HIRING, BIOTECH RECRUITER
Based on a survey conducted by Connexis Search Group, it appears that businesses are changing how they handle hiring as a result of coronavirus. For 2020, practices that many hiring managers had not before considered are now becoming the way things are done.
We asked various questions to 3,000 executives from our CRM about how they have altered their hiring procedures. We focused on what we thought would provide the most insight for peers.
Respondents included managers, presidents, vice presidents, and directors involved in the hiring process for companies ranging in size from less than 25 employees to over 300. The companies are located all across the U.S. with a few headquartered in Europe.
These are the biggest changes in operation brought on by COVID-19.
Many are Hiring Fewer People
Despite current events, the majority of businesses know that they must continue to hire new employees in 2020, but many of the managers surveyed expect the number they bring on to be fewer than they were in 2019. Over half (67%) expect to hire fewer than three people this year. In 2019, 54% hired three or fewer.
While 35% of those surveyed said they plan no changes in how many new hires they expect to bring on, only 21% said that they expect to hire more than five people in 2020. That number is down from 35% who hired five or more new employees in 2019. 50% of respondents said they will hire between one and three people, with only 12% hiring four to five. 17% reported that they would not be hiring anyone new.
Differences in Hiring Strategies
The appearance of COVID-19 changed hiring strategies for many in 2020. 15% of respondents said they would wait at least three to four weeks before doing anything at all where hiring is concerned. 25% reported that they would wait until the third or fourth quarter to resume hiring. Another 25% either weren't sure what they would do or expected that it would take longer than four weeks before they would be ready to think about hiring additional employees again.
Coronavirus had no effect on 35% of the respondents. That group plans to go forward with hiring as usual.
Video Conferencing Over Face-to-Face Interaction is Becoming the Norm
More employers are becoming comfortable with the idea of interviewing candidates without meeting them in person. On-boarding remotely is also acceptable to many.
69% of respondents said they would be willing to make a final decision about hiring a candidate without ever meeting the candidate in person. 32% aren't yet comfortable with that idea. 24% reported that they would need to conduct at least four interviews before making a final decision, however. 48% of those taking the survey thought that interviewing three candidates this way would suffice. Only 28% felt confident that they could easily make a decision by remotely interviewing only one or two people.
It appears that onboarding new hires virtually is here to stay. 88% said they have the ability to remotely onboard new employees, and they are very comfortable with this process. 12% do not have that ability.
Some are Delaying Start Dates
Over half of respondents reported that in 2020, start dates will most likely be delayed. These companies will offer candidates the option to report for work in four to six weeks as opposed to the usual two weeks. 55% said their new employees can delay their start dates to ensure COVID-19 issues have passed before they are required to report for work. 45% aren't making delayed start dates an option. They expect new hires to come on board two weeks after the hire date.
Additional Changes in Hiring
Hiring personnel reported other changes not included in the survey that they are seeing in the hiring process. These include delays in the entire process compounded with slower training periods. Some are putting all hiring on hold indefinitely as financial uncertainties have put hiring decisions in doubt.
Those putting hiring on hold reported that they would honor offers made prior to the coronavirus crisis and would continue to interview for critical positions. Others said their companies were downsizing as a result of COVID-19 and therefore would be enforcing a hiring freeze until 2021.
Although a few reported no concrete changes in their hiring processes overall, even those expected to see a move toward virtualizing more, or even most, practices eventually.
For more information on how coronavirus is changing the way, hiring managers operate in 2020, consult the full survey.
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