HIRING GUIDE: HOW TO HIRE AND MANAGE REMOTE EMPLOYEES

Remote staff can be massive assets, who can provide reasonable support in a wide range of positions in small and mid-size accounting firms. By keeping costs down without sacrificing the quality, companies around the globe have been able to redefine the place of work environment and grasp nontraditional models in new and creative ways. Finding and hiring the right remote employees can be similar to that of a local one, but a little differently as the interview, tests and all other procedures are carried out online. That’s another story however. When you require to pull the right employee, hire only the best, and keep a team of remote employees energized and joyful, these tips will help ensure you're heading the right way.

Find the Right Fit for Your Company Finding talent remains a huge challenge for many small and mid-size accounting firms. Reviewing applications, interviewing candidates and negotiating salaries, all take precious time away from a your existing obligations, which may end up hurting the business in the long run. That's why more and more firms are partnering with staffing agencies, which take a lot of the time and effort out of the talent search by providing their own workers for open roles.

Fast hiring. The job market has improved considerably over the past several years, and candidates now have an upper hand. This means the hiring process is longer and more difficult than in years past.  "Great talent becomes harder to find, and it becomes extremely time-consuming for firms reviewing resumes and conduct interviews, all while still being responsible for their day-to-day operations," "Turning to a trusted staffing partner can save time and money. A staffing firm can prescreen and qualify candidates to ensure you always interview those candidates who are a fit for the role." Accounting firms are trying to be more productive and only have staff when they are absolutely needed. Here’s where Entigrity Remote staffing comes into play and allows you to hire staff as per your requirement, even if it is temporary, part-time, hourly or simply project based.

Test Skills if Needed Remote team members have allowed accounting firms to recruit from a larger talent pool instead of being limited to the geographic locations where their offices are located. The hiring process is similar to hiring any in-house employee. You will have candidates’ resume and you can shortlist candidates according to specifications. At a convenient time you a video interview can be arranged where you can personally meet the candidate online and ask questions. These assessments can cover an extensive variety of topics, including software skills for programs like QuickBooks Online and Xero, accounting principles, journal entries, financial statement generation and analysis, and more. Once you are satisfied with employee skills, you can hire.

How Will You Manage Your Remote Employee/Staff? Online Communication Using cloud technology Remote employees can be able to access software and tools. When you choose cloud accounting versus a regular in-house team, this can often mean a change to traditional communication practices. Remote employees have access to tech support, HR, and other company resources. You can manage your remote staff using communication tools include face time as well; using Skype and similar apps for team meetings can bring a remotely working employee into the loop. Working with cloud accounting can be a great way to save time and work securely, providing a better alternative for teams on a budget.

Establish Time Tracking While hiring remote staff, you can actually track your staff’s performance using good monitoring and time tracking software. Accurately monitoring the time your team spends working on client projects, on internal tasks and on non- business related things can assist you gain a greater understanding of exactly what is happening every day. Remote worker’s workflow management and time tracking also offer those who manage remote or distributed team’s peace of mind and security as all work is tracked and documented through software and performance indicators.

Benefits of working with virtual/remote team With cloud accounting services, utilizing a remote team for your bookkeeping and accounting gives you access to a full team with years of experience that specializes in your exact business for less than the cost of a full time or part-time in-house employees.

Specific benefits also include:

• You don’t have to spend as much after training the employees
• Recourses can be scaled up or down in the case of requirements
• No cost of benefits, taxes, payroll, etc.
• It’s least expensive
• Least risks of attrition
• Don’t have to compromise to outsource/vendor’s terms.

You will also gain an experience team of people who have different experiences and backgrounds to manage your stuff. Similar to find on-site local bookkeeper, finding the right virtual team for your business can also be a challenge. You need to find a responsive and reliable staffing company that can give you the specific care and service your business requires.

Entigrity™ is a trusted offshore staffing partner to over 500+ accountants, CPAs and tax firms across the US and Canada. Our flexible and transparent hiring model gives helps firms of all sizes to hire staff for accounting, bookkeeping, tax preparation or any other task for 75% less cost. As a firm 'run by accountants, for the accountants', Entigrity captures the hiring needs of accounting firms most precisely, providing staff that works directly under your control and management, still you are left with least to worry about compliance, payroll taxes, overheads or any other benefits.