​With inflated salaries being offered to the most experienced candidates in the tussle for talent, there's other ways to attract the best professionals in the industry.

Benefits outside of monetary compensation could be a key influencer when it comes to a candidate choosing their next role. In our recent research, Culture / Work environment ranked third behind work from home options and healthcare as the most important benefits a professional in power delivery could receive.

Taking a holistic approach to the recruitment process means looking to retain employees and establishing a good culture within the company. Of course, this is not an easy challenge to navigate, particularly where the rise in remote working is concerned.

Now that remote working is expected by many candidates and is regarded as the most important benefit by 25% of respondents, establishing a positive remote working culture needs to be front of mind.

Remote Culture Tips:

1) What does winning look like?

Reinforce your culture by setting rules that determine what winning looks like and how to work together. These rules will unite the team to drive towards one common goal. This should be communicated regularly and followed up with tangible results.

Take the time to celebrate success and reward employees who are performing well. They will set an example for the team. Teams who adhere to the rules to live by and align with company values deliver results.

2) Open communication

Open communication is vital within a remote team. Without it, processes and projects start falling apart. Everyone should be able to communicate through video or voice recording and keep a channel of communication open.

It's also important to consider new ways of sending messages. For example, voice notes may be a new way your team communicates when working remotely. This adds an important personal, human touch to communicating that is missing from email and traditional messaging. Talk to your team and find out what suits them.

3) Hire top talent

Whether hiring for a remote role, fully onsite or hybrid, you want the best. A candidate's technical skill is normally a primary consideration but for remote working soft skills may be even more important. Organization, time management, collaborating within a team and the ability to focus and stay motivated all get put to the test when working remotely.

It's important you identify the soft skills that are important for the role and the wider business culture then look for those during the hiring process.

4) Take work off the agenda

With remote working, there isn't the option for a lunch break with a colleague or a catch up over coffee. Meetings also become more of a utility and can usually miss out the small talk that naturally occurs around an in-person meeting agenda.

Schedule in time for a casual chat with the team and make sure it becomes part of the working week. Stick to topics outside of work and add in a beer, mocktail, quiz or online game to keep things fun and casual. You'll soon start learning more about the team and what makes them tick!

Remote working offers an abundance of benefits to employees, and it's clear to see why there's such a strong shift in preference towards remote working from specialists across Power Delivery.

Building culture is a continuous process but the above tips should give you a good foundation for supporting a remote culture.

For more insights on the motives and how to attract the best power professionals, please download our salary guide: "2024 Power Delivery Salary Guide & Hiring Insights"