How should businesses approach recruitment in changing times?

It’s no exaggeration to say that businesses have been going through turbulent and tough times in recent years. Brexit, the pandemic and now rising inflation and the cost of living are all having different impacts on businesses – as well as the job market for those employed by them.

When times are rapidly changing and challenging, it’s more important than ever to ensure that each member of staff that you have is contributing to your business’s goals. Your staff will be one of your biggest expenditures, if not the biggest. And the smaller the business, the bigger impact each individual hire is likely to have on finances and resource. So, when it comes to recruitment, there are several positive steps you can take to ensure that you maximise the talent available both internally and externally to keep your business on the path to success.

1. Define your requirements

   Take the time to define exactly what you need from each hire. Questions a CEO should ask when considering a new recruit should include ‘Does this hire need to happen?’ Go through each hire request line-by-line with your managers. Is it to replace an existing role or is it a new post? Is it currently budgeted for? Is it critical to operations or will it contribute to growth? Are there alternative options to a full time role, or could upskilling or redeployment from existing staff bridge the gap? Scrutinise each decision before going ahead with recruitment to make sure every hire is essential to the business requirement.

2. Assess the role and job description

   Downturns can prompt a shift in focus within the business which can impact existing roles. If you’re hiring to replace someone, you now have the opportunity to review the job description and decide whether to shift around responsibilities or cover for other roles you’ve decided not to hire for. It also gives you a chance to review structure and reporting lines if they’re not as effective as they could be.

3. Consider your current talent

   Before going out to the marketplace, is it worth exploring an internal promotion? Could you give an opportunity to someone ready for more responsibility? If there are no obvious internal promotion candidates, is there someone who might consider a sideways move instead? This will likely create a vacancy in another area but might still be worth considering. Providing additional skills and leadership training can be motivational and boost engagement, so it’s always worth looking at developing the people you already have before automatically going for the external hire.

4. Give yourself flexibility

   If you’re not sure the business is ready to hire a full-timer, is there a way of filling the role with a contractor or freelancer until you can commit? In both cases, there is often the option to move to a full-time permanent position further down the line. Sometimes a part-time option allows you access to higher tier talent for the same cost, or could widen the skills base significantly, so it’s good to be open-minded about what you need.

5. Widen your search

   You don’t always have to rely on agencies to find new people – why not leverage social media and have a referral programme – they often produce the best candidates and can be much more cost effective than using an agency. But at the same time cast your net wide and try and keep your pool of talent diverse, with people of different ages, skillsets, ethnicities, and gender.

6. Offer competitive and fair rates

   Recruiting in a downturn might mean you can now attract candidates you may not otherwise have had access to – but think twice before trying to score a ‘bargain’. Make sure you hire at rates of pay that align to similar-sized roles within your organisation – inconsistent pay among peers will cause problems down the line.

7. Set them up for success

   Always make sure you have a great onboarding programme for new recruits. Introduce them to the team so everyone is acquainted – especially if people are working remotely. Remember that in a downturn, success in an existing role might look different. Keep your expectations realistic that takes into account a changing market. Be clear internally about how each role fits in with the bigger picture with an organisation chart – and make sure everyone has access to it.

8. Establish reward and development for long-term

People Puzzles works with businesses across the UK to build a people strategy that ensures they have the right people working in the right roles. Call for a quick chat on 0203 633 6830 to find out how an experienced part-time HR Director can help your business achieve its business goals.

Rory Buchanan, People Director