Hiring Hurdles: Hiring During a National Pandemic

While some companies are facing furlough, lay-offs and reduction in workforce, other industries have seen a spike in demand and are scrambling to find workers to keep up. Some essential businesses are looking to add up to 10,000 workers to their company to help ease the load. Though these positions are temporary, the proper vetting and onboarding of candidates must be adhered to.

Candidate Vetting and Interviewing

Many companies are hiring on the spot. This is a great way to get bodies immediately, but watch out for those workers who may end up being more of a burden than an asset. Times like these call for desperate measures, but that doesn't mean you should sacrifice your culture in order to keep up production. Be sure you are asking the same questions you would during any other interview, and weigh the pros and cons of each candidate. Also, be sure to look into past work history. This can be done quickly, even in a few hours, but do not make a split second decision that could leave you worse off. An alternative to in-person interviews, could be a telephone interview or Zoom meeting. This is a great way to hear the candidates phone etiquette prior to hiring.

Paperwork is Essential

Do NOT, I repeat DO NOT slack on your new hire paperwork. The Department of Labor is not going to care if you hired them during a pandemic, or a snowstorm, the same paperwork needs to be completed! Even if employees are hired on the spot, require them to complete a signed paper application and place it in an employee file. All tax documents, direct deposit authorization forms, employee information sheets, handbook acknowledgements, etc. need to be completed the same as if the employee was being hired for a permanent position. One item that should be different than your permanent employees is a ‘temporary employment agreement.’ This should state that the employment is temporary and the date that employment is set to expire. To speed up the process, send employees the paperwork BEFORE the first day they report. They can get a head-start on filling it out and you can get right to training them. You will also need to create an employee file, and keep it for the required number of years after the employee is terminated. Once again, be sure to continue abiding by your state and local laws!

Conduct Normal Pre-Employment Screenings

If your business typically conducts pre-employment drug testing, credit checks, background checks or any other tests that adhere to state and local laws, be sure to follow through with these. The last thing you need is an employee with fraud charges working for your bank or a revoked license driving your company vehicle. These tests typically take a few days to process, so you can offer employment and get the employee started training, contingent on a clean result. With that being said, be sure they are not participating in any task that would cause a conflict if something is reported back.

Keep Insurance and Special Licensing Up-to-Date

Even temporary employees need to be covered by your workman’s compensation. Be sure to contact your agent and check that you are all covered. If the position involves driving a personal vehicle while on the clock or driving a company vehicle, do not slack on adding the employee to your company insurance. Remember, treat temporary employees as if they are full-time, permanent employees.

When jobs that require special licensing and certifications, such as fork lift operation or food sanitation, be sure your new hires possess these. If the licensing was done through another agency or workplace, be sure to make sure it is up-to-date before allowing the employee to tackle certification-specific tasks.

Streamline Onboarding

This is still crucial, but I urge you to streamline the process! If you are a cross-training company, consider starting with the essential tasks the employee will be working on. Since they may only be there for a short time, let them jump right in and get to the job they were hired to do. If they end up sticking around, you can cross-train them at a latter, less hectic time.

If your onboarding consists of sensitive material, passwords, trade secrets or confidential information, be sure to include a non-compete or confidentiality agreement. Temporary employees will not be as ‘bought-in’ to your company as your current, permanent ones. They most-likely have another full-time gig they will go back to when all of this is over. Continue to value them as important employees to your organization, but be sure to cover all of your bases as well. Remember, we WILL be getting through this, and we WILL, eventually, get back to ‘normal’ operations.

Include Current Employees

Do not forget about your current employees! Be sure to include key personnel in hiring decisions. Check in on current employees and see if their needs have changed. Also, see what support you can offer them. It may help you decide on a candidate that has a certain skill set you haven't looked at before, or they could just need someone to talk to. IT is uncertain times for everyone, and permanent employees need to be reassured that they will not be replaced or thrown to the wayside because of a hiring surge.

Maintain Your Culture

New hires can disrupt any company culture. When interviewing, keep in mind the types of personalities of your permanent workers and make sure the characteristics and skills of candidates will complement those. Create teams to help with training and onboarding and allow current employees to take charge of teaching the temporary employees. This will give your employees a sense of value and ownership and take some burden off your regular trainers.

The best thing to keep doing during this time are workplace trainings and motivations. A positive work environment, no matter how busy or stressful, will always end up coming out on top. Check out some free workplace activities on the Face Book group ‘OnBoard HR Motivates.”

If you need help with any of the above tasks or would like consulting specific to your business needs during this time, give our experts at OnBoard a call at 573-987-0652.