Meeting Online: OK for Staff; Interviewing … Not So Much
While the COVID-19 pandemic inspired “social distancing” as a now-universal safety measure, technology has helped companies fill the resulting communications gap – virtually – through “Zoom” and other web-based conferencing tools. These programs allow individuals and groups to confer online, with or without video. We asked HR specialists and a professional recruiter for the linen, uniform and facility services industry to reflect on these changes, as well as the broader issues impacting recruitment/retention trends since the pandemic struck one year ago this month.
Deana Griffin, president, The Griffin Group, a management recruiting firm based in Staunton, VA, said she prefers tried-and-true research/outreach methods to identify qualified candidates for her clients. “Zoom technology hasn’t affected my professional recruiting business during this pandemic in regards to in-person interviews because my firm isn’t utilizing this platform to interview potential candidates,” she said. “For over two decades of locating top talent, this has been accomplished via cold calling and other sources, but not through Zoom. Primarily, the reason is my firm is a third-party service between a candidate and a client company. With COVID-19 in our midst, my client will determine the best practices on how to interview from their policies and procedures. While the world has changed for all of us in the past year, hiring practices haven’t.”
Sean Hearn, director of employee relations, Mission Linen Supply, Sacramento, CA, said his company uses Microsoft Teams for meetings, mediations and union negotiations. “So far we haven’t interviewed candidates using ‘Teams,’” he said. “We have increased our phone interview process during this time, vs. doing virtual interviews.”
Russell Holt, chief compliance officer, Superior Linen Service, Tulsa, OK, also hasn’t incorporated Teams or Zoom into their interviewing process. He’s concerned technical issues could hamper these discussions. Also, candidates with limited access to or knowledge of video-conferencing software could find themselves at an unfair disadvantage in an online interview setting. Superior Linen Services’ reluctance to interview candidates online hasn’t hampered hiring, according to Holt. However, online technology has facilitated staff communications. “Our applicant pool is staying filled,” he said. “We use Teams for all of our internal meetings. It is a good platform that allows for collaboration on many projects.”
Other concerns have arisen amid the now near-universal use of Teams and Zoom. “The downside of Zoom, including many other video conferencing programs, is the growing concerns over security across the platform that have many consumers wondering about tech alternatives,” Griffin said. “With Zoom, there are proven problems with security and privacy. Hackers sometimes referred to as ‘Zoombombers,’ have been a problem because they can take over a Zoom user’s Mac. They were entering into chat rooms to drop offensive language, violent threats and even racist remarks. Zoom also has been known to send data from users of its iOS app to Facebook for advertising purposes, which also means you can receive the ads without having a Facebook account.” Other concerns have centered on the need for end-to-end encryption of calls.
In May 2020, Zoom officials said in a blog post that the program had acquired secure messaging and file-sharing service Keybase designed to allow it to achieve end-to-end encryption on a wider scale. Zoom said Keybase would provide important contributions to Zoom’s 90-day plan to enhance security and privacy capabilities on the platform. Taking aim at the threat of Zoombombings, the company said it would address the issue by enhancing attendee-reporting mechanisms available to meeting hosts and using automated tools to seek evidence of abusive users.
When asked about finding qualified candidates as the economy begins recovering from recent lockdowns, Hearn said that irrespective of technical innovations, a key challenge he faces is having to compete with government benefits that sometimes discourage paid employment. “From the standpoint of recalling people from layoff, we are finding a troublesome trend of people not wanting to return to work,” Hearn said. “We attribute this to some of the government-provided stimulus benefits that were offered.” Another issue is competition from companies like Amazon, that have grown during the pandemic. “Some of the more ‘COVID-proof’ industries are aggressively hiring people we would normally place in production positions,” he said. “Amazon is a good example. They are paying higher than contracted rates for similar positions. We are not finding a shortage of qualified management candidates. We have noticed an increase in the industry management candidate more open and willing to interview. Their fear is the lack of stability in their current position or sometimes the specific location stability in the industry.”
The same two factors have influenced staff turnover, he said. High-tech competitors and generous government aid are complicating the process of retaining staff and recalling laid-off employees. “We are finding conflicting trends,” Hearn said. “As mentioned, other businesses are attracting people from certain sectors of our workforce, and there have been a higher-than-usual number of people leaving.”
Griffin adds that from her perspective, companies are less eager or able to hire management staff. “The demand for candidates from companies has eased due to companies furloughing, downsizing, terminating and laying off employees,” she said. “The textile/uniform/linen industry took a big hit, and most companies are on a hiring freeze or have faced a high rate of attrition due to the pandemic. I have seen an increased number of candidates searching for new career opportunities due to unforeseen circumstances at their last employer.” Not surprisingly, those candidates who have lost jobs are more flexible regarding their terms for accepting a new position.
By the same token, Griffin noted that in some cases managers who still have jobs are hesitant to change positions due to the economic uncertainty that the pandemic has inspired. “Companies have experienced a high percentage of turnover whether it be voluntary or involuntary,” she said. “While recruiting, I have experienced more people satisfied with their current position, causing them to be reluctant to make a change due to the uncertainty of the market, stability, location of position, family concerns, health concerns regarding COVID-19 outbreaks, etc. Candidates without a current position are more apt to relocate to other cities/states outside of their current location.”
Freelance writer Meredith Powell wrote this article for Textile Services Weekly. A more detailed version of the article is slated for publication in the April edition of Textile Services magazine.