Eric Friedman is the Founder and CEO of eSkill, a global leader in skills testing and behavioral assessment solutions for employers.
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Before Covid-19, companies tended to assess employees on whether they had the capabilities the organization needed to meet its strategic goals. While that is still true today, companies also understand that they need to assess the soft skills and behavioral skills employees need to function in an evolving work environment.
The reintegration of remote teams back into the office will face challenges — not the least of which is that employees may not want to return.
Employees Want Remote Work
As more people have had the opportunity to work remotely, many are finding they like it. According to PwC, 22% of employees said they are considering or planning a move more than 50 miles away from their current job and 40% of those laid off are planning a move as well.
Companies need to evaluate remote work policies right now and decide what is acceptable for the future. Employees who worked remotely during the pandemic may be frustrated if they are called back into the office and may look for other job opportunities. According to one survey, slightly more than one-third of current work-from-home employees say they would rather quit than return to the office full time. When hiring, companies will need to be more open to remote work.
Permanent remote work requires different skill sets, so you need to make sure your pre-hire assessment screenings are adequate to assess fitness for remote work.
Continued Remote Hiring
For human resources (HR) teams, virtual interviews and remote hiring are here to stay. While an in-person visit is important, HR teams and hiring managers have found it is possible to assess prospects virtually.
One tool hiring teams have found useful is asynchronous, or on-demand, video interviews. During in-person interviews, it is easy to forget key questions or frame them differently, making it difficult to compare candidate answers. Not only are on-demand video interviews ideal for virtual hiring, but they also provide a more objective assessment of candidates.
If companies are open to remote workers, it opens the door to significantly larger candidate pools since you will not be bound by geographical limits. On-demand video interviews make it easier for candidates to complete assessments on their own time or across time zones. Asynchronous job interviews are also time-savers for HR teams, which can also share video responses for group assessments.
Digitization Of The Recruitment Process
Besides video interviewing, HR teams will need to take additional steps to digitize the recruitment process. Employers can no longer rely on reputation to attract the best candidates.
Top talent is always in demand. With increased competition for high performers, HR teams need to create digital tools. This process includes digital copies of employee manuals, benefits, HR policies, procedures, rule books and training manuals. For virtual hiring and remote employees, training videos and learning modules can facilitate onboarding quickly and efficiently when current employees are pressed for time.
Evolving Job Skills
If we have learned anything over the past year, it is that resiliency, adaptability and independent problem-solving are more important than ever. A recent survey from LinkedIn ranks adaptability as the top skill recruiters and hiring managers will need in a post-Covid-19 environment.
As companies are digitizing more work processes and deploying new technologies, it is creating new opportunities and new fears. According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs report, 43% of businesses report they are planning to reduce their workforce by substituting technological solutions. As workers fear job losses, both employers and employees are recognizing the need for agility. Employees need to upskill and employers will need to provide workers opportunities to learn new skills and grow.
Emphasis On Internal Hiring
Another trend that we are seeing is a focus on internal promotions. Data from LinkedIn shows a 20% increase in internal mobility since Covid-19. Creating opportunities for redeploying internal employees with the right skill sets can help improve retention of top talent. According to the same LinkedIn report, employees working at companies with high internal mobility stay nearly twice as long.
Decreased Recruiting Budgets
Half of human resources professionals are expecting further reductions in recruiting budgets. There will be even greater pressure to fill open spots quickly and efficiently. HR teams will need cost-effective solutions that demonstrate a strong return on investment (ROI).
With decreased recruiting budgets, it's more important than ever for HR to look to alternative ways of conducting their business and making sure the pipeline of new employees is solid. Technology offers opportunities to meet this and future challenges, so don't be afraid to explore the options.
As Covid-19 begins to fade, a well-integrated, analytics-driven HR tech stack will be essential to adapt and evolve.
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