6 Key Considerations for Your Post-Recession People Strategy

Does this sound familiar?

It's been a tough 12 months with more than a few difficult decisions, but you've made it through.

Now, in the wake of lockdown, you’re ready to put the pandemic behind you and turn your attention to talent acquisition. A new wave of optimism is flowing through your business.

However, things have changed. 

The talent landscape is different.  

And if you don’t adapt quickly, your business won’t just struggle to retain its current talent - you’ll struggle to attract new talent, too.

That’s a big loss for you, and a big win for your competitors. 

What do you do?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone - and there’s a solution to your people problems. 

If you want to build back better than before, it’s time to blow the dust off of your people strategy, and these 6 actions are a great place to start.

 

Hiring Post-Recession? Build back better with these 6 tips:

 

1. Start recruiting remotely

Face-to-face is losing pace - and for good reason.

Remote recruiting is a convenient, efficient and cost-effective way to hire at scale. 

No more manic meeting room booking, no more availability nightmares, and no more parking problems. If you struggle with the issues attached to traditional in-person interviews, remote recruiting is the answer. 

By recruiting remotely, you’ll help your business to: 

• Boost your team productivity and reduce time-to-hire
• Increase the number of candidates you’re able to attract, screen and interview
• Avoid the hassle of physical meetings, such as travel, finding suitable times and booking meeting rooms

There are a number of tools, such as Odro, out there that’ll help you get set up with a video interview process quickly and easily.

 

2. Adapt your office environment 

Before COVID, the biggest changes 90% of offices had made were adding in a few beanbags and the occasional breakout room. 

However, the rise of remote working has changed things - and your 2020 office needs to change with it. 

Ask yourself:

a) What can your office do that remote working can’t cover? 

b) How does that translate into office changes? 

For example, if your teams are missing the buzz and engagement of in-person meetings, perhaps it’s time to ditch the cubicles and add more collaborative areas.

 

3. Review your culture and Employee Value Proposition (EVP)

Now more than ever, candidates want to work with businesses whose values align with theirs. 

Whether it’s been keeping water flowing or supplying vital hospital equipment, if you’ve kept operating during lockdown, chances are you’ve found a new purpose to inspire your employees. 

So, work out what your purpose is - and don’t keep it quiet.

Broadcast it front and centre of your recruitment campaigns to show prospective employees the wider impact their work will have. 

You also need to be clear about redundancies. 

It’s going to be one of the first questions you’ll be asked by candidates. So, if your business had to make redundancies during lockdown, ensure you have a definitive explanation prepared to tackle their objections and address their concerns. 

 

4. Implement remote working

Do your teams 100% need to be office-based? Do they need to be 100% UK-based?

Remote working is no longer a convenient perk - it’s a clear expectation - and more and more companies are addressing this by scaling down their office operations. 

This is a valuable challenge for your business, and it means more for you than just saving money on expensive office space. 

If you’ve been confined to recruiting within a 30-mile radius, then your candidate pool just exploded. 

So, if you’ve got some difficult roles that you’re struggling to fill, it could be time to look further afield. 

 

5. Review salaries for in-demand roles

Picture this: you’re a systems engineer. You were furloughed during lockdown and are now back at work, but you’re considering your options. You’ve floated your CV on the market and have been offered 2 positions from 2 different companies. 

Company A: Work from home, 40 hours/week, £45k. 

Company B: Work from home, 40 hours/week, £50k + benefits. 

Which one do you go for? 

Whilst branding and your Employer Value Proposition play a part here too, salary is key. 

The truth is, if your recruitment is picking up, the same is likely for your competitors. 

So, if you want to fill your roles effectively and secure a market advantage by attracting top talent, the remuneration packages on offer need to reflect that heightened demand. 

 

6. Know where you stand with supply and demand 

Your talent is a key commodity to your business - when you need it most, it might not be available. 

The result? Burned recruitment budget, project delays and ultimately, lost revenue and market share. 

So, before starting your recruitment drive, it’s paramount that you have a clear picture of the talent landscape so you know where to look, what to pay, and how heavy the competition is for those roles.