Blog #3 of 5-Part Blog Series: Your Hunch About the Difference Between Hiring for Remote and Onsite Jobs was Right…and We Have the Data to Prove It

As we noted in our first two blogs in this series on our groundbreaking study of remote versus onsite/hybrid roles, there is a clear business case and evidence that distinguishes these role types—along with specific elements of personality that distinguish performance and retention. In this blog, we will dig deeper into the specific areas of work environment/values that are highlighted in the differences between remote and onsite/hybrid roles.

Within the Hutrics platform, we utilize a proprietary and highly predictive measure of work environment/values fit that examines over 30 essential elements. We base our measure on decades of practical and academic research that shows a strong connection between elements of the work environment and critical outcomes like job performance and employee retention. There was strong overlap with many work features and values, 31, to be exact. Yet, assuming we should treat these equally for remote versus in-office/hybrid roles would be wrong.

Here is a breakdown of some meaningful differences our research highlighted for fully remote v. in-office roles.

  • In-office roles, whether fully in-office or hybrid, strongly desire to be involved and embedded in the community in which they work. Community involvement and Respect in the Local Community were strong predictors in our models for in-office employees; they were not significant predictors for remote employees.
  • Remote employees have a strong desire for work elements such as the opportunity to make an impact, be innovative, and be engaged in meaningful work. These were not significant predictors for in-office roles.

Summary Table of Unique Work Environment/Values Predictors of Performance and Retention

Community Involvement Drives Retention of Onsite/Hybrid Workers

A key element of today’s working environment is a focus on ESG (Environmental, Social, & Governance) and company reputation in the community (locally and more broadly). In our study we asked both remote and onsite/hybrid workers how important it was for them to work for an organization that has a high level of involvement in the community and is respected in the community.

The results showed that the importance of community involvement drove retention for onsite/hybrid workers only. This is important because when making hiring decisions—we know that the cost of turnover is significant and just assuming that community reputation will be important to all workers, regardless if they are remote versus onsite/hybrid, will result in poor hiring decisions. Moreover, in the recruiting/interviewing process, this information shows that there is value in discussing/promoting the organization’s community reputation, as it will drive the retention of the newly hired onsite/hybrid worker.  On the flip side, the community reputation was NOT a driver of retention (or performance) of remote workers—so understanding this insight can help drive how remote workers are recruited, hired and managed.

Performance Differentiators for Remote Workers

For remote workers, there was a much more comprehensive list of themes from the work environment that differentiated their job performance versus onsite/hybrid workers. The following 8 areas were significant drivers of job performance for remote workers:

  • Opportunity to Make an Impact
  • Opportunity to Be Innovative
  • Ideas Are Heard and Valued
  • Work is Meaningful
  • Effective Manager
  • Respected by Manager
  • Quality of Services/Products
  • State of the Art Technology

This mix of intrinsic motivators (impact, innovation, meaning) along with enabling resources (technology, communication channels) paints a picture of an empowered remote employee. Fulfilling these needs creates the conditions for remote teams to thrive and keeps them feeling engaged, valued, and equipped to execute at a high level.

Additionally, the prominence of manager relationships in driving performance highlights the uniquely crucial role of management for remote staff. While frequent in-person interactions facilitate relationship building for on-site teams, remote managers must be intentional about connecting with direct reports to foster trust, understanding, and respect.

The added advantage is that all these factors are actionable and can be worked on from day one.

Summary of Key Findings

In summary, the insights gathered from our work environment analysis clearly indicate that remote and on-site roles are distinguished by more than just location. Preference for community connection strategically retains on-site talent, while fulfilling needs for empowerment and resources optimizes remote team performance.

  • For Remote Roles: focus on eight critical factors on day one to maximize performance
  • For Onsite/Hybrid Roles: prioritize/showcase Community Involvement to drive Retention
  • For both role types: recognize that the work environment continues to play a key role in driving important outcomes to workers

This 5 part blog series continues with:

For more information about Hutrics’ comprehensive leadership assessments (that include competency assessments along with personality, working memory, culture fit, experiences) and how they can help you achieve better business results, contact us today.