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FM CAREERS - RECRUITMENT
GETTING PEOPLE ONLINE The global crisis has led organisations to completely rethink and revitalise how they recruit and onboard new
employees. We learn how to utilise the latest technologies and techniques to successfully bring new people
onboard, wherever they are based
Over the last few months we’ve been forced
to rethink our working lives, adopting
new technology and processes to enable
organisations to keep functioning despite the
unprecedented challenges. These adjustments have
not only a ected existing employees but radically
altered the recruitment process. For instance, the
default way of interviewing potential candidates
now is by video call something which would have
been unusual only a few months ago when face-toface
was the norm.
According to Jacky Carter, Group Digital
Engagement Director at Hays Talent Solutions(1) :
“For the roles we’ve been asked to hire during the
crisis so far, all parties are quite comfortable to take
this crucial first meeting online, even though it’s a
first time for many.
“We’ve even built a group assessment process
which is entirely online, yet enables group
interaction and o ers the hiring team a chance to
evaluate candidates in a group setting. Ensuring
inclusivity is critical in those processes – everyone
must be given equal access and opportunity.”
If securing a new job looks very di erent from
what it was a few months ago, so are the processes
involved in settling in remote based employees
to their new roles. Anna Binder, Head of People
at Asana, provides some useful tips to seamlessly
onboard remote workers and make them feel part
of the team:
Make the first-day count – Onboarding is a pivotal
moment for making new hires feel included.
Start by ensuring that all critical information,
like internal communications channels, team
directories, shared calendars are easily accessible.
This may seem obvious but o en existing teams
fall into the trap of getting new employees ramped
up and contributing before they’ve had time to
settle in properly.
Your core focus for the day should be replicating
the feeling of being in the same room as your
new hire and helping them settle into your
team culture. We do this by creating an online
community for new hires on Slack and arranging
virtual meetings and one-on-one co ee catch-ups
so they feel connected to the wider team.
At the end of the day, managers should always
check in with new hires to recap their first day,
answer any questions and make sure they’re
settling in. These practices can unearth areas for
improvement and help employees feel heard and
included.
Provide clarity on boundaries and expectations –
Before your new hire joins, be sure to share what
kind of flexibility your team o ers, and how you
communicate your availability when working from
home. According to our research(2), nearly 60 per
cent of global employees are working di erent
hours now than before, and nearly 80 per cent of
parents are home-schooling their children while
managing work. This can be disorienting for new
hires, especially those who are balancing more
responsibilities at home.
Start by having your recruiters provide an
overview, and then encourage managers to
discuss details with the new hire. At Asana, we
encourage all employees to mark their calendars
with the hours that they are or aren’t available,
and their needs for mental health breaks and
regularly scheduled time o . Being at home and
working is not a replacement for vacation days and
honouring that is important.
Connect with your new hire before they start – We
need connection now more than ever - especially
when starting a new job remotely. It’s essential to
provide managers with resources and guidance
on how to successfully support new teammates,
whether they’re starting their first day in the o ice
or virtually. We encourage managers to reach out
and get acquainted with new hires before their
start date and request that they’re included on all
pre-onboarding emails and encouraged to jump
in to o er additional support. We also suggest
setting up a mentorship program, where any new
starters are connected with a designated peer who
provides professional guidance, motivation, and
emotional support. During the current climate, it’s
increasingly important to ensure new hires have a
direct line of communication with their manager
and a teammate, so they can get questions
answered and reduce the uncertainty that can
build up before even starting.
Don’t assume that everyone has the same team
norms – Be open and transparent with new hires
by asking them how they prefer to communicate,
and set clear agreements about how you will
work together. Our research found that nearly
two-thirds (62 per cent) of global workers are
using collaboration so ware, messaging and
video conferencing tools more while working from
home, and almost 25 per cent of US workers are
using collaboration tools for the first time. Whether
employees are working remote or in the o ice,
it’s important to cultivate trust from day one. We
encourage managers to start by being honest
about their current work from home experience,
broader expectations and boundaries, as well as
any challenges they’ve faced. This creates a space
for the new hire to feel safe to open up about
their experience, ultimately fostering a strong,
long-term relationship between managers and
their team.
According to Carter, as we move through this crisis,
recruitment and management needs to adapt, and
employers will need to evolve their approach as they
go, and look for new opportunities to connect. Says
Carter: “We’re having to find new ways of having
fun together over our video conferencing tool of
choice and explore new ways to build and evolve our
cultures in di erent ways than we’re used to.”
She concludes: “Having achieved all that it’s
important to use this precious time to think about
which parts of the ‘old normal’ you will take forward
into the post-crisis era and why, and which you will
happily wave goodbye to.”
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REFERENCE NOTES
(1) https://www.haystalentsolutions.com/managed-serviceprogramme
msp/
(2) https://asana.com/press/releases/pr/asana-anatomyof
work-remote-teams-survey-reveals-two-thirds-of-globalemployees
embracing-collaboration-tools/34843f90-7760-
49cd-9d1b-fdb305a8f4b1
52 JULY 2020
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