidate will manage to interact with the already formed team of employees.

Hybrid adaptation

Implementation of online and offline components in conditions of a hybrid work environment is a rather complex task. At the same time, it is impossible to abandon either of the components, as each of them is capable of solving a specific list of important tasks:

• The remote part determines the presence of a clearly coordinated hybrid work process.
• The offline part determines the possibility of employees getting to know each other, the cohesion of the entire team, and the establishment of contacts.

However, each company or enterprise has its own list of requirements that it presents to the process of adapting new employees to the team. Such requirements and rules can change depending on the position, chosen hybrid work format, and size of the entire team/staff.

When working on developing a step-by-step process, it is necessary to pay attention to the current list of general questions:

1. Should the employee come to work alone or as part of a specific team?
2. What list of documents can be sent in advance?
3. How can one demonstrate the culture of one’s own company?
4. What can be done synchronously, asynchronously, and at a personal meeting?
5. Is it necessary to appoint a mentor?

The main task that stands before each company owner is establishing such an adaptation process that will use the very best aspects of all communication options (online and offline). However, one demonstration of the maturity of a specific hybrid strategy is not enough. It is also necessary to pay attention to optimisation of the adaptation process in order to increase its effectiveness, creating favourable conditions and an atmosphere for quality, comfortable work of new employees.

Hybrid retention

Attracting and hiring new employees is not the final goal of the hybrid talent management strategy being used. After all, we are talking about a continuous process that allows the company owner to ensure the following: everyone is satisfied with this model and ready for various changes during the implementation of completely new conditions and requirements.

Despite the fact that in the modern world quite a lot of people work remotely, there are also people for whom this is a completely new experience. Three main components play a decisive role in the continuous improvement of the process – flexibility, adaptability, and complete readiness for any changes if necessary. Thus, over time, experience will improve as well.

When making the decision to improve the hybrid talent management strategy, absolutely everyone benefits – the entire team of the company or enterprise.

Thanks to digital workplaces, an increasing number of people can abstract themselves and forget about the necessity of visiting the office daily and working according to a strictly established schedule. Therefore, modern companies are actively working to constantly modernise their own talent management strategies with the aim of improving work quality.