Despite the fear and uncertainty surrounding humanity’s latest global challenge, economies around the world are still holding, our societies are functioning almost- normally now.
However, The Covid-19 went from an outbreak to a full-on global pandemic. The general public is slowly edging towards confining themselves to their homes and this spells trouble for businesses and institutions across all sectors.
Employment rates are still expected to dip in coming months. Some companies are considering halting their hiring process until the situation improves.
Rather than panic or chalk recruitment and employment up as failed ventures, employers should be considering ways to ensure that their offices and prospective employees are safe from the Covid-19 threat.
There are 3 points that employers and candidates should consider:
- The threat of coronavirus does not mean no one is hiring or that candidates aren’t actively looking for placements.
- We have the means to prepare and protect people in the workplace.
- You can easily digitize your work and recruitment flow.
Digitize Your Recruitment
Yes, a worldwide outbreak is a good enough reason to hesitate. But understanding how the threat spreads and how people contract the virus can help you better prepare your recruitment process.
Chances are that you’re sourcing candidates online. Whether you’re using social media, online job portals, advanced ATS or recruitment software, this phase of the process does not need to change.
The Interview
Digital interviews are an absolute win in this situation. Not only do you protect yourself, your employees, and the applicant, but you also provide your prospects with a measure of flexibility.
Asking candidates to interview remotely, from a personal or familiar setting is a commonly well-received concept. In fact, with the Covid-19 situation, the gesture alone will most likely make them want to work for you even more.
The Candidate
Beyond the interview phase, contact with the candidate might cross over from the digital world. At this point, employers would be worrying over whether the disease would hitchhike its way in on the candidate’s first day on the job.
But interview questions could be the solution here. Make sure to ask your candidate if they’ve travelled to affected areas in the past few weeks, whether they exhibited symptoms and so on. Though unconventional, these questions are a necessity given the worldwide exposure to this coronavirus.
The Working Model
The way employees motivate each other in an office setting is an important factor for maintained productivity. It’s a simple psychological fact that we adopt and display similar characteristics to our co-workers. This is mainly the reason employers shy away from the remote work model.
On the other hand, if you’re hiring during the Covid-19 pandemic, it might make sense to adopt this model, both for new recruits and current employees. In fact, with how disturbing the outbreak is, you can consider offering remote work to your candidates and employees until the situation settles.
Preparation is Key
Whether employers decide to go for remote work or keep to the office model, it’s important to remember that the global outbreak isn’t as worrisome for some people as it is for others. Create a culture of hygienic practices in the workplace in which your employees maintain their welfare. (Through regular use of hand sanitizer, limited physical contact such as handshakes, awareness of their physical wellbeing, etc).
Even if you don’t want to risk hiring until it’s all over, you can still prepare for it. Digitize your recruitment, leverage virtual meetings, forge online connections, and maintain conversations with promising talents for future placements.
The Covid-19 pandemic will eventually pass. We don’t know when, and we don’t know how long it will last. But we do know that recruitment doesn’t have to grind to a halt for this crisis to pass. If anything, whenever this outbreak ends, employers will have very little time to hire candidates and position themselves for the next phase of growth.