Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software

5 Tips Companies Can Use To Win Over The Current Talent Shortage

Societal changes were taking place before the global health crisis became a reality. And, today’s current talent shortage is no fluke, it had been bubbling beneath the surface and got exacerbated by the pandemic.

Hiring employees is part science, part art and companies and their recruiters, should follow the Golden Rule, treat candidates the way they would like to be treated. Sometimes, the recruiting process is less than stellar. It only takes some planning and effort to make it warm and personal — while, being sensitive to prospective candidate’s needs and anxieties, whether there’s a labour shortage or not. Prospective candidates talk to others and the stories they tell can either help build up, or destroy, your brand. Don’t lose the opportunity to make sure the story they tell about your company is a positive one, even if you do not hire them.

5 Tips Companies Can Use To Win Over The Current Talent Shortage

Here are 5 tips you can use to help you overcome the current talent shortage:

1.There are no Perfect Candidates
Some companies hold out for that ‘perfect’ candidate who has the right skills, experiences and degrees. While some companies persist in looking for that one perfect candidate, (that does not exist) don’t be surprised, if the one you just rejected, got hired by your biggest competitor— and now, their new hire, is targeting your customers. A lot of companies are labouring under the misconception that we’re in the midst of the 2007/2008 recession and that people are clamoring to get a job. It’s 2022 and there are a lot of companies vying for the same candidates you are considering.

2. Diversity of Talent
Some of the most successful companies have diverse workforces. In a broader sense, diversity encompasses; employees with different life experiences, backgrounds, education level, age, social status, race and gender. Organizations should take into account the highly competitive labour market, relax some of their assessment criteria and be ever-more vigilant about their hiring practices. Today’s candidates, place a greater emphasis on the type of employees that are within a company before agreeing to a second or third interview. Why? Because a majority of candidates will evaluate the make-up of your workforce (including the C-Suite) before they apply.

3. Re-evaluate Recruiting Practices
Not every prospective candidate will have their resume uploaded to LinkedIn and that’s ok. You should not hold it against a candidate if their resume can’t be found on the latest online job platform or they don’t have a website that houses their CV. Hiring is not just about ticking boxes or following a step-by-step guide. At its core, it is about publishing a job ad, screening resumes and providing a shortlist of good candidates – but overall, hiring is closer to a business function that is critical for the entire organization’s success and health. In other words, think a little outside the AI-driven HR recruitment software.

4.Pay and Rewards
Within the first 5 minutes of an interview, ATS recruiters will take time to go over a candidate’s salary expectations versus what the company offers. Compensation is important to prospective candidates so don’t gloss over it. Candidates will no longer appreciate a recruiter who says “The salary will be discussed at the second round of interviews or with the CEO”. Be upfront about what your company is willing to pay for the role. No company wants to hire a candidate who accepts the salary that’s being offered, only to quit a couple of months later because they found a company who’s willing to pay their desired salary.

5.Hybrid and Work-from-Home Options are Here to Stay
Hybrid work and work-from-home (WFH) are “well-accepted business practices”, with many companies accepting ‘work from anywhere’ as the wave of the future. And, while not every job is conducive to work-from-home (WFH), increasingly —employees are expressing their interest in such arrangements. And, although some leaders still prefer their teams back in the office— Companies will have to weigh ‘The old idea that working at home is synonymous with goofing off’ versus embracing the future of work. In the end, it will come down to trust.

Apex Time Solutions (ATS) is the global leader in delivering workforce management solutions in the cloud. Thousands of organizations that spans Canada, South America, US and Europe— including Fortune 500® — companies use ATS TimeWork OnDemand to control payroll costs, minimize compliance risk, and improve productivity.

Thousands of organizations across North, Central and South America and Europe- including more than half of the Fortune 500 – use ATS TimeWork OnDemand, Workforce Planning, Employee Scheduling HR and payroll solutions to manage their workforce. ATS cloud services offer rapid deployment, support services, software updates, and enhancements; and consulting and training services.

AI, HR, Hybrid, Management Software, Work-from-Home (WFH)

AI Continues To Change The HR Landscape

As proponents of artificial intelligence (AI), at ATS, we see how the technology can transform (when used the way its intended) HR departments and not to make them redundant. Essentially, many HR and other c-Suite executives already use the technology in some form or another, in their personal lives; whether it’s Siri, Alexa, or Cortana or a range of others on AI-based devices. In the workplace, AI is evolving into an intelligent assistant to help us work smarter. The technology also offers the potential to revolutionize key HR responsibilities, such as human capital management (HCM), talent management, benefits accruals, absence management, employee self-service, performance evaluation and onboarding for HR professionals.

A recent Gartner worldwide artificial intelligence forecast suggest that a whopping $62.5 billon in revenue is expected in 2022. And, a recently published article, by The HR Director, outlined 3 important ways that AI is being used in the world of talent management. They include:

“Sourcing-AI is used to find and connect with talent more quickly, with the overall results of the sourcing being of better quality than before.
Screening-with the help of AI screening tools, deriving important information is more efficient than ever – instead of going through and opening each and every resume, the tools will give you needed results in minutes.
Interviewing –AI can be used for analyzing facial expressions of candidates during video interviews, giving the employer a better look into their personality traits, as well as using chatbots or pre-recorded videos to be more precise with checking the skillsets of candidates.”

Bottomline: Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration into human capital (HCM) management and human resources (HR) applications will make organizations better because these applications can analyze, forecast, capture data and diagnose to help HR teams make better decisions. Today, more than eve, more organizations are turning to power of AI and machine learning to streamline costs and improve productivity.

To learn about ATS Machine learning and AI software solutions, go to our website. To reach an account executive by phone call: 866.294.2467

Absence Management, AI, Alexa, Benefits Accruals, Cortana, Employee Self-Service, Gartner, HR, Human Capital Management (HCM), Machine Learning, Onboarding, Recruitment, Siri, Talent Management

Is ‘Culture Fit’ Still Part Of Today’s Corporate Lexicon Or Is It Changing?

When one of the requirements in online job ads states, that candidates will be hired based on ‘cultural fit’, this tends to favour the status quo in the company, whether that relates to socioeconomic, gender, age or one’s ability to join work colleagues at the local bar every Friday night. And, when this happens, it makes it harder for anyone who doesn’t ‘fit the mould’ to get into sectors where they are currently under-represented. One of the problems with the words ‘culture fit’ is that its process, is both opaque and rife with biases – while keeping qualified candidates from roles they deserve.

In her article on the pros and cons of ‘Culture Fit’ Carla Bell of HR Dive solicited feedback from 3 experts in the field of HR and talent management. Here is a excerpt:

Jason Geer: What is culture fit?
“I literally laughed out loud when I thought about the number of conversations, I’ve had with HR professionals and managers who described someone as not being a good “culture fit” for their respective organizations. They were saying, without actually saying, that “employee X” didn’t fit their narrow definition of how they should look and act.

Culture fit is all about creating a culture centered around the “in group” philosophy of people who look, act and sound alike. It could be an organization’s interest and pursuit of candidates who will look, speak, act and work just like existing managers and employees. This is why so many companies are overwhelmingly white, and have similar academic backgrounds. It’s also the reason why diversity efforts in companies and organizations generally miss the mark. In an ideal working world, culture fit would be determined by that person’s ability to do the job.”

Lily Zheng: What is culture fit?
“Culture fit” is often used by HR professionals to describe the extent to which a candidate or employee has traits or characteristics in line with those promoted by the existing company culture. When those using this term lack awareness regarding their company culture, they may intentionally or unintentionally prioritize “fit” with extraneous criteria — e.g. the racial or gender composition of their company, the connection to prestigious schools or prior workplaces, friendship with existing leadership, etc. — and thus be engaging in discrimination.”

Andrew MacAskill: What is culture fit?
“When HR and other leaders talk about culture fit, they are talking about inviting people to work on their planet that won’t upset their ecosystem. They want people who can demonstrate that they align with the values and collective behaviors within the business as well as meeting the hard skills requirements of the role. This is a solid approach, but I feel as a business community we are now moving away from culture fit and evolving towards “culture add.” This is exciting because this is how we actively seek to recruit diverse individuals who will add something to the team through fresh thinking and perspectives, and that is where innovation and progress comes from.”

Bottomline: Of course, its important to make sure new hires abide by the policies and other day to day rules that govern a company. However, maintaining ‘cultural fit’, at all costs, means a company is not open to differing views — which in the end, means you are not maximising the potential of your talent and business.

Culture Fit, HR, Talent Management

5 Things That Changed The Future Of Work During The Pandemic

Hybrid, remote work and employee well-being, are amoung the three things, that took centre stage during the height of the pandemic. However, they are not new phenoniums and had been bubbling beneath the surface while we were all rushing around before COVID-19. And, while we inch our way back to business as we know it, redefining norms requires us to answer questions that often cannot be resolved on our own. In short, we will not be going back to the way things were. We are living in the new normal.

Here are 5 things that gained traction since the pandemic:

Mental Health and Social Well-Being:
A recent survey revealed that younger workers placed a heavy emphasis on mental health and well-being and will not work for a company who does not take it seriously. That’s a stark difference from the previous generation. The pandemic and ensuing lockdowns added pressure on employees, and tested their wellbeing and private lives. The trend towards more purpose-driven jobs and companies was well underway before Covid, with millennials in particular known for prioritising purpose over pay cheques.

The Rise in Remote Work
COVID-19 forced employees and businesses to shift to working remotely using multiple platforms, such as Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, WebEx, Google Hangouts and Skype. The transition to working from home can reduce infrastructure costs by leasing smaller workspaces, and coordinating a workforce across multiple time zones to maximize daily workflow. Moreover, the benefits of work-from-home can be attractive for some employees and may, include increased schedule flexibility and reduced strains with family. And, while this is a preferred option for some employees-others in healthcare, warehousing and logistics, retail and some other industries don’t have the luxury of working from home.

Labour Shortage:
Companies have been grappling with labour shortages for most of 2021. And while, some have argued, that the pandemic relief doled-out by governments were the real reason for labour shortages, the persistent labour shortage, tells a different story. After being laid-off or furloughed, many employees have decided they do not want to go back to the way things were. In fact, employees are seeking more flexibility, more happiness and rethinking what work means to them and how they are valued. Employers on the other-hand are trying to adapt by offering hiring (cash being one of them) incentives. But will this be enough and a little too late? Only time will tell.

Our Workplaces will Look Different:
With less people coming into the office regularly, companies will likely re-evaluate their real estate needs. Hiring perks like; beer Fridays, office gyms, dry cleaning pickups, ping pong tables and free snacks have likely lost some of their luster, since many people have been spending more time in their home offices and have fully embraced the concept. Also, when workers are not in the office to actually enjoy them, companies will be forced to re-evaluate these incentives and work culture.

Pandemic-Inspired Union Efforts
Labour turmoil has followed the course of the pandemic. Some grocery, warehousing, meat packers, gig and other low-paid workers deemed “essential” during the pandemic lacked access to employer benefits, like paid sick leave or compensation for working under hazardous conditions. And, this some say, has amplified the public support for unions even more. The pandemic has put a spotlight on workers’ rights issues and accelerated an organizing movement that’s been slowly building in recent years — and with the pandemic, it just reached a breaking point.

Bottomline:
So, what does this all mean going forward? No one really knows. In reality, it will likely mean more of the same: We to continue to mask up, get vaccinated, and stay isolated if sick and be adaptable. And, it will likely not be the normal we want, but it may be a normal we can contend with. We may go to the office a few days a week and/or we will work from home. Finally, we will stay home when we are sick.

Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, Skype, WebEx, Work-from-home, Zoom

5 Tips Companies Can Use To Win Over The Current Talent Shortage

AI Continues To Change The HR Landscape

Is ‘Culture Fit’ Still Part Of Today’s Corporate Lexicon Or Is It Changing?

5 Things That Changed The Future Of Work During The Pandemic

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