5 Things We Have Learned About Recruiting in an Uncertain World
After nearly two years of a jobs market directed largely by the covid pandemic, until recently we were looking forward to some sort of normalization. However, with the new omicron variant, the world appears to have once more been turned on its head.
How can we expect 2022 to shape up for hiring companies? Has the pandemic taught us anything that will help us hire more effectively during the next 12 months? What hiring trends can we expect now?
1. Expect the Unexpected and Prioritize Flexibility
We’ve all heard the phrase ‘new normal’. It’s been hard to define what this really means. Now we know. Theirs is nothing normal about the new normal. Uncertainty is something that companies must become used to, and this means that hiring strategies must be flexible.
Companies are likely to suffer with their people being ill more often, and with being forced to isolate because they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive. This will make maintaining adequate staffing levels difficult.
Consequently, hiring for permanent jobs may become more challenging. Hiring budgets may be restricted as business strategies feel the strain of an unpredictable market. Instead, we could expect organizations to adopt staffing strategies that rely more on contract and contract-to-hire personnel as they seek to keep costs down and flexibility high.
2. The Great Resignation May Continue
Companies have been shocked at the new phenomenon of resignation. Dubbed the Great Resignation, some studies show that as many as one third of employees plan to quit their jobs in 2022. Does this mean that the other two-thirds of your staff are safe from leaving? Not at all.
As more people leave their jobs, positions will open that may be attractive to those safe two-thirds of staff. Those star employees of yours could be tempted to follow the mass exodus. And it’s going to get easier for people to quit and take new jobs, not only because more jobs are becoming available, but because of remote working opportunities.
3. Remote and Hybrid Work Is Not Going to Go Away
Companies adapted very rapidly to the first waves of the pandemic and the ensuing work-from-home edicts. So did employees. So much so, that many want to continue to work remotely. Again, surveys have shown that around a third of employees would consider quitting their current job if they were forced to work full time in the office again.
A solution that is being embraced by more companies is to offer hybrid working – with part-time at home and part-time in the office. This satisfies many workers’ desires for a better work/life balance and the employers’ desire to have their people back in the office.
We mustn’t forget, either, that employers’ hands may be tied by the need to consider employee requests for remote work options under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
4. It’s Time to Upskill Your Workforce
The Great Resignation – that some are saying has become the Great Attrition – could be the opportunity for many firms to upskill their workforce and strengthen during 2022. What McKinsey & Company is calling the ‘Great Attraction’. To do so, you must remain agile in the jobs market, and take a forward-looking approach to hiring – utilizing contract-to-hire positions to ‘try before your buy’. We don’t expect top talent to be on the job market long, and it may be time to invest in your future and speculate to accumulate (within reason, of course).
5. Embed Remote Hiring Processes in Your Hiring Strategy
As we move through what may be another pandemic-plagued year, and more positions are filled by remote workers, hiring managers should develop their skills in hiring remotely. Hiring companies should consider if there are more innovative ways in which they can use technology to attract, test, and interview candidates virtually.
A Recruitment Rollercoaster Only If You Allow It to Be
Many think that next year will be another rollercoaster ride for hiring firms. We believe if you expect the unexpected, you can smooth your recruitment journey. 2022 could be the year that your workforce transforms into the strongest it has ever been, provided you employ the right strategies to employ the best people.
Each company will, of course, face its own challenges in hiring, maintaining, and retaining high-performing teams. For a confidential discussion about your unique hiring challenges and how they can be turned into opportunities, contact TECHEAD today.
