Now is the Time to Develop Your Hiring Strategy for 2021 and Beyond

The COVID-19 pandemic is, we hope, coming to a point where we can start moving towards “normal.” It is clear that “normal” is going to be different than it was pre-pandemic, but we can get back to business. With that in mind, it is time to look at your business and decide what your hiring strategy needs to look like. Will you have a full staff returning to your offices? Or will they continue to work remotely? Maybe it will be a hybrid version of the two? With that, staffing needs are likely to change. Being proactive in identifying what that means is critical to your success. Now is the time to look at your staffing - where are the strengths, the weaknesses, and what is missing – and develop the hiring strategy that will move you and your business forward for 2021 and beyond.

Identify Your Staffing Needs

Before you can develop your plan, look at where you are now and anticipate your upcoming hiring needs. Start with your current staff. What do you expect in the short term? Will some of your team choose not to return, or are there those you choose not to bring back? Is there anyone who will be retiring or leaving for other known reasons? Do you have team members that may transition to another role within your company whose place needs to be filled? All of these scenarios would require you to have a plan to fill those positions, so start to plan now.

You also need to consider your growth goals for your business. Those growth plans impact your staffing needs and should be considered in your strategy. Do you have proposals or bids that are pending? Ones that may come to fruition as the pandemic restrictions are loosened. You want to be preparing for these various factors now, so you are ready to move ahead as soon as possible.

Reviewing and Defining the Positions Needed

Once you have established what positions may need to be filled, the next step is to evaluate your hiring and training process. Business owners can often get so busy in the day-to-day operations that they may neglect to keep up with the documentation used for hiring and training. It is natural for employees to adapt to the changing needs of their position and the documentation may no longer accurately reflect the jobs they perform. If you have not done so recently, audit your job descriptions and positions. They may need an overhaul or a complete rewrite.

Other key components of your strategy are your onboarding and training systems. You want to make these processes as smooth and seamless as possible for everyone involved. This will create a great impression for your new employee while also saving time for your training managers. Standard operating procedures and well-documented plans will make for an easy, consistent, and repeatable process.

Are You Ready to Develop Your Strategy?

It may seem like a considerable amount of work to develop, implement, and maintain a hiring strategy, but the benefits are worth it. From the standpoint of being clear on your staffing needs to onboarding and training effectively, having a clear strategy in place simplifies the process. It will save time, money, and potentially avoid high turnover rates when there is a clear plan in place.

If you need a hiring strategy, or you need help updating one, contact Jill at Let’s Build Talent soon!