Author: Christina Boland

It’s that time of the year again! Annual performance reviews. This year, the pandemic has made conducting reviews a much greater challenge than in previous years. However, don’t eliminate them altogether just because you can’t provide in-person assessments. It’s especially critical that you share with your employees the feedback they need to do their jobs well as we approach 2021.

Implement these best practices to prepare for and conduct annual reviews with your team members in a remote setting:

1. Clarify your expectations. The pandemic has changed the work landscape significantly. Assess exactly how your workplace has shifted and determine new expectations for staff that match it. During your performance review conversations, make sure your employees are on the same page as you regarding what is expected of them, regardless of whether they are working remotely, working in your facility, or both.

Consider checking in more often with your team members beyond annual performance evaluations. Keeping open lines of communication on your expectations is vital to smooth facility operations. Many people are still trying to navigate the new workplace, and being there to facilitate the shift will be critically important to your organization.

2. Make sure you understand your staff members’ situations. Being aware of what your employees are handling in addition to their work will help you better manage their performance and provide feedback during their annual reviews. This will also demonstrate your empathy as a manager. You can determine if a team member needs more flexibility in their hours to complete their work. Perhaps their child’s virtual learning may be affecting when or how they can work, for example. However, be careful when asking staff about personal matters. You can get a sense of the difficulties they’re experiencing, but avoid asking questions that are too specific, as they could violate employment law.

3. Share specific feedback. This year is more important than ever to consistently share what your workers are doing well and how they can improve. However, this shouldn’t only be during the annual performance evaluation. If there are performance issues, you don’t want to catch an employee off guard by first communicating that during their review.

4. Concentrate on performance outcomes, not the process. During performance reviews, it’s crucial to articulate to staff members the certain results you expect from their work. Focusing on the outcomes instead of the process allows team members more flexibility to utilize their skills and strengths.

While the pandemic has made conducting performance reviews more difficult, they’re not something you should consider getting rid of this year. Take the time to sit down with employees during a video call to provide the feedback they need to end the year and start 2021 on a positive note. 

5 ways to revamp performance reviews during the pandemic, Gwen Moran, Fast Company.

How to Do Performance Reviews — Remotely, Rebecca Knight, Harvard Business Review.

Even if you’re not currently hiring during the pandemic, now is the time plan for EHS recruitment in the future. Positions that were eliminated as a result of the health crisis will need to be filled again. Hiring may look quite a bit different than it did prior to the pandemic, so preparing now will help you navigate the new recruiting landscape.

Begin implementing these strategies to prepare for future hiring:

1. Ensure your remote technology is functioning well. Having the capabilities to interview potential candidates over a video communication platform, like Skype or Zoom, is crucial. Not only does it make the hiring process faster and more efficient, job candidates will expect it after working remotely for several months and communicating with their teams virtually. Companies should be sure that training and performance management can be conducted virtually as well.

2. Continue to seek out and communicate with well-qualified candidates. Even if you aren’t actively hiring at the moment, you still need to be looking for those talented candidates who would be a good fit for your company when you are ready to hire again. Organizations that wait to do so until they are ready to hire risk losing valuable time and potential candidates.

3. Consider offering a more comprehensive benefits package. The pandemic has led to many people being more conscious of the benefits their company provides. Your organization should consider offering a more comprehensive benefits package that includes greater health coverage, more flexible sick leave rules, and other benefits related to health and wellness.

4. Allow your employees to work remotely if it’s possible. Approving remote work for at least a few days a week will help keep your company running smoothly when everyone can’t be working in the facility at the same time. Moving toward developing a remote workplace culture will help you be ready to better manage more remote workers when you begin hiring again.

5. Consider hiring interim or temporary employees. When the economy starts running again and you need to get your recruitment moving forward quickly, you might have several roles to fill immediately. Instead of trying to fill them all with full-time workers, which typically requires a more in-depth hiring process, consider hiring temporary staff. Some of these hires could even convert to full time if they work out well.

6. Work with a recruiting team. Working with a recruiting firm can help you hire quality candidates when your company is ready to expand its team. Each organization’s EHS challenges and risks are unique, and finding candidates who are prepared to succeed in these critical roles involves much more than searching resumes for key words or relying on generalized experience descriptions. That’s where a recruiting team like Aarcher Talent can come in. We specialize in hiring EHS professionals, and we can help you narrow down applicants and match you with the most qualified candidates for your open positions.

Whether you’re looking to fill a permanent position or add specific skill sets for temporary projects, Aarcher Talent offers a series of staffing solutions, including permanent placement, temp-to-hire, and contracted staff services. We’re happy to chat with you about our services and how we can help you find the right candidates.

One of the most important things you can do for your EHS hiring strategy is to start preparing now. Even if you don’t have immediate plans to recruit new employees, implementing these strategies will help you be ready when you are.

Recruitment planning after a crisis, Monster, Hiring.Monster.com.

The economy has lost 13 million jobs since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in March. Despite this grim statistic, many organizations are still hiring. An August 2020 survey of 600 human-resources and finance chiefs by Paycor found that more than half of small and midsize businesses plan to add full-time employees to their staff this year.

The job landscape of today is significantly different from the labor market at the beginning of the year. One open job can have hundreds of applicants, and most organizations are conducting their interviews virtually. Companies’ hiring needs are changing quickly.

These are the top insights in the hiring landscape amid the pandemic that you should be aware of:

1. Remote job opportunities are increasing significantly. Reopening the workplace is complicated with the need for strict social distancing, hygiene, and sanitation practices. Telecommuting is becoming the new normal as a result. The number of remote jobs that have been posted on Glassdoor has increased 53 percent compared to a year ago. Consider allowing your staff to work remotely at least some of the time to minimize the number of people inside your facility.

2. The interview process is becoming completely virtual. Most companies are conducting the entire hiring process, from screening to interviewing to testing, virtually from their computers. Even though you’re not face to face with your candidates, you can still provide them with an exceptional hiring experience by connecting with them via a video communication platform, such as Zoom or Skype, and keeping open lines of communication with them over email.

3. There has been a growth in online networking and training opportunities. Networking doesn’t have to be meeting people in person and having conversations for hours. Many companies are organizing virtual networking events and webinars, or have moved their courses and conferences that were initially supposed to be in person online. A few examples in the EHS industry include The Safer Safety Leadership Conference hosted by EHSToday, EHS & Sustainability Management Forum hosted by The National Association for EHS&S Management (NAEM), and our environmental training courses at Aarcher Institute.

The hiring landscape has changed significantly as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. We will likely see more changes as employers continue to navigate the pandemic. As a hiring manager, it’s critical to stay current with industry trends to ensure you can provide the best hiring experience possible and secure high-quality job candidates.

Resource:

The New Rules for Landing a Job in the Covid Era, Kathryn Dill, The Wall Street Journal.

With the shift to remote work as a result of the global pandemic, employee engagement is now more important than ever. Motivated workers are crucial to keeping your organization running smoothly during this time of uncertainty. But how do you ensure your employees are engaged when you’re not seeing them in person each day?

Seventy percent of employee engagement is a direct result of great leadership, according to Gallup. As a manager, there are several things you can do to keep your remote EHS team on track and motivated:

1. Host virtual meetings. Seeing your employees face to face regularly, even if it’s not actually in person, helps you maintain good working relationships with them. Video communication platforms, like Zoom, Google Hangouts, and Skype, allow you to collaborate virtually and keep your staff on track. Additionally, consider having some casual hangouts with one of these video communication platforms that don’t necessarily involve discussing work. This will allow you to simply check in with employees and see how they’re doing.

2. Ensure your employees feel heard. During these uncertain times, your workers may feel concerned about their jobs or find it challenging to navigate working remotely if it isn’t something they’ve done before. Make it a priority to recognize your employees for the good work they are doing and let them know you are there to answer questions.

3. Maintain open lines of communication. As organizations carry out strategic plans to keep operations running with remote workers as they navigate the pandemic, there will inevitably be changes to policies and procedures. Keep your workers in the loop when there are any company updates or changes to help them feel more connected. Employees may have questions and concerns, so be sure they know you are available to address them.

4. Ask your staff for feedback frequently. Take the time to regularly ask your workers for feedback in various areas, including their ideas for improving client satisfaction, what resources they need to do their jobs better, and their input on how to better accomplish organizational goals. Not only will this make staff feel heard, but it will also bring a variety of ideas to the table to help you improve the company. Don’t simply listen to your staff member’s feedback — implement the good ideas.

As a manager, it’s likely that at least some of your EHS team members are working remotely. Making sure they are engaged will go a long way toward moving your company forward as the global pandemic continues. Use these tips to help you get started creating an engaged and motivated remote workplace culture.

Resources:

8 Easy & Creative Ways to Keep Remote Employees Engaged, Rea Regan, Connecteam.

How to Keep Remote Workers Engaged in a Virtual Team, Sammi Caramela, Business News Daily.

The global pandemic is rapidly changing the way we work. In just a few months, COVID-19 has significantly impacted the labor market. The unemployment rate in the United States is now in the double digits.

Organizations should be preparing for what business will look like after the pandemic. The EHS hiring process post-pandemic will be quite different than what you may have anticipated at the beginning of the year.

To set your company up to hire successfully during these uncertain times, you will need to consider these important things:

1. Develop remote hiring procedures. In the new normal of social distancing, you’ll need to be prepared to conduct a large part of the hiring process online. Sourcing and interviewing candidates and onboarding new employees can all be carried out virtually. It’s vital to invest in the proper solutions to hire applicants without meeting them in person, including a video communication service to conduct interviews. You might also consider leveraging technologies to support online job fairs and webinars.

As you determine the tools your organization needs, remember that it’s more seamless to utilize technologies that can easily integrate with your current applicant tracking system.

2. Be prepared for an increasing number of job applicants. In 2015, the average number of applicants per open position was 59. That number dropped to 27 in 2019 as a result of decreasing unemployment and the strong economy.

However, 20 million full-time workers globally are expected to lose their jobs during the pandemic. Your organization will likely see a sharp increase in the number of candidates applying for your open positions. You will have to prepare to handle a higher volume of job applicants than you are used to.

It will be critical for your company to use a recruitment solution that will help you manage the candidates while maintaining your hiring standards. You’ll need to be able to screen applicants quickly and reduce the list to a small number of talented candidates you would like to interview. There are recruiting solutions that allow you to automate the manual and repetitive parts of the hiring process, allowing you to have more time to engage with the most qualified applicants.

3. Leverage job assessments. COVD-19 has particularly impacted companies in industries like nonessential retail, leisure and hospitality, and travel, and it will take a long time for them to recover. Workers in these industries will be looking for jobs in new industries.

Just because these candidates don’t have direct experience in your industry, don’t reject them immediately. They may have transferable abilities and skills that could benefit your company. Utilize assessments to help you evaluate these capabilities. Skills, such as customer orientation and problem-solving, are essential in all jobs and industries.

As organizations transition back to the workplace, it’s going to be critical for employers to look ahead at how hiring will change over the next few years. Take the time to prepare your hiring managers for new procedures post-pandemic to hire the most qualified EHS employees for your open positions.

Resource:

Prepare for the post-pandemic job rush, Barend Raaff, EHSCareers.

Organizations are beginning to return to the workplace after telecommuting for the past few months due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Even if your company is continuing to work remotely for the foreseeable future, hiring new EHS employees may seem more challenging than it was prior to the pandemic. Use these strategies to help you hire strong EHS candidates amid the coronavirus outbreak:

1. Make sure people know your company is hiring. Many candidates who were searching for new jobs before the pandemic assume that most organizations aren’t hiring during this time. Be sure to make it known that your business is actively seeking new team members by listing all available jobs on your website and social media.

2. Develop a strong recruiting and onboarding process. Establishing solid recruiting and onboarding procedures is now more crucial than ever. With everything else going on in your organization as your employees return to the workplace, having hiring procedures in place will help you carry out the candidate screening, interviewing, and offer process more effectively. Work with your team of hiring managers to develop the processes and make sure each manager is on the same page when it comes to implementing the procedures.

3. Leverage your network of passive candidates. Don’t forget about candidates who have previously submitted resumes to your organization or other qualified contacts you have on LinkedIn or other networking channels who may have lost their jobs during this time. Consider reaching out to those who you think would be a good fit for your open positions.

4. Communicate the job offer clearly and realistically. During this uncertain time, you don’t want to make any promises that you can’t keep. If the work is remote now and will shift to the work inside your facility later in the year, make sure to articulate this. It’s important to communicate your expectations now and how they will change as the pandemic ends.

5. Consider working with a recruiting firm. With all of the other responsibilities you have on your hands as your employees return to the workplace, hiring new staff can seem daunting. Working with a recruiting team that specializes in hiring EHS professionals can help you narrow down candidates and match you with the most qualified for your open positions.

Whether you’re looking to fill a permanent position or add specific skill sets for temporary projects, Aarcher Talent offers a series of staffing solutions, including permanent placement, temp-to-hire, and contracted staff services. We’re happy to chat with you about our services and how we can help you find the right candidate.

As your staff transitions back to the workplace, it’s likely that you will have to make some changes to your hiring process to accommodate for this uncertain time. Use these strategies to help you get your hiring process organized and hire the best EHS candidates for your organization amid the global pandemic.

Resource:

How to Hire New Employees During the Coronavirus Outbreak, Kiely Kuligowski, Business News Daily.

There has been a significant shift toward remote work as a result of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Many organizations are finding they are able to continue to conduct business operations without staff working in the same facility or office. The pandemic is also altering the hiring landscape, causing employers and recruiters to focus on conducting the hiring process virtually and hire remote employees.

Here are the three top hiring trends that we’re seeing amid the coronavirus pandemic:

Hiring locally shifts to hiring nationally or even globally.

Traditional hiring relied on finding job candidates in the specific city or area that a facility is located. With the increase in remote work, recruiters no longer have to focus solely on a particular location to find qualified candidates. This is opening up a much wider talent pool to look for skilled individuals who could do the job well.

At Aarcher Talent, we hire nationally across the United States. We have an extensive network of talent to help employers fill a variety of EHS roles. Our team of recruiters helps employers find talented staff to fill both remote positions and jobs in specific locations.

The use of video communication platforms for meetings and interviews has increased.

Not only have video communication platforms, like Skype and Zoom, made it possible for employers to connect with their current staff to keep business moving forward, it has also enabled recruiters to conduct job interviews virtually. With the help of video conferencing, remote work will continue to be an effective method of doing business even after the pandemic is over.

Many employers are shifting their views of telecommuting.

Prior to the pandemic, many employers believed that employees would be less productive when they’re working from home. However, according to Gallup’s 2017 report, State of the American Workplace, and research by advocacy group 1 Million for Work Flexibility, remote employees can be 20 to 25 percent more productive than their colleagues who work onsite. The shift to telecommuting as a result of the pandemic has proven to many employers that team members can actually be just as if not more efficient when they’re working from home. This is paving the way for more organizations to hire for remote jobs.

The growing trend of remote work and hiring for remote positions is likely to continue even after the pandemic, as it has shown many employers that it is possible for business to continue to operate smoothly even while staff is working from home.

Resources:

COVID-19 Ushers in New Outlook on Hiring Remote Workers, Lin Grensing-Pophal, SHRM.

Why Are Companies Ending Remote Work?, Dana Wilkie, SHRM.

The global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted many aspects of our lives. As some states begin to reopen businesses, health officials warn that it could cause a spike in cases of COVID-19. Many organizations are wondering whether they should steer clear of hiring for now. However, there are still several ways to carry out the EHS hiring process virtually to keep your company moving forward.

Here are some tips to engage in the hiring process online to ensure the safety and health of you and your EHS job candidates:

1. Take advantage of social media, especially LinkedIn. Social media provides an outlet for you to connect with potential EHS job candidates, as well as reach out to passive candidates who you think would be a good fit for your organization. Social media allows you to start building a relationship with qualified candidates and view their job skills and experience.

2. Host an online job fair for candidates interested in open positions at your organization. You can use an online video communication platform like Zoom for the event. This can help potential candidates learn more about your organization and job roles you’re looking to fill, as well as enable you to learn more about interested applicants.

3. Make sure your company has a positive and professional online presence. This will help you to make a good first impression on candidates who are searching for your organization online. Your company’s social media profiles should be thoroughly filled out and optimized for keywords related to your industry.

4. Conduct your interviews virtually with a video communication platform, such as Zoom or Skype. You can still have a good face-to-face conversation online to help you determine whether a candidate would be a good fit for the job and your organization. Make sure you’ve tested the video communication platform before interviewing to ensure the technology runs smoothly. 

5. Conduct skills testing online. If you typically require your candidates to complete any skills-based testing, you can still do that virtually with a program like eSkill or Prevue HR. Even if you don’t, it might be time to consider it. Because you’re not able to meet with candidates in person, incorporating skills testing into the hiring process can help you better evaluate whether the candidate would do the job well. 

Implementing these tips will help you leverage technology to conduct the EHS hiring process virtually, so your organization can continue to grow even during this difficult time.

Resource:

Should You Suspend Hiring During the Coronavirus Outbreak? Melissa Morse, HR Daily Advisor.

Finding top talent for your organization can be quite challenging and time-consuming. Working with a recruiting firm that specializes in the EHS industry can be incredibly beneficial for hiring managers. A staffing team can help you save time, avoid wasting money, and secure the best candidates for your open positions. Here are some tips for working effectively with a recruiting firm to hire EHS employees:

1. Clearly define the open position.

It’s essential to be as specific as possible when articulating your staffing needs to the recruiting team. Give the position and job description some thought before communicating it to your recruiter. You don’t have to have every detail laid out, but you should know the job title, main responsibilities, and why you’re hiring for the role.

2. Articulate your ideal candidate.

Communicate to the recruiter the skills and experience that your ideal candidate possesses. Provide some examples when you can. Perhaps a current employee has similar skills, or you’ve worked with someone in the past who does who you can show the recruiter on LinkedIn. This will ensure you and your recruiter are on the same page, so they will know exactly what to be on the lookout for when they are screening job applicants.

3. Keep open communication.

Maintaining open lines of communication with your recruiting team is critical. Make sure to provide information they request from you in a timely manner. For example, if your recruiting team sends you resumes of potential candidates, make sure to provide clear feedback as quickly as possible. This helps the hiring process to run smoothly and efficiently, so you’re able to fill your open position fast.

4. Be prepared.

If you know you need to hire someone in a couple of months, don’t wait until the last minute to reach out to a recruiter to begin the hiring process. When you’re proactive and prepared, you can work best with a recruiting team to hire a qualified candidate who will be an excellent fit for the role.

Working with a recruiting team to hire EHS employees frees up your time and energy to focus on the many other responsibilities you have as a manager. Consider working with a staffing firm that specializes in the EHS industry to help you find the most talented candidates. They have experience filling roles and access to a wide pool of job candidates in the industry.

Whether you’re looking to fill a permanent position or add specific skill sets for temporary projects, Aarcher Talent offers a series of staffing solutions, including permanent placement, temp-to-hire, and contracted staff services. We’re happy to chat with you about our services and how we can help you find the right candidate.

Resources:

6 tips for hiring managers in working with recruiters, Rob Long, Resources.Workable.com.

7 Tips to Improve the Relationship Between Hiring Manager and Recruiter, Evelyn Duskey, Avature.net.

Job interviews can be stressful for both candidates and hiring managers. As a manager, it’s important that you use interviews to make a good impression on talented EHS candidates and ensure you’re hiring the best candidate for the role.

These tips will help you conduct effective interviews to secure top-notch EHS staff:

1. Prepare before the interview. Make sure you take the time to properly get ready for each interview you’re conducting. Read through the candidate’s resume right before the interview, and have it in front of you during the meeting. Also, make a list of questions that you would like to ask the candidate. This will help you avoid scrambling to think of questions during the interview. It’s not just the candidate who is trying to sell themself. When you go into the meeting unprepared, it’s a negative reflection on your organization and you risk steering away top talent who will then go work for your competitor.

2. Provide the candidate with more information about your company and the job responsibilities. Make sure you start the interview by giving the applicant an overview of your organization, your company history, and mission. Additionally, provide details about the job duties they would be in charge of if hired. Give the candidate time to ask questions.

3. Ask the candidate a variety of basic and big questions. This will help you get a well-rounded picture of whether they will fit well in the role and in your organization. Those basic, but important questions can help you gauge essential skills that are often overlooked, like communication and adaptability. Example: What are your strengths? Asking the big questions will make your candidates think a bit more to help you bring innovative and forward-thinking employees into your company. Example: What would you implement to improve the company’s safety strategy?

4. Ask behavioral questions. You also want to make sure to pose questions related to the candidate’s past behavior and performance in certain areas. This will help you see what their future performance would be if you hired them. Example: Tell me about a long-term project you managed and how you led it to success.

5. Practice active listening. When you’re speaking with a candidate, take the time to truly listen to what they’re saying. Let your candidate do most of the talking. Hiring managers should only talk about 30 percent of the time, according to John Dooney, manager of strategic research for the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). Provide the candidate with both verbal and nonverbal feedback to show them that you’re listening to what they’re saying.

6. Consider involving current employees in interviews. Many organizations have current staff members participate in job interviews to ask applicant questions. This is helpful in determining whether a candidate is a good fit for the team. If there is a particular employee who the new hire will work with closely, consider having that current employee take part in the interview.

7. Follow up with candidates after the interview. Don’t just leave applicants hanging. Send an email to each candidate who you did not select for the job to thank them for their time and let them know you decided to go with another candidate. This will leave them with a good impression of your organization. You never know if they could be a good fit for another open position at your company in the future.

Interviewing can be tedious for hiring managers, but if you develop a good process to follow, you can set yourself up for success. Implement these tips to ensure that your interviews run smoothly and you hire the best EHS candidates for your open positions.

Resource:

Interview Tips for the Interviewer, Lynda M. Bassett, Monster.com.