If you are looking to grow your business efficiently, one of the smartest moves you can make is to hire remote staff. But how do you ensure that the person you bring onboard will actually deliver results and maintain high productivity? Remote hiring comes with its own challenges, and assessing productivity before you hire virtual staff is critical to building a successful team.
At Staffadoo, we specialize in helping Australian businesses hire degree-educated, reliable staff who work exclusively for you. We remove the payroll, tax, and benefits burdens, making it easy for you to build remote teams that perform from day one.
Here are seven practical ways to assess productivity before you hire remote staff.
1. Review Previous Work Experience Thoroughly
When you are looking to hire virtual staff, the first step is to examine their previous experience carefully. Productivity often correlates with relevant work history.
What to check:
- Roles and responsibilities: Look beyond job titles. Understand what they actually did in their past roles. Did they handle tasks similar to what you need?
- Consistency: Check the duration of their past positions. Frequent short-term roles may indicate difficulty in sustaining output.
- Achievements: Ask for measurable results. Numbers, reports, and tangible outcomes are a good sign of productive behavior.
At Staffadoo, all staff are pre-vetted and degree-educated. This means you are already meeting people with proven professional experience, saving time on screening and reducing hiring risks.
2. Conduct Skills Testing
Skills tests are essential to measure the ability of a staff member to handle the specific tasks you need. When you hire remote staff, you need someone who can perform efficiently without constant supervision.
Tips for effective skills testing:
- Role-specific tasks: Give them exercises related to the daily work they will handle. For example, if you are hiring virtual staff for bookkeeping, assign a task that involves reconciling accounts.
- Time tracking: Set a reasonable deadline. Productive staff can complete tasks accurately within the given timeframe.
- Problem-solving scenarios: Include challenges that require decision-making. This evaluates how independently they can handle tasks.
Staffadoo makes this process simple by providing staff who are already proven in their skills. This reduces the time you spend testing and interviewing multiple applicants.
3. Evaluate Communication Skills
Communication is crucial for remote staff. Productivity drops significantly if there are misunderstandings or delays in responses. When you hire virtual staff, focus on their ability to communicate clearly and promptly.
Key areas to evaluate:
- Response time: How quickly do they reply to emails or messages during your screening process?
- Clarity and tone: Are they concise, polite, and professional?
- Collaboration tools: Can they comfortably use Slack, Zoom, or other platforms for remote collaboration?
Staffadoo’s staff are trained to communicate effectively in English, ensuring smooth coordination with your team and helping you build remote teams without friction.
4. Assess Time Management Abilities
Time management is one of the strongest indicators of productivity. When you hire remote staff, you need someone who can prioritize tasks and meet deadlines independently.
Ways to assess time management:
- Daily schedule explanation: Ask them to outline how they structure their workday.
- Past workload handling: Discuss how they managed multiple tasks or tight deadlines in previous roles.
- Tools familiarity: Check if they are familiar with time tracking or task management tools like Trello, Asana, or ClickUp.
By using Staffadoo, you get staff who are accustomed to managing their own schedules efficiently. You set the hours, and they work according to your requirements, making it easy to maintain productivity without micro-managing.
5. Conduct a Paid Trial Period
One of the most effective ways to gauge productivity is through a short, paid trial. When you hire virtual staff on trial, you can observe their work ethic and output without committing to a long-term arrangement immediately.
Trial guidelines:
- Set clear objectives: Provide a list of tasks with deadlines.
- Track output: Measure both quality and quantity of work completed.
- Provide feedback: Give constructive feedback and see how well they implement it.
Staffadoo allows you to start working with staff risk-free. If you are not satisfied within the first 30 days, you are not required to pay. This ensures you can evaluate productivity before fully committing, which is perfect when building remote teams.
6. Check References Carefully
References are often overlooked, but they provide valuable insight into a staff’s productivity and reliability. When you hire remote staff, references can confirm whether the staff meets deadlines, works independently, and communicates effectively.
How to approach references:
- Ask about daily performance: Inquire about the staff’s typical work output and consistency.
- Explore teamwork skills: Understand how well they collaborate with colleagues remotely or in-office.
- Verify problem-solving abilities: Learn how they handled challenges and stressful situations.
Staffadoo pre-vets all profiles, which means you already have a level of confidence in their productivity. But checking references adds an extra layer of assurance for peace of mind.
7. Analyze Self-Motivation and Work Habits
Productivity is strongly linked to self-motivation. When you hire virtual staff, you want individuals who can take ownership of tasks and stay motivated without direct supervision.
Ways to evaluate self-motivation:
- Goal-setting ability: Ask them to describe personal or professional goals and how they achieve them.
- Task ownership: See if they can provide examples of initiatives they took independently.
- Routine consistency: Ask about their daily habits and how they maintain focus throughout the workday.
With Staffadoo, you get staff who are accustomed to working independently and taking full responsibility for their tasks. This means you can build remote teams that require minimal oversight while maintaining high efficiency.
Why Staffadoo Makes Remote Hiring Simple
Hiring staff remotely can be overwhelming, especially when you are unsure about productivity. Staffadoo removes the guesswork.
Key benefits of using Staffadoo:
- Full-time, degree-educated staff: You hire virtual staff who are reliable and committed, not freelancers juggling multiple clients.
- One flat invoice: No superannuation, payroll taxes, or hidden costs. Your budgeting becomes predictable.
- Pre-vetted talent: You only meet staff who have proven skills and experience.
- Work your hours: Staff work on your schedule, making it easier to integrate them into your existing workflow.
- Risk-free guarantee: If you are not satisfied within 30 days, you are not required to pay, giving you peace of mind when hiring virtual staff.
Staffadoo streamlines the entire process, from identifying talent to handling all administrative and payroll obligations. This makes it one of the easiest platforms to hire remote staff efficiently and productively.
Conclusion
When you want to hire remote staff, assessing productivity before making a commitment is critical. By reviewing past experience, testing skills, evaluating communication and time management, conducting trial periods, checking references, and analyzing self-motivation, you can make informed decisions that strengthen your business.
Platforms like Staffadoo make this process even easier by providing pre-vetted, degree-educated staff who are ready to work according to your schedule.
Investing time in these productivity checks before hiring can save you significant headaches, costs, and inefficiencies. With Staffadoo, you gain peace of mind knowing that your remote staff will contribute effectively from day one, allowing you to focus on growing your business without payroll stress.
