We’re all aware of the current economic climate and how it is impacting most organisations in some way, shape or form. There are many #newways of working that have a direct impact on HR professionals, how they are hiring and what they need to be thinking about when sourcing talent in 2020.
Below we’ve highlighted some of the key industry changes, advice and tips for HR leaders to consider when recruiting in a disruptive and unstable economic environment.
The shift to remote working.
One of the greatest shifts in terms of working patterns in the last few months, is of course the ability for employees to log on remotely.
With many organisations benefiting from their employees working remotely in terms of reduction in rent, utility bills, and in many cases an increase in hours due a flexible working model, one of the biggest questions for HR leaders to consider is that around pay.
If your organisation has shifted to a pure remote working model it might be time to think about how to fairly remunerate employees based on location, tech requirements and hours. The remote working model also raises the question - ‘can we hire outside of the UK now?’. With such reliable digital communication platforms, this can easily be done if there is appetite from business to do so. With access to an instantly wider talent pool, ambitious businesses may start shifting to this method of hiring.
TOP TIP:
We’re noticing that hiring managers who are failing to ensure that ‘remote working’ or ‘working from home’ forms part of the new role within the job description, aren’t cutting through and attracting the talent. Ensure these key terms are included to stay relevant.
Remote working and pay.
Complexities can potentially arise when it comes to pay and remote working. Should a developer based in San Francisco, where there is a higher living cost, be paid more than a person in the same role in Birmingham for example? They are doing the same role at the same level, but have totally different lives, cultures and outgoings. This requires global benchmarking and international data to support an informed decision.
Benefits in 2020.
It’s no surprise that highly skilled individuals will start to expect greater benefit packages. With a good basic pay still being the most sought after element for the majority of jobseekers, requests for working from home allowances, equipment and utility bill supplements and greater flexibility overall are becoming more common. While this change may at first seem impossible due to the current economic climate, check to see if it’s possible to repurpose these funds due to savings made in other areas.
Reskilling, not overpaying.
For in-demand roles, base salaries are increasing and we are seeing less commissions and bonuses being offered. Traditionally maybe classed as a ‘white collar perk’, bonuses are typically not received by public sector workers, who are currently the most in demand for their skillset.
A way around this for HR leaders who are tasked with filling these roles to consider is to look at reskilling individuals from other industries who are currently between jobs. For example, during the time where strict lockdown measures were imposed, Randstad helped the Nightingale Hospital vital roles through the reskilling of cabin crew. The transferable skills held by these workers meant that they could quickly work alongside medical professionals to support the nation when NHS resources were scarce and many were experiencing burnout.
Need advice from an experienced recruitment partner?
Redundancy.
To help businesses cope with the sudden change to their workforce and, more importantly, the well-being of any individuals who have unfortunately taken redundancy, Randstad have developed a new outplacement programme; Randstad Risesmart.
The new service will help support employee career transition through expert career coaching, personal branding, including detailed CV writing and online profile building as well as access to a dedicated job concierge, who is responsible for delivering hand-picked recommendations.
For more tips on how to manage the redundancy process see Managing the redundancy process for HR professionals.
A shift to a client led market.
One of the biggest changes of recent times is that the market has pivoted from a candidate led market to a client led market - meaning that in most sectors, employers have the upper hand.
With this in mind, it’s important for organisations to protect their employer brand during a crisis, in the most considerate and empathetic way, with a tone of voice that is caring and welcoming. Randstad’s recent global workforce report found that more than half of UK workers fear they could lose their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic, highlighting a growing anxiety among workers.
Six top tips for HR professionals.
1. Fresh mindset
Change your mindset in light of the new ways of working, be flexible and ensure job descriptions are including key messaging which will cut through to the appropriate candidates. As mentioned above, ‘remote working’ and ‘working from home’ are highly searchable terms at the moment, any recruiter not explicitly including this in a job advert for these roles are excluding themselves.
2. Training and upskilling
With Covid-19 preventing many businesses from moving forward in terms of education, employers are under increasing pressure to build a resilient, virtual learning ecosystem at speed, with the ability to educate at a distance. Fortunately, our research shows that 77% of workers feel equipped to deal with the new digital way of working due to Covid-19, enabling employees to carry on learning. The option to look at transferable skills is also there, using our Nightingale Hospital case study, mentioned above as an example of how available talent can be on hand in times of need.
3. Be informed
Use trustworthy resources and data to make informed decisions. Take advantage of industry insights and data on salary to ensure your offering is fair and competitive.
Randstad’s salary calculator compares over 14 million UK salaries to provide you with a detailed report on what salary a role should attract based on a number of tailorable factors, proving a good base and quick reference tool for salary comparisons.
4. When interviewing
Be sure to ask meaningful questions to really understand what’s important to your candidate on a business and personal level.
With six out of 10 UK employees expecting to lose their job, if the business situation of their employer is affected by the Covid-19 crisis, this proves that it is ‘job security’ and not ‘reward’ will be front of mind for many candidates right now.
Be empathetic and aware of how they are feeling and find out what is valuable to them.
It also goes without saying that avoid face-to-face interviews where possible. A daunting, but outdated thought for many hiring managers, especially with regards to permanent contracts, however it has been proven that the nation can successfully operate from the comfort of their homes with the aid of modern technology.
5. Consider Gig workers.
If you need to fill temporary workforce gaps, finding qualified gig workers can be a good solution. Besides fulfilling short-term business needs, gig workers are also engaged for their specialist competencies to drive innovation and enable skills transfer within the organisation.
Twago Marketplace can help you quickly find qualified gig workers. This easy-to-use global platform helps you reach the most qualified gig talent, easily and efficiently.
6. A dedicated recruitment partner.
As your dedicated recruitment partner, Randstad can help you meet short-term talent needs
at speed, with maximum cost efficiency. We have a pool of highly-skilled professionals that you can tap into to achieve workplace flexibility, productivity and efficiency. Our team of dedicated specialists ensures that your employees or flexible staffing are well taken care of, so that you can focus on activities that have a greater impact on your business.
