As businesses begin to reopen and COVID-19 restrictions begin to lift, companies find they are having trouble filling available positions. One of the primary factors for this is that the March 2020 CARES Act’s increased unemployment benefits now often outweigh paid positions. Subsequently, this has resulted in a lack of applicants for open job positions, slowing economic recovery. Compounding the issue is a lingering fear of exposure to the COVID-19 virus, limiting those willing to return to the workforce.
To combat these new challenges, here are four steps that organizations can take to find quality talent in the post-pandemic world:
1. Detail your company’s plan of action for COVID-19 in your job postings
Applicants need to be aware of the precautions that employers are taking to limit potential exposure to COVID-19. Companies being upfront about their efforts to protect their workers’ health is crucial in attracting future employees.
- Advertise the social distancing efforts being made in the workplace.
- Decreasing capacity limits when/where necessary.
- The offering of remote interviews and telecommuting when possible.
- Making masks and hand sanitizer readily accessible to employees.
2. Incentivize Applicants to Return to the Workforce
One of the toughest challenges facing economic recovery is a lack of incentive for employees to return to work. Emergency financial support from the CARES Act, which in many cases has been more lucrative than the average employees’ monthly earnings, has stifled job growth. Employers will need to rethink strategy and formulate attractive incentives for new hires despite the potential risk of COVID-19 exposure.
- To counter the allure of receiving government aid over a working position, employers could institute signing bonuses as an added benefit to new hires.
- Increases in starting wages.
- Create and advertise monetary incentives for accomplishing various goals.
3. Create Perks That Support Employees’ Health
Developing benefits that offer support for your employees’ mental, physical, and emotional health is paramount for setting yourself apart from competing employers. By providing various perks that improve your employees’ lives during the pandemic, you promote future employees that their health and safety are of top concern to their employer.
- Online therapy sessions.
- Gym memberships/online fitness subscriptions.
- Offering and encouraging additional paid time off.
- Hosting virtual happy hours/hangouts among employees.
- Memberships to online food delivery/streaming services.
4. Emphasize the Long-Term Opportunities for Career Growth
Since employers are in direct competition with unemployment benefits, it is essential to stress that unemployment benefits expire while career opportunities offer long-term financial security. By emphasizing career growth opportunities within the company, employers can make it clear to potential employees that they have more than a temporary position upon signing on.
Recruiting new employees before the pandemic was difficult enough, but the challenges brought forth directly and indirectly from COVID-19 have often made the hiring process seem impossible. Utilizing the strategies above can facilitate your company’s ability to attract and hire quality talent, expediting your business’ return to normalcy.
If you are struggling with finding qualified and motivated candidates in this uncertain environment, consider partnering with us. From an executive search to process outsourcing, our team integrates technology and expertise to recruit the most qualified candidates of all levels and functions for our clients. In our extensive database, we most likely have several experienced and hard-working candidates in your industry in need of a new opportunity.
We provide our full HR managed services clients a substantial discount for recruiting services. These fees are 50 to 75% off the industry’s traditional fee structure.
Quantum is offering the same discounted fee to new recruiting-only clients for a limited time. Our fee for your first four searches over the next five months will be 10% of the annual compensation of the new hire. Call 610.624.1770 to take advantage of this offer!