Recruiting for a Hybrid Workplace

The Covid-19 pandemic has pushed us to relook at the way we work. As more companies start adopting a hybrid workplace, recruiters have been given the opportunity to dip into a larger pool of candidates with less limitations of geography and personal schedules. Nonetheless, this shift in the way we work has raised questions and potentially a few hitches.

Organisations now have to review the way they assess their prospective employees. The way they on-board, integrate and set expectations for the new hires also has to change. Hiring candidates who do not align more closely with your company culture and ethos can affect your company’s long-term success.

Seeking a work culture fit

The uncertainty of the pandemic and the relatively quick adoption of home working has left both companies and job seekers seeking greater clarity and rigor from the recruitment process.

Candidates want to pick the right opportunity that aligns with their aspirations, ambitions and personal circumstances. Companies have to find employers that are the ‘right fit’ for their emergent workplace culture and must look ‘beyond the bullet points’ on the candidate’s resume.

Bonus Read: Advantages of a hybrid workplace

A hybrid workplace allows substantially less direct physical supervision over the employee’s activities. So, for companies implementing a hybrid work model, they must ensure the candidate is a good fit for their organisation from the outset. If the candidate does not quickly integrate into the culture, management and team environments, there is less opportunity to communicate these norms and expectations later, reducing productivity and employee engagement.

Looking past the resume

Companies have to look past the candidate’s previous work and look at ‘the way the candidate works’. They will have to assess whether the candidate’s key motivators and personality traits align with the environment and role for which they applied. Understanding how the candidate will work under specific environments or situations is essential.

Also Read: How to manage a hybrid team

Companies that can assess candidate’s compatibility will reduce future lapses in delivery and misalignment of expectations. Recruiters will have to place greater emphasis on assessing the candidate based on their core competencies, personality type, consistency and cultural match in addition to the usual assessment of working knowledge and skill.

Informed hiring

In addition to increased remote working, the hybrid workplace will also lead to more remote hiring. This will obviously limit the face-to-face interaction that many recruiters and hiring managers have relied on when assessing candidates both for competence and ‘fit’. They will have less information with which to make hiring decisions, particularly in the suitability of a candidate to succeed in a hybrid or remote work environment.

Companies will need to employ additional assessment tools and processes to objectively review the candidate’s personality type and potential as a new employee in the organisation. Psychometric testing and behavioral profiling will become even more important components of the recruitment process.

Recruiting in 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted many things about how we work, and recruitment will be no exception. In an environment where employees want more flexibility and the employer has access to a much wider pool of candidates, the recruitment process has to become focused on the individual rather than the work alone. Understanding and assessing your prospective candidate’s personality, social skills and adaptability along with their work is paramount in making a good hiring decision in a hybrid work environment.

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