Talent Acquisition COVID-19 Recording 6-10-20

In response to the rapidly developing coronavirus outbreak and its unprecedented impact to business and employers, i4cp has launched a series of weekly standing calls specific to Talent Acquisition Leaders. 

The talent acquisition function continues to feel the impact of COVID-19, from the volume of job applicants they’re seeing to where work for the positions they’re filling will be done and much more.

Meanwhile, the effect that the death of George Floyd and the civil unrest that has followed continues to impact the workplace and every other facet of society. Talent acquisition leaders from organizations such as ServiceNow, Domino’s, Bank of the West and many more gathered to discuss these topics on this week's Talent Acquisition COVID-19 Response series call. Some highlights:

1. Post COVID-19, talent acquisition leaders figure to take a bigger role in their organizations’ “Future of Work” projects. Nearly half (42%) of participants on today’s call indicated as much when asked to choose from a list of things they are doing to align their hiring with future business needs. Another 39% said they our building their organizations’ talent maps to identify the deepest talent pools for critical needs, followed by “partnering with your organization’s leadership development and/or learning organization to identify skills gaps,” at 36%, and “building longer term business need questions into the approval process before a role is open,” cited by 30% of participants.
2. In addition to reconsidering the scope of work that can be done anywhere going forward in a post-pandemic environment, organizations are rethinking the physical workspaces that employees will return to when the time comes. For example, many call participants noted that their companies are scheduling work space for teams, bringing back employees in a phased approach, and mapping out social distancing in their offices.
3. The workplace continues to be impacted by the death of George Floyd and the subsequent civil unrest. Recent i4cp data confirms as much, with 56% of organizations with 1,000-plus employees saying recent events have added stress and productivity drains on their employees. Another 47% said their company has been impacted, and has an obligation to address the issue and take a stand. Companies appear to be addressing this topic internally and externally, with several TA leaders on today’s call sharing steps their companies have taken, such as issuing external statements from the CEO and discussing race issues in all-hands meetings.
4. Recent events have underscored the importance of evaluating candidates’ cultural competency as part of the hiring process, assessing for factors such as social intelligence and other skills such as managing remote employees, for example. An i4cp instant poll conducted during today’s call found 61% of call participants reporting that their organizations assess all job candidates for.

In addition to this recording, please see these resources: