In the video below, CareerPlug’s Director of HR, Natalie Morgan, shares her thoughts on what employers can do now to prepare for hiring after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

As we continue to navigate the immediate impact of COVID-19 in our community, we wanted to share a little bit about what we’re seeing in our job data right now at CareerPlug. As many businesses we work with are heavily impacted, many have completely shut down, making the tough decisions to lay off staff. We’d like to share some forward-looking thoughts on what we can do in the meantime to prepare to open back up. 

What our jobs data says

First, what are we seeing from our data on the job boards? Overall, there’s been a decrease in new job openings and applicants per job, though it appears to be evening out instead of continuing to decrease. Industries like insurance and financial services and still operating and actively posting new jobs right now. As you might expect the biggest decrease we’ve seen is in businesses that are presumably shut down due to social distancing measures, like fitness centers and restaurants. 

While there’s still uncertainty about when it will happen, businesses will open back up, restaff, and return to serving their communities in the future. We’re all hoping we are safe and healthy soon and when that happens many of us are going to be busy hiring and rehiring. Here are a few things you can do to prepare for the present. 

1. Stay in touch with your employees.

If you are one of the businesses that have had to shut down or layoff staff and plan to rehire when you open, stay in touch. This will probably look different for every business, but it can look like:

• Pointing your former employees towards resources or funds to help get them through
• Sharing with them positions that are hiring
• Giving them a quick update on a weekly cadence

This is a tough time for businesses and individuals alike and approaching your employees with a giving spirit where you’re able will solidify their loyalty in the long run. 

2. Be prepared to hire again.

Make sure you have your ducks in a row to rehire and hire. If you’re using an ATS like CareerPlug, this may be a good time to plan out your hiring process, prepare job descriptions, and gather interview guides so that you can press play when it’s time to go. In most cases, when you need to make a hire, it may feel like that hire needs to happen right now, and I expect there will be even more urgency this time around so whatever you can do to get the logistics out of the way will help you staff up faster. 

3. Learn how to rehire.

Educate yourself on the rehiring process. For example, if you’re rehiring an employee within three years of hiring them you can use their original Form I-9 and fill out Section 3 or do a brand new form. There may be other paperwork that you want rehires to re-sign rather than relying on previous copies. Do a little of your own research so you can tailor what you need to do to rehire for your business.

4. Build up your employer brand.

You can always work on improving your employer brand in anticipation of future hiring. Stay active on social media, update your careers page with fresh photos and copy, and think about how you can stand out by improving candidate experience for new employees you need to hire. 

You can also build your employer brand by working to retain your existing staff. For example, think about how you can help alleviate paycheck stress for your employees. If they’re seeing reduced income from reduced hours, their bank accounts may be stretched thin. Many may find it difficult to access their money quickly when they get paid on a bi-weekly basis. Provide them with knowledge about financial solutions and services that can release paychecks early, meaning that payments can be deposited a few days in advance of when they’re typically released into employee bank accounts. This can help alleviate some of the stress that your employees feel with regard to their personal finances.

Take action

We want to help everyone hire up and get back to business when the time is right. Feel free to reach out to us with any questions or thoughts at marketing@careerplug.com.