The Coronavirus outbreak started small and has grown as a pandemic in a few weeks. And this is affecting businesses everywhere, and quite evidently, the recruitment industry hasn’t been spared as well. The jobs market, recruiters plans to hire, and basically, the entire recruitment industry has been significantly impacted, and companies are taking it quite seriously.
In the wake of the global Coronavirus outbreak, companies have started moving to smart, automated systems offering a virtual work environment instead of having any physical interaction. As the companies are concerned about the health of their employees, they have either canceled or postponed physical interviews. Some companies have even opted for video interviewing in case the opening is too crucial. So, effectively we can say the recruitment process is going fully digital.
Remote Online Recruitment
Recruitment surely is an industry that requires the physical presence of both the interviewer and the interviewee. But this is something that needs to be considered when the entire world is trying to contain the virus and people, their fears. A study has revealed that job applications in January of this year, compared to last, has taken almost a 19% drop. And, for the month of February, compared to the previous year, applications have seen a decline of nearly 47%. This clearly shows that candidates are avoiding the recruitment process altogether, firstly, to avoid the uncertainty of a new job and secondly, to prevent a physical interaction with interviewers.
Although the first issue is challenging to solve, the second one is something that the recruiters can take care of. Recruiters around the world have moved on to online tools both for communicating with their clients as well as interviewing candidates. There are a lot of video conferencing tools like Zoom and Skype that can help in the online interview process as well as client communications. As the situation develops, these tools will be put to use more extensively, and you, as a recruiter, need to ensure that you have all the tools required for online recruitment remotely.
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Changes in Workplace Routines
Across a majority of countries around the world, public spaces and places of work have turned empty and bear a ghastly silence. This is the result of companies and entire countries, following lockdown, avoiding anyway a crowd could be amassed. It is quite apparent that most countries, as well as companies, are trying to contain the spread of the virus under any circumstance and ensure the safety of their workforce. But it is quite evident that the spread of this virus is going to affect workplace routines.
Employers are now thinking out of the box and moving to unconventional practices to manage such a rapidly growing crisis. With people self-isolating, schools being closed, and even entire countries being put under lockdown, we will now see more and more people working remotely. Businesses across the globe are encouraging their employees to work remotely while maintaining flexibility based on government orders and public health advisory. Even though it is quite challenging to adapt working remotely for countries like Japan, due to their cultural ethos, and many companies because it was never needed, now everyone is using technology to bring a change to conventional practices finally.
Reduced Business Travel
Unlike Japan, most countries around the world are quite familiar with the concept of working remotely. Communication tools, as well as tools to share files, will be of great help to companies currently and also in case there is a prolonged period of working from home. Most companies across the world are now avoiding any business travel, both essential and non-essential. This area is also where these online tools will come to the rescue. You can easily communicate with your clients using these tools. Based on the increase in flexibility of working and reduction in business travel, the changes made to fight Coronavirus is sure to change the way we work.
This is the right time to put online tools to use and self-quarantine by avoiding all sorts of business travel, both locally and internationally. Using these tools will ensure the safety of employees as well as show your company’s efforts to keep clients safe from exposure to traveling employees.
Work From Home Practices
As discussed earlier, most companies across the world are either opting or have even made it mandatory for the employees to work remotely from home to control the outbreak. Reports have suggested that working from home can decrease stress and increase productivity. It also indicates that companies who support the idea of working from home, eventually end up saving a lot of money. So, working from home, both theoretically and practically are beneficial for employees as well as employers.
As a recruiter, there are a few difficulties in trying to make recruitments, but if you have the right tools with you, it isn’t that much of a task. The outbreak has impacted the industry currently, but in the long run, using the right tools, recruiters can get back to the old flow. To know more about a few tips on how to continue recruiting as before, but from the comfort of your home, read our blog here.
So, what does all this say to us, and how can we prepare? The spread of Coronavirus is a global issue, and it is sure to affect the recruitment industry in a few ways, if not more. Research has shown that there has been a significant reduction in the number of job applications across various industries. But we can inevitably weaken the impact by using online tools for communication to continue the recruitment process. Also, continue displaying the benefits of working with your employers and also their support of remote working. Adapting to this situation is the only way out for recruiters in the coming months.
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