As the Pandemic continues...

In times of crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to have processes in place that enable your business to pivot quickly and easily. It is also important to maintain a sense of camaraderie and tradition, even when your workers are at home instead of side by side in the office. In fact, the continuation of culture is just as important as shifting your business strategy. If culture suffers in a crisis, productivity, morale, and possibly even revenue will fall.

One way to keep the culture intact during a shift to remote work is by providing employees with the same tools that were at their disposal in the office and maintaining the same daily routines. This can help your staff members feel connected to the company culture and one another in a remote setting.

One of the disadvantages of not having all of your workers under one roof is the lack of human interaction, which is a key factor in sustaining a strong company culture. When in-person interaction is impossible, continuous communication becomes vital to ensure that employees feel supported and collaboration can continue. It is important for managers to check in frequently with employees — not just to make sure the work is still being done at a high standard, but also to make sure employees understand that they and their families are the company’s top priority. When you take care of your employees, they are able to successfully take care of others, like your customers and clients.

With so many people have lost their jobs or been furloughed this year, it’s no surprise we have seen an increase in job hunting in impacted industries, with the spherical range of these industries gradually increasing as the pandemic wears on. Many recruiters have also found themselves adjusting to a new talent landscape as the pandemic’s disruptions resulted in an increased need to find more workers in industries such as healthcare, supply chain, and customer service. There has even been a surge of entirely new types of jobs created as a direct result of the pandemic.

Both job seekers and recruiters now find themselves wondering how to best go about their searches in a radically altered job market. While many elements of job hunting and recruiting have not changed at all from pre-pandemic times, there are certainly some things that both job seekers and recruiters should do differently to maximize success.

There is no question we are in unique times. Whether you are a job seeker or recruiter, your ability to be fluent in your communication will make a difference in your ability to connect with others. The skill of  “human fluency” — the ability to be fluent in human interactions — is always relevant, but in the era of virtual meetings, interviews, and onboarding sessions, one’s ability to connect and demonstrate value becomes even more crucial.

This too shall pass. GOOD LUCK