How Is The Global Crisis Transforming The Hiring Process?

The impact of the global crisis on organizations across the world cannot be avoided. COVID-19 spread has wreaked havoc everywhere. The world economy is falling, and almost every industry will have a huge impact on day-to-day operations. The hiring industry is no exception. HR folks are trying to get through the crisis and keep their employees safe. While focusing on this, their hiring plans have taken a back seat, and their efforts are inclined more towards business continuity. However, the time demands every recruiter to immediately improve or adopt new hiring strategies and be ready with new hiring techniques, as we all know that the situation will not last forever, and recruitment will be in action sooner than later. At the same time, one must understand that the conventional hiring techniques will not yield the same results as it did earlier. Let’s understand the reasons for transforming the hiring process and tips to adopt a new hire strategy. Remote working is a new normal: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, organizations are making sweeping changes to the way they function. Many of those changes might turn permanent when companies reopen their doors in the future. Remote working is the major change everyone has seen in the past few months.

Remote working helps companies save money on business operations
It promotes a more diverse workplace by eliminating geographic obstacles
Remote workers are more productive than others
Improves employee’s satisfaction and retention

By now, we have seen the benefits of remote work. However, to design and implement successful remote hiring and remote working strategies, you must be well aware of the current company culture, employee size, and goals. Try to get the answers to the following questions:

What to expect from your remote teams?
What remote working technologies can be used to facilitate seamless remote work?
How to create employee engagement programs to make them feel a part of the organization?

Candidate sourcing and acquisition will remain critical: If we look back to 2019, recruiters were focusing on building a great employer brand to source and attract the best talent they could in a candidate-driven job market. Due to the COVID-19 spread, the unemployment rate has increased like never before. Not every industry is facing the same issue. Industries like healthcare, logistics, e-commerce, etc. are still getting high volume candidate applications. However, non-essential service providers have only a handful of vacancies with a high number of candidate responses. HR folks now have to source talent in a different way as they search for job fit candidates for their companies. The situation has changed drastically. Job seekers are not seeking opportunities to achieve their professional goals, but they are applying out of necessity and desperation. Applicants will say or do things just to get a secure job. In such a scenario, it is very crucial to perform candidate assessment thoroughly. Education and experience are necessary but try to get an idea of what’s under the hood using relevant and high-quality skills assessments.

Partner with vendors and clients who recently laid-off their employees. Try to source these passive candidates who are currently unemployed.
Organize a virtual job fair, video conference, webinars, and chat rooms to engage with job seekers.
Offer them flexible work schedules to manage their professional as well as personal life in this work-from-home situation.

Sustaining a well-defined culture will be challenging: Organizational culture is vital for long-term success. It is not only the identity of your organization; it also helps to achieve goals and gives purpose to every business activity. To keep employees safe, 90 percent of organizations have encouraged their employees to work remotely. With the help of advanced technology and tools, every business function is running smoothly. But, unfortunately, no technological advancement can help you maintain and enhance your organization’s culture. It is for this reason; leaders need to step up and make sure employees are not feeling isolated.

Communication is the key to business continuity. Communicate with your employees regularly about their health and wellness. Daily one-to-one or team video calls will keep your team united.
Share relevant and accurate information on COVID-19 and how it is going to affect the organization. Conduct an online session on reducing stress and anxiety due to the pandemic and WFH situation.
Design clear remote work policies. Set core work hours, keeping in mind the needs of the employees and their families. Provide flexibility in working, as many of them are multitasking.

While dealing with many important issues, it is difficult to give priority to sustaining the company culture. However, organizational culture is going to hold your workforce united and help you implement a business continuity plan successfully. Engaging remote workforce will be on priority: Keeping the employees engaged while working remotely is one of the most important responsibilities of HR. Employee’s mental, physical, and emotional well-being should be the priority of every organization. The engaged team members:

Stay loyal to their organization as well as their work than those who are less engaged
Increase productivity
Always put in their best

Due to the COVID-19 spread, many companies are working remotely since the end of the first quarter. However, working from home is not a privilege anymore, especially since we’ve all been working from home for months now. The WFH or remote working comes with different challenges for employees, and it’s best to tackle them head-on rather than taking a passive approach. So, to keep your employees motivated and engaged should be the priority of every organization. Conclusion: The changing nature of work demands HR folks to adopt new ways and technologies to streamline the hiring process. Identifying the reasons for transforming the hiring process and designing the hiring strategies will really help them be ready for the post COVID-19 situation.

How Is The Global Crisis Transforming The Hiring Process?

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