In these uncertain and unprecedented times, there’s naturally been a focus on keeping employees engaged. But with so many people operating remotely who have never before worked in isolation from their colleagues and team structures in disarray as individuals are furloughed, managing motivation will be tougher than ever for HR teams. And for some businesses, there’s still the need to hire new staff as employees and contractors come to the end of their time in the company or, as is the case in some organisations, skills demand continues to grow. But we are all in this together. Human resources is facing a logistical nightmare, but the burden doesn’t have to be shouldered by this group alone.

Partnerships are more crucial today

Now, more than ever, there’s a need for experts to work together to support everyone. There’s already been a vast number of individuals and businesses taking steps they would never normally consider in order to help other firms. As a case in point, hospitality jobs board, Caterer.com, has teamed up with trade body UK Hospitality and charity Hospitality Action, to help workers find temporary roles in other sectors that are short of talent at the moment.

And as the trade body for professional staffing businesses, APSCo has been lobbying the government throughout the crisis to provide the much-needed support for recruitment firms, businesses and employees. We’ve had conversations with business advisers at Number 10 to ensure the aid packages being rolled out are suitable and where our members have reported challenges accessing the support available, we’ve highlighted this and will continue to do so for as long as needed.

Now is the time to work with your supply chain

What’s incredibly crucial at this time is that organisations work with their supply chain, rather than against it. People remain the most critical tool for businesses and once we come out the other side of these unprecedented times, a firm’s employer brand and reputation will be determined by how it handled staffing challenges. With the pressure on human resources teams to support remote working, extra provisions will be needed – and indeed may already be available in existing supply chains.

Seeking wider advice from your staffing partners will prove hugely valuable in these times of need. In their day-to-day capacity, they have had exposure to the likes of video platforms for interviews and can certainly point you in the right direction in terms of best practice tips for making these work for you. They’re also the ones speaking to your potential new hires directly, giving them a real sense of the sentiment in the market at the moment. The best recruiters will also have a wealth of knowledge regarding engaging people and will likely be able to provide a fresh perspective on how your business is keeping in touch with potential hires on a long-term scale. Utilising this knowledge and looping your external hiring firms in to the latest developments in your organisation will be invaluable, so avoid any knee-jerk reactions to disconnect with your supply chain.

Plan for post-virus changes

Looking forward, I hope that the way we all operate and hire changes for the better. Recruitment firms have long been adapting to the shift to video interviewing which enables a far greater number of candidates to apply for a role, no matter where in the world they are based. And the move towards remote working has been on the radar for a significant time, with more recruiters using the hook of flexible employment offers to engage potential talent and requests to work from home on the rise. Historically, the challenge for HR teams and recruitment firms alike had been getting buy in for remote and flexible working practices or video interviewing where these were not already in place. With these options widely enforced as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, recruiters and hiring managers can now arguably move forward equipped with the evidence that this works, enabling staffing companies and employers to work together seamlessly to access and engage with wider talent pools.