Workforce efficiency is key to success in a market facing labor shortages and skills gap issues. Factor in a global pandemic, and most companies have had to reimagine how they meet staffing requirements, asking questions like: What are the current recruiting and staffing challenges? Should we partner with an outside firm to help support recruiting needs? How is COVID-19 impacting the way business is done?

MEETING SUPPLY AND DEMAND

One of the biggest challenges during the pandemic is how to meet changes in supply and demand. During unprecedented times, the supply of product as well as personnel are of primary concern. In the Food and Beverage industry, for example, COVID-19 led to increased demand because most consumers were eating at home instead of going out to restaurants. This trend drove up production, requiring knowledgeable, reliable employees to achieve high-impact results. Even with new safety protocols in place (temperature checks, face shields, physical distancing, extra sanitation, etc.), some existing staff still fall ill or have to care for sick family members and/or supervise children learning from home. Such issues, combined with a lack of loyalty among today’s workers (leaving for better opportunities), has rendered the workforce inadequate to meet the growing demand.

ATTRACTING TALENT

So, the next challenge is to find and hire top tier talent in a competitive candidate landscape to fill open roles—from operators and maintenance technicians, all the way up to senior management. This is further complicated by the fact most people are already employed and looking to better their situation. Here are some hiring practices that will help attract the right talent, with the right skill set:

• Be creative in finding and identifying candidates – they won’t always come to you
• Write accurate, realistic job descriptions for each role in your company
• Streamline your recruiting, interviewing, and hiring process
• Stick to questions that lead to making a good-quality hiring decision
• Share stories to entice a candidate to choose your company over another
• Keep the process moving forward, with a high level of excitement
• Involve key decision-makers, directly impacted by a role
• Cater to the candidate, i.e. why they should come work for you (this may mean offering a bit more pay, improved benefits, or a different/preferred shift)
• Passionately communicate your company’s brand, culture, and career opportunities
• Make offers quickly to avoid losing a candidate

CONCLUSION

These tips are geared towards the present day, but will no doubt continue to be applicable in the years to come as you strive to build a stable, high-performing workforce who is excited to come to work.