Posted by Cathryn Edmondson on 27 May 2020
How to cope with rapid recruitment
As the debate around how to handle the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, one thing everyone seems in agreement on is that there will be some challenging times ahead as the global economy heads into recession. Whatever your opinion on what the next 12 months will look like, there will be some significant changes in the employment market and what that means for attracting and retaining talent. Typically, a recession is coupled with a sharp increase in unemployment often signalling a shift from a candidate-driven to an employer-driven recruitment market, however these are not typical times. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme may see many employees facing a difficult dilemma: to remain furloughed in their current role and protect their short-term security or take the risk and move to another company with the hope of greater long-term security.
Equally, whilst many organisations have experienced a drop in businesses during lockdown, others such as supermarkets, the care sector, online retailers, pharmaceuticals, food manufacturing, and logistics are finding they need to recruit more staff, at scale and at pace. So for those in this boat, here are a few key areas you need to look at to cope with the rapid recruitment challenge.
Establish what gaps you have, and who you need to fill them
With HR already moving at rapid pace, the important element to get right is understanding the scale of the impact on the people strategy and supporting reward structure. This level of manpower planning is more sophisticated and more time-sensitive, In order to ascertain the roles required and the calibre of candidate needed, HR will need to model an aspirational organisational structure and people strategy around a reframing of business strategy and direction. How this is done differs by organisation, but essentially the fundamentals are reframing job architecture and creating a new organisational structure, challenging roles as they currently stand, and identifying if there are any skill gaps.
Understanding what is coming down the line is invaluable to understanding market premiums on what could be hard to source and expensive skills and understanding potential cost of living differentials for an adapted workforce is essential. If decisions are going to be made around roles, then a full and complete picture is important as the potential costs to the business and the loss of productivity from losing and re-hiring key and expensive skills will be significant.
Review your EVP
For those employers that will need to recruit, possibly at scale, over the next six months, their reward and employee value proposition will be key if they are going to tempt employees to take that risk. This is not new to employers - only a few months ago the employment rate was at a record high of 76.3%, so a strong reward and employee value proposition has been key for some time in attracting talent. But it is unlikely that what constituted a good EVP prior to the COVID-19 outbreak will be the same now. I suspect, while COVID continues to threaten our financial security, the focus will remain on the financial elements of an employee deal. Therefore, with decreased mobility within the employment market employers will need to be confident that their employee deal is competitive against the external market to attract talent and belie any perceived short-term risks.
Alongside pay, employers will need to get even more creative with their EVP and leverage their current offering to maximum effect. Ensuring employee benefits are visible and relevant, especially with an ever-diversifying workforce, is an ongoing challenge for HR professionals. Having a comprehensive suite of benefits may aid in attracting talent but will do little to retain talent if employees forget what they have got and where to access it. With limited mobility in the job market, retaining talent will be a company’s first method of defence against the impact of the recession.
Think about how this role will fit in your organisation – both short-term and long-term
Whilst the short-term focus is to quickly fill roles needed now, HR needs to have a long-term plan in place for how these roles, and the organisational structure, will look as the “new normal” changes and develops. This will be different for every organisation, and it may be that it is unclear during this time, but you should incorporate how the future may look into your strategy as much as you can.
It is also worth considering how employees’ expectations may have changed during this time. Now that the UK has been forced to trial mass home working, many employees have become accustomed to this and will expect this to be offered in roles where possible. This provides employers with a real opportunity to expand the geographical parameters of the candidate pool by being flexible in work location. We have all spent the past few months essentially stress testing every form of communication platform going, so have we finally put to bed the question around whether remote working is possible? If employers rush back to “normal” working practices they may see their employees looking to companies with a more flexible approach in the future. It may not happen straight away as being able to reconnect with colleagues in the office outweighs the commute and the lost flexibility, but it will happen.
Have a plan for the remote recruitment and onboarding process
With social distancing looking to be in place for the foreseeable future, employers will need to utilise new methods for interviewing and onboarding. Video calls have been well utilised by remote workers during lockdown, but this technology can also be used for recruitment purposes. Video interviews are rapidly becoming the norm, and whilst perhaps the use of technology such as Zoom, Skype or Microsoft Teams for interviews was borne out of necessity during lockdown, it is most likely here to stay.
Be sure to approach a video interview in the same way you would approach a face-to-face interview. Be punctual, dress appropriately and don’t allow yourself to become distracted by calls or emails.
You should also be mindful of bias when it comes to video interviews. Some candidates may not be au fait with video call software, and some may not even have the technology available to participate in such calls. Be mindful of this and offer alternatives if required.
You will also need to consider the onboarding practices at your organisation, and how these may need to be adapted for a new starter joining during lockdown. Getting the onboarding process right is critical, as a bad experience early on in a new job can affect performance and engagement with the business. If employees are going to be working remotely, every effort should be made to ensure they have all the equipment required ahead of their start date, and a structured introduction to the wider team should be scheduled early on. It might seem obvious, but it is vital new starters feel like they have joined an employer that wants them to succeed.
It is equally important to make new starters feel like part of the team, despite not being able to meet people face-to-face straight away. In an office setting, a new starter would usually spend the first days and weeks meeting colleagues, teams leads or departmental heads, so try to replicate this as closely as possible albeit in a virtual setting. It is also important to make sure they are included in any virtual socialising events, such as video lunches or after-work e-drinks. If possible, giving them access to an intranet or better yet setting them up on your company communications platform as soon as they start can help make for a smooth employee experience.
