Employment Industry News
Preparing for an Employment Upsurge
May 2010
Now that you can see the light at the end of the tunnel— and you’re pretty sure it’s not a freight train — do you begin staffing back up to pre-recession levels, or do you keep running a lean-and-mean organization?
Think strategically about your re-staffing needs in terms of revenue growth and customer service, suggests Kanani Masterson, VP of business development for the Tristaff Group, a staffing and executive search firm in San Diego.
Clients who cut back so far that their customers aren’t getting good levels of service damage reputations and relationships, she says. Most of Masterson’s clients make sure that they hire people who will benefit the bottom line.
In the same vein, Richard Reinhardt, vice president of F&H Solutions Group, an HR services group in Atlanta, advises companies to stay lean as long as they can — unless the indicators clearly show that their business is significantly improving.
“It is worse to begin hiring and then lay people off shortly thereafter,” he says.
Don’t Overlook Employees
Existing employees are a key audience that deserves careful attention, says Shawn Boyer, CEO of SnagAJob.com in Richmond, VA. Don’t overlook loyal employees who have helped you through bad times. Focus on those A-level employees that you would like to retain.
Try non-monetary incentives:
- Schedule flexibility Full-time workers may want more time off; part-timers may want more hours.
- Career-path coaching Be proactive. Offer training to help employees get to the next level.
- Say “Thank you” Simple praise and appreciation for a job well done will go a long way.
Follow Policies and Promises
Pay close attention when rehiring. Follow all policies or commitments. “Even if the company thinks that they could find better qualified employees instead of recalling laid-off workers, the rest of the employees in the company will question the integrity of management for not adhering to their own rules,” Reinhardt cautions. Those companies not constrained by a layoff policy can open
the jobs up to all applicants, including former employees.
To prepare for the inevitability of some turnover or to ramp up as the economy improves, Boyer suggests:
- Having a constant pipeline of job candidates to quickly fill hiring needs.
- Staying in touch with A-level candidates you might not currently have room for.
- Developing a system of employee referrals.
Finally, he says: “Be more selective during this round of hiring.” Given the excess of highly qualified candidates this recession has generated, companies have the ability to evaluate their human resource investments more selectively than they may have in the past. Take advantage of it.▲