Forget the CV and background check — just come work + Back to basics for HR departments
Employers ditch job requirements as demand for blue-collar workers rises: Employers are waiving their rigorous job requirements for hourly and temporary positions as they struggle to fill vacancies in the holiday rush amid a tight labor market, the Wall Street Journal writes. Some companies are no longer sticklers for college degrees, while others are foregoing job interviews altogether in certain cases, or sending out a job offer just 24 hours after a prospective laborer applies for some warehousing and retail positions. This demand for blue-collar workers is quite the juxtaposition from white-collar workers searching for employment after the likes of Amazon, Walmart, and Ford announced mass layoffs.
The demand for employees far outweighs job seekers: Back in October the US recorded 10.3 mn job openings, while a mere 6.1 mn unemployed Americans were on the job market, pushing companies to search for ways to attract fresh blood after conventional methods — pay raises, bonuses and benefit packages — fail to get the job done.
Should HR reshift its focus back to the basics? Human Resources departments’ basic functions of recruitment and retention have become increasingly more complicated in recent years with a pandemic, a rise in quiet quitting, and a younger generation with high expectations for management entering the workforce, The Financial Times’ US business editor writes in an opinion piece. In today’s economic climate, between managing hybrid work, layoffs and salary pressures from a workforce grappling with high inflation, HR has got their work cut out for them and HR workers themselves are feeling burned out. Incidentally, HR teams are also among the first to be cut in big tech companies’ layoffs, including Amazon.
In an effort to retain and recruit employees, HR departments have been zeroing in on perks to boost staff engagement. HR leaders have invested in creating book clubs, setting up yoga classes and have strived to make their offices resemble the Google headquarters, all in the name of boosting their workers’ well being and morale. Despite the investments, the percentage of workers who believe their company cares about their wellness has fallen below pre-pandemic levels, according to data from Gallup.
The back-to-basics approach: Most employees are most concerned about the fundamentals: Being adequately compensated for their work, having their suggestions and grievances heard, being trusted to work flexibly, being supported during times of crisis, and advancing in their careers. An additional member being hired to the team to help with the workload, better addresses employee burnout than a weekly yoga class, the FT suggests. Given that employees consistently complain about feeling under supported by their managers, training managers to be better leaders might also shift some of the weight off HR departments to managers, who have a greater understanding of what is best for their teams.