How much in-office or remote work do your hiring candidates expect? Recruiters and hiring managers alike have faced some challenges in finding candidates with the right skills and office-to-remote work preferences. Many businesses have developed fully remote roles since stabilizing after 2020, and many more have developed a hybrid style that balances working in the office and from home. Now, the influence is on candidates to choose roles based on the work-life balance they prefer during hybrid hiring. For many, the office, hybrid, or remote balance is a deal-breaker issue which means it should be sorted early in the process. Of course, job listings and resumes don’t always clarify this important scheduling detail.

You will want to quickly determine through survey or interview what each candidate expects and can adapt to in relation to the roles you’re hiring for.

The 5 Types of On-Site to Remote Schedules to Mention During Hybrid Hiring
  • Daily on-site worker
  • On and off hybrid
  • Remote with office appearances
  • Remote with holiday appearances
  • Fully remote
Interview Questions to Determine Remote Work Preference During Hybrid Hiring

For hiring professionals looking to quickly determine a candidate’s remote work preferences, give the following survey or ask as questions:

I Want to Work…
  • Close to my house
  • Within a reasonable commute
  • A cool place to visit
  • Anywhere in the world
  • I like to work at home

“Would you rather work close to home, somewhere interesting, or the location doesn’t matter?”

Ask professionals how much location matters to them. Those who expect to commute will prioritize the proximity of work to their house – or may talk about relocation. Those who expect to work remotely exclusively or to travel extensively are less likely to care about a workplace’s location.

I Want to Come Into Work…
  • Every day
  • Most of the time
  • Some days of the week
  • For events and special occasions
  • Never

“How often would you prefer to come to work? Do you like the office environment, prefer travel, or would you rather work from home most of the time?”

Ask your candidates how often they want to see the office. Some people enjoy coming to work. They like the tidy separation of work and home life, and the conveniences an office has to offer. Others need remote work for medical or situational reasons. Many in the middle would enjoy a hybrid work schedule or could be persuaded with other benefits to consider a role that differs from their preference.

Remote Work Is…

“How do you feel about remote work in a team? Is it something you prefer, or an option you’d like to have?”

  • Not my thing
  • Better than a sick day
  • Sometimes necessary for me
  • A cool option to have
  • My preferred work style
  • What I do

Ask your candidate how they feel about remote work. Some will have a strong answer. Many require it, some make it a preference, and some have found they don’t enjoy remote work at all. Knowing where your candidate stands on working remotely can inform your hiring decisions now and their options for that role in the future.

What if Some Days Were Mandatory?

“What if some days in the office were mandatory? How would you handle that?”

  • I expect most days to be mandatory
  • I like the idea of on-site days
  • I’m okay with days in the office
  • I’m not okay with visiting the office
  • Dealbreaker, I can’t take the job

Ask candidates if they could make it to the office or a shared venue if it was mandatory. Many teams that offer remote work still have annual or seasonal meet-ups that help build team familiarity and are used for mass coordination meetings. Could they come into the office? How often, and under what circumstances? There is a wide range of remote work styles and this is an important question to ask.

Hybrid Hiring for Office-to-Remote Schedule Compatibility

Matchmaking for long-term hiring success is all about matching the role to the candidate. Schedule expectations factor heavily into the decision-making process for both companies and job-seeking professionals. With these questions, you can quickly determine how each candidate feels about remote work if they can appear on-site, and what they expect from scheduling. Matching these factors can build a strong team who shares an on-site, hybrid, or remote approach to teamwork and productivity. Contact us for more business tools and hiring tips.