Recruitment: COVID-19 and talent in 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought drastic changes to every working sector’s framework and structure. Rob Bishop, Director at Bishop Associates Recruitment, explores changes to the recruitment industry, in general, and offers insights into what will help businesses in the ongoing war for talent.

Until recently, New Zealand has avoided the worst of the negative impacts triggered globally by the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest move in New Zealand to a trafficlight system, because of COVID-19 appearing in the community, means HR teams need to think carefully about workforce planning and keeping their people safe while maintaining and protecting business continuity. The current ‘red’ status for New Zealand has also triggered changes to how we get things done.

Many businesses are now opting to split their teams into groups and alternate the days or weeks they are onsite at work. This can help reduce the risk of business interruption should members of the team contract COVID-19 or need to isolate as close household contacts and potentially take time off to recover. A split of working remotely when possible, dividing staff teams into different work groups that alternate when they are in the office and ensuring limited and protected contact with clients and customers, stakeholders and other team members are all useful options to consider.

Domestic search for talent

From a talent perspective, the past 24 months have driven changes in the way recruiters approach the search, selection and appointment process. Most talent professionals are conducting all interviews via Zoom. They also complete more rigorous telephone screening of candidates. Talent specialists often have used remote working, when completing recruitment and search work, to fill roles in remote regions. The changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic mean these remote strategies are being used locally as well as regionally.

MIQ and border control have been front of mind for many HR and talent teams. A big talent challenge, particularly at executive level, has been the almost complete closure of New Zealand’s borders to people not already holding New Zealand citizenship or residency. It has been more complex and challenging to bring top talent from overseas into Aotearoa. The New Zealand Immigration Service has been understandably reluctant to allow people to come and go as freely as they did before the pandemic. Competition for MIQ space and the lottery system have all added to these pressures.

Members of the HR sector will need to think creatively and with purpose about how to attract, retain and develop talent while also wrapping their arms around, protecting and investing in their existing people to reduce the risk of them being tempted away.

As a result, the search for talent has been largely limited to our domestic market and to New Zealand passport and residency holders returning from overseas. Recruitment teams have been working closely with candidates and clients to overcome this challenge when a senior appointment is clearly best filled with an overseas applicant. With the help of immigration lawyers, it has been possible to support several cases of bringing in overseas candidates for executive appointments, including CEOs and managing directors. Under the right leadership, businesses can continue to grow, build their teams and deliver positive outcomes for the New Zealand economy, which ultimately creates more jobs for local talent.

Use the tech

Effective use of talent and HR technology is also an essential lever in smoothing processes, supporting business continuity, effective communication and efficiency during these challenging times. Various job applicant tracking systems are available to do this. These applicant tracking systems are an essential tool in ensuring seamless and efficient search and selection. It is advisable to find a system that integrates seamlessly with LinkedIn, Seek and various other apps and software, such as Outlook, Xero and Mailchimp. Recruiters tend to ‘live’ on the LinkedIn recruitment application as well.

With hundreds of millions of members, LinkedIn is a critical tool in business networking and recruitment. Talent professionals must have outstanding networks and access to top talent, to meet future business staffing needs. Using tools that complement the way we work to optimise the effectiveness of HR and talent solutions is essential. We advise HR professionals to find those systems offering open-source software that allows for seamless links to other essential apps and HR or finance systems.

To stay or go?

Rather than being reactive to the challenges triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the best HR teams are actively thinking about tools for building culture, supporting psychological safety, increasing retention and minimising risks associated with the ‘Great Resignation’. The current competition for talent is also putting upward pressure on salary expectations, with skilled job hunters actively looking to negotiate better employment packages. Reports that millions of people are considering leaving their jobs is a clear call to arms for HR professionals to ensure employees choose to stay, develop and thrive. Initiating employee retention strategies, focusing on culture, effective upskilling and learning and development plans are essential for encouraging employees to make the choice to stay.

It is hard to predict what the coming year will bring in HR and workforce trends. There is no doubt that the spread of COVID-19 in the community will create massive disruption and potentially a considerable stress on health care and businesses. Hesitant business confidence, rising inflation, challenges to the share markets and international trade, paired with lower-than-expected predictions for economic growth in 2022/23, all add to the stress on the economy.

Under the right leadership, businesses can continue to grow, build their teams and deliver positive outcomes for the New Zealand economy, which ultimately creates more jobs for local talent.

Think creatively

While business confidence has slipped and costs are increasing, the ANZ recently reported that most industry sectors are planning for growth. This means the job market will continue to be a rollercoaster in 2022. Members of the HR sector, more than ever, will need to think creatively and with purpose about how to attract, retain and develop talent while also wrapping their arms around, protecting and investing in their existing people to reduce the risk of them being tempted away.

Rob Bishop is the Director of Bishop Associates Recruitment. Rob has been offering talent and HR solutions in New Zealand since 1998. In 2021, the company won the 5-Star Excellence Award from HRD New Zealand. This award highlights the industry’s most trusted top-performing firms that are raising the standards of talent acquisition, candidate relationship management and employer brand marketing. You can contact Rob via www.bishopassociates.co.nz.