If you’ve been on the internet in the past week, month, day, or half-hour, you’ve most likely seen some version of the headline, “How COVID-19 Will Permanently Alter [Insert Industry Here].”
And for a good reason. The pandemic has shined a light on the lack of a business continuity plan in many industries — including recruiting. The process of building teams is quickly evolving for countless companies, and this change is especially daunting for organizations that lack a flexible staffing strategy.
Whether trying to find and hire temp workers or something a bit more permanent, recruiting and staffing won’t be the same once the pandemic subsides. What will it look like then?
1. It’ll be from a distance.
Social distancing won’t just be a solution for decluttering restaurants and bars. Recruiting from a distance — and with the help of virtual technology — will be essential to any business continuity plan.
Much of the recruiting cycle (e.g., sourcing, interviewing, etc.) will go virtual to respond to the demand for more contact-free interactions. When considering what is in a business continuity plan of the future, a flexible staffing strategy with comprehensive virtual elements will be necessary.
2. Specialized staffing agencies may lose steam.
Some staffing agencies focus on specific industries, such as hospitality. Unfortunately, those outfits might see dwindling finances and human resources as temp workers look elsewhere for opportunities.
This is especially crucial for hotels and resorts that are starting to see guest numbers increase as social distancing guidelines lighten. Lower numbers equated to a greater need to find temp workers. A flexible staffing strategy — or more than one — can help close that gap.
3. More businesses will look to temporary workers.
With uncertainty still circling several facets of business, it’d be wise for some to exercise caution. As a result, you might see more companies choosing to find temp workers to protect their interests.
Food service and hospitality, a pair of areas left in tenuous positions by COVID-19, might each integrate temporary worker searches into a business continuity plan. Each arena will need to scale up or down depending on demand, and companies may turn to temporary support to avoid having to furlough or lay off staff members during inopportune times.
4. A push to find temp workers for new roles.
Employee protection will factor heavily in business continuity plans going forward, though not every business will have the resources readily available to do that. The solution could be temporary support roles aimed at monitoring overall staff health.
Social distancing coaches, contact tracers, temperature checkers, and similar duties could be included in a business continuity plan to ensure companies remain compliant and protect their workers’ best interests. These positions will need to be built into a flexible staffing strategy and filled by temporary recruits with the availability to fill in whenever and wherever they’re needed.
With the aftereffects of COVID-19 having already arrived — or coming very soon — a business continuity plan has never been more essential. Develop a flexible recruiting strategy capable of shifting with these fluid times.
Integrity Staffing Solutions is a full-service staffing agency that ranks in the top 2% of agencies across the country for quality service based on Clearly Rated’s “Best of Staffing” client survey. To learn more about Integrity or for help with your hiring needs, visit integritystaffing.com or call 833-446-1300.
