Here’s how companies need to adapt

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the business world and put tens of millions out of work in the U.S. At the same time, it’s caused a seismic shift in the way many companies operate, the biggest change being that more business functions are done while working remotely.

 But along with the work-from-home aspect, the fallout from the coronavirus will fundamentally change recruiting and hiring practices long after the pandemic has passed.

Social distancing, shelter-in-place orders and the forced closing of businesses will change the way we look at employment. No longer will the promises of changing the world attract the modern workforce. Safety and job stability are at the top of the mind for the modern job seeker — and that changed what they want in a job.

Businesses will have to become employee-centric as well as customer-centric. The companies that have the ability to capture that part of the employee message, put it into their employer branding, and reinforce it throughout recruitment marketing campaigns are going to be the companies moving ahead in a much different world.

 As states begin different stages of reopening for business, here is a breakdown of what companies should do when recruiting, hiring, and re-hiring:

 Create a communication campaign. If you’re a company that laid off employees with the hope of bringing them back, you have to reach out with genuine communication that goes the extra mile. It should let them know in detail what steps the company is taking. Those people who were let go unexpectedly and lived paycheck to paycheck, they will be emotionally drained and stressed. A company bringing them back needs to make them feel valued so the company doesn’t lose that relationship.

Be careful in rehiring. Rehires won’t be a straightforward process for some companies. Circumstances won’t allow them to rehire or bring back from furlough all of their former employees. Employers must be cautious in determining who to bring back to the workplace; they need to mitigate the risk of potential discrimination claims, which could be based on the decision not to bring back certain employees. Employers will need to have a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for choosing which employees to rehire. Those reasons include seniority, operational needs, or documented past performance issues. Employers should document their decision-making process now, before deciding who will be invited back.

 Focus on expanded employee rights. I think a new appreciation for workers may be emerging as state and local governments mandate paid sick leave and family leave during the outbreak. Some companies are shifting their focus to hourly workers as well for those perks. This change could become permanent as organizations work hard to hire new staff and increase retention rates.

 Streamline the process. If the recruiting process gets backlogged, it causes problems for your current employees and an under-staffed company. It becomes frustrating for them, because they’re forced to work overtime, and the big workload kills morale and increases turnover.

Most companies look at hiring people as a transaction — they need to fill a seat. They place a job posting and fill the job. In the new world, that will no longer be the case. To get the best talent, companies will have to engage people sooner, more thoughtfully, and put a higher priority on what employees value most in a job.       

Jack Whatley (www.humancodeofhiring.com) is a recruiting strategist who specializes in creating employer branding campaigns that position companies as the employer of choice in their market. He is author of the upcoming book “Human Code of Hiring: DNA of Recruitment Marketing.”.