Since the onset of Covid-19, I have been asked by both clients and candidates my thoughts on the industry and any changes we perceive moving forward. I don’t think I’m uniquely qualified to answer these questions, but we do have the opportunity to talk to a lot of people and companies, so I am privy to quite a few data points. I have also been reading and listening to various podcasts about HR, recruiting and the effects of Covid on business in general. I find it all very interesting and quite frankly some of the changes we are seeing and will continue to see are long overdue, in my opinion.
We have witnessed a great deal of innovation from companies, managers, individuals working to deploy new ideas and solutions for how to remain operational during this time. There are now more full-time employees working from home than ever before.
Visual Capitalist reports that while there are many challenges to working from home, such as slow internet, technology issues, and being talked over in meetings, both employees and employers are benefiting from the change. Employees are saving roughly 25-30 hours on their commutes and on average $500 a month.
Employers are actually getting an estimated 26 additional hours of work per month from their virtual employees since they can work as it fits in their lives. They are also seeing strong deliverables/outcomes from their remote workforce and a reduced need for large offices resulting in less overhead.
How will this continue to impact our workforce and the mining industry specifically? The millennial and Gen Z workforce has fled from our industry to others that have utilized technology and offered more flexible work arrangements for several years. In a way, Covid is forcing change on our industry. It’s been reported that employees who have been offered the opportunity to work remote during this time period would not consider going back to work without this continued flexibility nor would they entertain a new job without the opportunity to work from home or where flex time was offered.
Mining/resource companies and their HR managers have the unique opportunity to continue this path and differentiate themselves to attract the next generation of their workforce.
With regard to recruiting, there will be a need to assess candidates and job seekers ability to communicate clearly and proficiently – especially in writing. An increased portion of correspondence is done via email and chat when working remote, this skill cannot be overlooked.
Another area to consider is using personality, motivation, and/or skills assessments for candidates. This is an extra tool to have in the HR arsenal when recruiting and subsequently trying to manage employees. There are a lot of great options available both paid and free to use. The screening/interview process must also include questions to assess a candidate’s ability to work remotely and manage through ambiguity. Additionally, you want to identify if they are self-starters. I also suggest conducting appropriate reference checks which would include questions to dive into their former performance while working remotely.
Recruiting is — or should be– highly personal. HR and hiring managers and others involved in the interview process will need to be trained to interview well, provide sufficient information on the company and the job to interested candidates and articulate the unique company culture in doing so. Generally Millennials and Gen Z are highly motivated to work for companies with clear visions and where they feel like they have impact and are valued and secure. Providing ample feedback as they move through the hiring process, or are eliminated, will enhance the candidate experience, something that as a recruiter I am very sensitive to, but many companies are just beginning to consider this. Spending time to foster these kinds of positive relationships with job seekers is becoming increasingly important as the available talent pool is relatively small.
This is really just the tip of the iceberg when we start to talk about some of the areas we need to consider when recruiting in this changing environment.
There are also numerous HR and organizational changes that can be made to enhance organizational readiness and agility as we look ahead in the mining industry to be competitive and embrace some of the innovative changes that are sweeping the world post Covid … more on that to come!
If you’re looking to make a career change, MRC can help connect with us or submit your resume.