You have probably heard about The Great Resignation, which has seen a mass exodus of workers discontented with their jobs and seeking better opportunities. Professionals are now more careful when selecting employers, demanding better work environments and equitable compensations.
There was a shortage of 5.7 million workers out of the 11.3 million job openings in the US last May. US companies continue to create jobs each month, with 372,000 in June. And with little to no candidates to fill them, it’s a job-seekers’ market.
With the massive demand for qualified candidates to fill specialty roles, especially in healthcare and related industries, talent acquisition professionals are up to their necks trying to keep up. In the face of overwhelming responsibilities, it’s essential that companies adequately take care of their talent acquisition teams to prevent burnout and maintain performance levels.
Here are some ways to ease the pressure off of your talent acquisition and recruiting teams.
Reassess performance metrics structure. Reassess your talent acquisition teams’ performance metrics and ensure that the objectives are realistic. Give your employees an exact idea of what the company considers successful outcomes. Streamline the workflow by providing clear expectations at every step, ensuring that results align with the company’s targets and objectives.
Unrealistic expectations of your team’s performance can lower morale and increase anxiety. Do your projected target figures reflect the industry’s current status? Is the success measures well within the employee’s scope of responsibility and control? TA metrics that you should track and review are time-to-hire, quality of hire, duration of candidates in each step of the hiring process, cost per hire, and offer acceptance rate.
Provide recruitment tools and access to resources. You expect your team to perform their best during these times of extreme competition. Hiring tools will simplify your TA team’s tasks, saving time and energy and providing an advantage over the competition. Make use of an ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) with features that organize applicant information, post and promote job openings, track application process, communicate with applicants, onboard new employees and record recruiting statistics. Apart from robust recruiting systems, provide your TA team with a means to combat burnout such as access to mental health resources.
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Encourage teamwork. A proactive work environment where teamwork thrives is essential in nurturing team members. When people work together and support each other, the workload gets lighter, and challenges seem minor. According to a study by Gallup, team leaders should highlight team goals and encourage frequent communication to keep everyone on the same page, discuss each TA member’s duties, and how other members can provide support. You can also promote camaraderie through non-work activities such as team dinners or trips to develop deep bonds among your TA team members.
Reinforce work-life balance. Prioritize well-being as a part of your organization’s culture. You can accomplish this by teaching awareness among leaders, providing physical and mental wellness programs, supporting healthcare for all employees, incorporating a rewards program for employees that support a wellness culture and allowing flexible hours such as work-from-home and hybrid work setups.
Develop a sense of purpose. Employees who feel their work connects to the company’s mission are less likely to be burned out. Team members will find fulfillment in their everyday tasks when their contributions to the company are emphasized. A consistent reminder that their work has a true purpose is a powerful motivator.
Seek external support. Sometimes your talent acquisition team just needs some external help. Recruitment Process Outsourcing companies can serve as an extension of your TA department to streamline and ease the process. RPOs have a large database of candidates that can be engaged whenever you need to hire, making the search easier for your internal team. To save on large retainer fees, choose a firm that can scale its service depending on your company’s hiring needs.
It’s vital that your TA team members feel that they matter. Burnout comes from overwork, underappreciation and the feeling of insignificance within the organization. When a company commits to taking care of its employees through improvements in their working conditions, processes and well-being, employees will be at their best — and perform accordingly.