This article was published in June 2021.
The numbers don’t lie: The COVID-19 global pandemic caused dramatic shifts in hiring practices. Anne Bucher, Senior Vice President – Global Customer Experience, shares how organizations pivoted in recent months:
- 75 percent put critical roles on hold
- Organizations with essential workers saw their needs skyrocket
- 80 percent leveraged video interviewing tools
- 40 percent extended offers without in-person interviews
- 40 percent modified their background and drug screens
- 70 percent shifted to virtual onboarding
“We pivoted to this so quickly,” Bucher says. “Years’ worth of adoption happened in weeks. Now we are thinking about what will stick.”
On that list: working from home. “Since hiring leaders now see that virtual work can be successful, this will open talent pools,” she explains.
“Whereas before, talent needed to be near headquarters, now it will open it up the across the country. There will be access to more talent than ever before.”
The pandemic may change the world of work in many ways indefinitely, considering these perspectives:
- 66 percent said hiring leaders are more willing to consider remote working in candidates
- 82 percent will reduce or are considering reducing office space
- 85 percent feel remote working has a negative impact on team building
- 41 percent feel there is a negative impact on their ability to maintain oversight of the workforce
Another tool that’s here to stay is video interviewing. With the power to connect candidates and organizations without the need for travel or the headaches caused by scheduling, this technology often has a positive impact on fill times and the overall candidate experience to boot.
In fact, recent Cielo research shows:
- 80 percent want to keep the change of video interview in their recruitment process
- 5 percent want to maintain virtual onboarding
“There’s been a lot of investment in TA and HR point solutions,” says Bucher, noting that it will continue. “In the next 18 months, there will be a wave of new technology platforms to solve the new way of working.”
Debbie Bolla of HRO Today contributed to this report.
