Companies always have boasted that their people are their most important asset and the source of their greatest competitive advantage. And while that may be true, for much of the last decade organizations rarely were forced to compete for talent the way they fight for customers. That all began to change several years ago, as work became more technical, collaborative, and specialized. COVID-19 has temporarily eased the talent crunch, but it already is showing signs of returning as the curve flattens and more and more states reopen. To attract and keep employees and contingent workers, successful firms of the future must approach their workforce assets strategically, building their brand as talent-centric hiring organizations.
The state of your company’s talent strategy and pipeline as at three months ago has probably been altered dramatically. At the top of your list, you probably are looking at ways to cut costs, and limit new hires currently. In light of these circumstances, your hiring program and talent pipeline may need to be rejuvenated in preparation for when the economy gets moving again. This is why you need to put your talent pipeline rejuvenation plan into action now, before the hiring frenzy begins.
In our recently released whitepaper, we discussed some of the unexpected work-from-home benefits the COVID-19 quarantine has uncovered. Now we turn to some pitfalls companies and managers must navigate in order to realize all those advantages. To get the most productivity out of employees, companies should avoid making these mistakes.
The COVID-19 quarantine has shone a spotlight on the skills employees need to successfully work from home. Communication and productivity issues top the list, and Metasys has addressed these challenges in previous posts, but we have found several other psychological, professional, and collaboration hurdles remote workers need to overcome in order to avoid burnout and maintain their careers – and their sanity – during the pandemic.
With Coronavirus confining your workforce to their homes, management by walking around is no longer an option. But while your team may be working away from the office, your leadership and people skills may be more important than ever before as you guide your organization through these trying times. If you are unused to managing a remote workforce, you may want to alter your style to accommodate your most important asset.
In the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there’s a good chance you have been assigned to work from home. If you’re not used to performing your job remotely, it can seem a daunting proposition. Blocking distractions, staying motivated, maintaining lines of communication, even knowing when to knock off for the day are all real challenges for work-from-home neophytes. Fortunately, a significant portion of the employment universe has blazed a trail through the remote-work wilderness. Freelancers, contractors, consultants, and other contingent workers know how to deal with the hurdles associated with non-traditional work. You can learn from their processes, tricks, and hacks that help them take advantage of all the benefits working from home offers.
As the business community comes to grips with Coronavirus (COVID-19), they are altering the way work gets done. Your company probably has implemented hygiene standards throughout your operations and expanded work-from-home functionality for as many staff members as possible so workers can practice crucial social distancing. Your people’s health is the top priority. But while containing the spread of the virus and exhibiting compassion for those affected, firms still must maintain supply chains, deliver outputs, and service their customers.
As the nature of work evolves, businesses struggle to transform. They face an existential challenge as digitization continues alter the way people work, how labor and jobs are defined, and how workers are recruited and employed.
With the United States flirting with full employment, many cutting-edge companies are turning to consultants, freelancers, and other contingent workers to meet the skills shortages they face. Employing a significant percentage of non-employee workers can build in the flexibility and scalability that companies need in order to compete in today’s competitive environment. Using non-traditional workers and building a pool of outside talent gives your company a jumpstart when you need to quickly increase production, launch a new product, create a new marketing plan, write custom software, or complete any other project that requires specialized skills.
Companies are forced to toe a fine line when trying to motivate their contingent workforces. On one side, labor laws prohibit organizations from treating freelancers and independent contractors the same way they treat salaried and hourly full-time workers when it comes to benefits, payment, and control over how the work gets done. On the other side, psychologists and human resources professionals advise firms to do everything in their power to make contingent workers feel welcome and part of the team by erasing the distinction between internal and external workers.
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