Data security concerns grow as more individuals are working remotely
Many industries have been forced to reduce their workforces as a result of COVID-19, whereas others have seen the opposite effect. Healthcare, food, and pharmacy retail and supply chain businesses are still employing thousands in the current crisis.
Since many people are forced to stay at home because of the pandemic, Amazon has witnessed an increase in orders and expects to add 100,000 new distribution workers to keep up with the demand. Warehouse employees are being asked to help produce medical devices like ventilators to battle COVID-19, according to a statement from GE in the health care sector.
It’s difficult to find employees when the economy is in such a bad shape. Because of work-at-home rules and social exclusion, finding qualified applicants to fill key posts has become increasingly difficult. To get through these difficult times, many businesses must change the way they conduct the employment process. In the event of a pandemic, here are some pointers for successful recruits to follow:
Utilize digital hiring and collaboration to your advantage
Without a question, now is the best time to invest in an automated, “touch-free” recruitment system. These qualities can keep your hiring funnel running smoothly during and after the crisis.
Innovative tools can easily manage the remote recruitment process end-to-end for firms willing to make the switch, including chatbot engagement, online evaluations, automated scheduling, and video interviews. A restricted or free video-conferencing option, such as Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet, can help you conduct interviews for smaller businesses that are just getting started. During this crisis, Microsoft is even giving away a free Teams subscription to let organizations meet and cooperate in real time.
Recruiting may be easier during a crisis, as practically everyone is at home. You never know who might be seeking work, and with practically the whole country confined to their homes, businesses have a much better chance of reaching potential recruits while they practice isolation.
Virtual Job Fairs
Virtual job fairs are also an excellent way to attract applicants. Companies can host a series of possible candidates and answer any questions they may have about the position via an online communication platform, just like they would at a traditional job fair. CVS Pharmacy, for example, is presently recruiting via virtual job fairs, virtual interviews, and virtual job tryouts.
LinkedIn Job-posting
LinkedIn is even providing free job posting tools to all critical businesses during the coronavirus outbreak. LinkedIn intends to immediately link candidates with frontline companies with a 55 percent increase in applicant volume.
Help Those Who Are Unemployed
Jobless rates in the United States have already surpassed historic highs, with 22 million Americans registering for unemployment benefits as of mid-April. With so many individuals out of work, targeting this demographic is a fantastic way to fill unfilled positions.
Hospitals are already doing this to cover the severe shortage caused by the coronavirus: they are hiring retired doctors, nurses, and medical students. Many out-of-work school nurses can readily assist in hospitals with little or no additional training.
Grocery stores are doing something similar by contacting employees who have recently been laid off. Albertsons is partnering with furloughed workers from the hospitality and food service industries — two of the hardest hits by the current crisis — to fill a number of available short-term positions, as everyone still needs to buy food and other necessities.
Moreover, tens of thousands of employees in the gig economy are currently looking for work, particularly in ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft. Industries that are trying to acquire more personnel may pursue these unemployed freelancers.
Safety Is Critical
While it’s critical for businesses to get new employees up and running fast, they shouldn’t put their existing employees’ safety at risk. Current employees’ safety is critical, and organizations must protect their health just as rapidly as they must recruit new personnel.
All new staff should be thoroughly screened to ensure they are not infected with the virus. They may need to self-quarantine if they are found to be at high risk. Always prioritize safety above speed. Many health-care organizations, for example, are encouraging remote screening procedures for new employees. Companies decrease the danger of exposure to everyone while still being able to adequately assess a candidate for a position by doing this process remotely.
Phone-based Screening
Lineage Logistics, a refrigerated warehousing company, is another notable illustration of this. The corporation has put out a call for 2,000 additional staff due to a 30 percent rise in demand over the last three weeks.
Lineage Logistics has begun to screen applicants over the phone, asking in-depth questions about their specific risk profile, in order to reduce risk. If candidates have visited any coronavirus hotspots, have experienced any symptoms, or have come into touch with somebody who may be sick, they will be aware of this before interacting with them.
For the most part, 2020 remains an exciting new beginning to a new decade; however, we must first defeat coronavirus collectively. Keeping our society safe and going ahead during this crisis requires essential health care, grocery stores, and public-sector firms.
It’s critical that they can accomplish their jobs quickly and efficiently. It’s the only way we’ll be able to survive this extraordinary calamity.
What IT21ST has to say?
One of the advantages of working remotely is the ability to work from anywhere. However, as telecommuting grows more common, data security becomes a greater worry. Remote work has brought extra degrees of security considerations for firms and their data, from employees utilizing unprotected Wi-Fi networks to workers transporting confidential files to public settings. This is where we play a vital role in securing your business data while your employees are working from home. For the past 33+ years, we have been a technology partner with our customers in Greater Los Angeles and now with our branch office in Conejo Valley, we are able to serve our clients in Ventura county and beyond.
If you have any question or concerns, feel free to email us at info@it21st.com or call us at 855-448-2178
