Hiring During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Is phase 2 of the COVID-19 pandemic about to hit? Are companies going to extend working from home? Has this “new normal” become just normal now? 

While the majority of companies have transitioned their employees to working from home, most anticipated this would only last a few months. However, this “temporary” situation has become more permanent than we expected. But Not to Fear! We have provided you with some insights into hiring during COVID-19 from both the employer and employee perspective. 

Did you know?

Many companies were hesitant with the transition to working from home but many have seen equal to or if not better productivity. According to a OnePoll and Citrix survey , 45% of employers were “fairly ready” for this transition, while 38% reported that their company had an easy time making the move. 

A survey conducted by 451 Research found that 67% of IT decision-makers expect work-from-home policies to remain in place permanently or at least for the long term. To further this, a recent Gartner survey found that 74% of responding CFO’s and Finance leaders have planned to permanently shift their companies to remote work post Covid-19. While major companies such as Twitter and Square have already gone ahead and given employees the option to remain remote permanently.

Throughout this pandemic, companies have had to completely change their ways of operating. This has led to a fundamental change in the recruiting and hiring processes. 

While many companies had to let go of numerous employees at the peak of the pandemic, lots of new employment opportunities are now on the horizon. However, most hiring processes have had to be reconstructed and adjusted accordingly. 

 

Employers

For employers, there is a need to focus on certain skill sets that may have been previously overlooked: 

Virtual Workers 

• Having the ability to work virtually and remotely is increasingly becoming a necessity. These individuals have the capacity to join a team quickly and effectively, while being comfortable and proficient with technology.

Self-Motivators

• During this time, individuals who are dependable and self-motivated are crucial to add to a team. Additionally, time-management skills and fast-learners are important qualities, as work from home schedules are constantly changing and the need to learn various skills quickly is never-ending. 

 

Well Versed

• Hiring employees who have excellent communication skills and who are able to build and maintain virtual relationships with coworkers and supervisors in unique ways, is highly valuable. Also, someone who has the ability to deal with potential high levels of stress and crisis is key. 

Value Perspective 

• A large amount of people have struggled while job searching since the beginning of the pandemic, thus it is important to find people who are able to put perspective on the value of work during this time. Plus, these types of people are typically long-term employees! 

Employees

For employees, many have gained new outlooks while job hunting and are looking for more specific needs: 

Companies Compensation Plan 

• Employees are now looking for a compensation plan that not only includes their preferred pay grade and benefits but also includes an option for work from home benefits. This may be an annual payment to cover wifi, hydro costs, and/or hardware costs. 

Company Culture 

• Company culture is typically an important part of an employee’s decision to take a position with a company. However, nowadays, the way of implementing a good company culture is quite different. To do so, it is key to ensure effective team communication, scheduled virtual meetings, and an organized management. To further this, implementing a rewards program, such as guusto, for your employees is a great motivational incentive. 

Companies Value

• Making sure that your company recognizes and appreciates its new hires is crucial to ensure successful performance. To do this, engaging with the employee is important to make sure that they feel welcomed and acknowledged. Providing dedicated training, promoting teamwork, and prioritizing what employees value most in a position, will positively impact overall company goals. 

Conclusion

As an employer looking for employees, it is essential to understand what attracts quality hires. Meanwhile, as an employee looking for an employer, it is vital to recognize what characteristics are needed in order to secure a job, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the hiring process has now come to rely heavily on technology, whether that be virtual interviews, automated candidate screening or gathering references, having reliable and effective software has become more important than ever before. Software services such as VITAY, can be extremely beneficial.

It is predicted that this “new” work from home transition will be implemented into most companies, thus it’s important to have insight from both the employee and employer’s perspective to ensure success for all! 

Check out more about VITAY or leave a comment below.

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