Hiring and employment during COVID-19
The first United States case of COVID-19 was reported on January 20. Since then, the U.S. has become the epicenter of the novel coronavirus pandemic with more than twice as many confirmed cases as any other country in the world. The disease has led to lockdowns and quarantines on a scale never before seen in the U.S. as well as significant impacts on the economy and job market.
For employees and workplaces, these shifts could reverberate far into the future, potentially transforming virtually every aspect of hiring and employment.
The Job Market Right Now
Already, the job market is nearly unrecognizable from where it was earlier in 2020. The unemployment rate in February was 3.5 percent -- the same as the record lows at the end of 2019. By the end of March, the unemployment rate was up to 4.4 percent and rising rapidly. During the week ending March 21, the United States Department of Labor tracked 3.28 million unemployment claims—a record for one week, and a 1,163 percent increase from the week before. A week later, another 6.6 million people filed for unemployment.
These numbers show that more employers are downsizing and laying off staff right now than are expanding and hiring new talent. Even as unemployment rates rise, most businesses are still operating, retaining at least some of their employees and adapting their ways of doing business to suit the "new normal" that COVID-19 has created. Many of these pivots could prove to be permanent depending on the benefits that businesses experience in the coming months and the shape that the economy is in at the end of this pandemic.
The New Normal: How Businesses Are Operating in the Time of COVID-19
What does the new normal of COVID-19 look like for businesses?
While certain essential services are going ahead with in-person operations -- including hospitals, grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants that offer takeout, e-commerce, and some manufacturing areas -- many other businesses, from media companies to advertising firms, have largely gone virtual. Digital tools that enable easy communication and collaboration from afar such as Zoom and Slack have been life-savers for many businesses in this challenging time; expect them to remain a part of the business toolkit even after COVID-19 passes.
Companies may do away with many of their in-office requirements and allow more employees to work from home or telecommute from other parts of the country or world. This shift could dovetail with a push to allow for unlimited sick days, given how aware this pandemic has made the public about how easily germs can spread. Remote work was growing before COVID-19: 91 percent from 2009 to 2019, according to data from FlexJobs and Global Workplace Analysis. 2020 could prove to be the inflection point that causes those numbers to explode.
A remote workplace demands a remote hiring strategy. Right now, even businesses that are hiring aren’t performing in-person interviews. One example is Walmart, which is looking to hire 150,000 new team members to assist with the extra traffic and demand. Walmart has responded by drastically shortening its time-to-hire, encouraging online or even text-message-based applications, and conducting all interviews over the phone. If a hiring manager deems a candidate qualified, he or she is authorized to make a job offer on the phone immediately following the interview. This process then flows to email, where candidates receive confirmation emails complete with employee background check authorization forms.
Even after the virus is under control, in-person interviews and handshakes could be a thing of the past; video interviews, phone screenings, mobile technologies, and other virtual communications with job candidates could be the future. In addition to protecting health, remote interview and onboarding tools could limit travel expenses for candidates, boost productivity for hiring managers and staff members, and eliminate scheduling conflicts.
Conclusion
COVID-19 will continue to pose a massive challenge to employers and their workers. However, it is also a chance for businesses to re-evaluate their processes to determine where they can make changes to protect their employees, create healthier workplaces, and embrace technology to achieve greater productivity and results. From digital tools to new work-from-home and time-off policies, many of the employment-related changes that this novel coronavirus has brought with it will likely remain in place.
Image credit: fizkes / Shutterstock
Michael Klazema is Chief Marketing Technologist at VODW.com and has over two decades of experience in digital consulting, online product management, and technology innovation. He is the lead author and editor for Dallas-based backgroundchecks.com with a focus on human resource and employment screening developments.