It’s been a very hard couple of months for me. Not going into details – my Family and my Team keep me alive and I’m really grateful.
I would like to share some thoughts on the topic, which is on my mind lately.
The industry is changing, and our perception is changing. We have people working in different time zones, diverse teams, and differences in: needs, accessibility, gender, nationality, and other conditions that influence our life and working environments. We cannot build teams based on Excel sheets. We need to see real people – even if we meet them in virtual reality.
A leader should run the technical part of the product, connect people, and take responsibility for the team.
We are all team members, be it our families, communities, or workplaces. In these teams, we spend most of our time facing challenges, working towards common goals, and supporting each other. The office is not our second home – but there is no reason to make ourselves miserable during working hours. Whether remote or face-to-face – there is a need for connection in us.
But how can we best support each other, especially in trying times? The answer is simple: Respect, Support, and Connect.
Respect is the foundation of any healthy and productive team. It means valuing each other’s opinions, experiences, and ideas, and treating each other with dignity and kindness. When we respect one another, we create a safe and supportive environment where everyone feels valued and heard.
Support is what helps us to overcome the challenges we face as a team. It means lending a hand when someone is struggling, offering encouragement when someone is feeling down, and celebrating each other’s victories. When we support each other, we build a stronger and more resilient team.
Connecting with each other is what brings us together and makes us a team. It means taking the time to get to know each other, sharing our stories, and understanding what makes each of us unique. When we connect with each other, we create a sense of belonging and build a community that supports and cares for one another.
Mindfulness is a powerful tool that can help us to respect, support, and connect with each other. It involves paying attention to the present moment and being fully engaged in the task at hand. When we practice mindfulness, we become more aware of our thoughts, feelings, and actions, and are better equipped to navigate the challenges that arise.
I encourage you to practice together with your team. And remember, Mindfulness is the key to unlocking our full potential as a team. So let us strive to be mindful, supportive, and respectful in all we do.
Since November 2021, I do observe a significant increase in the number of companies looking for new people – developers, testers, PMs, HR. #Hiring #JoinMe and other similar hashtags fall all over the place on LinkedIn. I’m so glad that after the toughest 2020, in which the pandemic washed dozens of people from the market, we can observe enormous growth, especially in remote working. The world has changed, so did our jobs.
The digital transformation of enterprises that we have witnessed in 2021, made it grow demand for specialists IT. Just like the year before, again the employers were looking for all experienced employees (mid and seniors), to join as soon as possible with your company to the “digital” world.
On the other hand, I can see that a lot of companies – no matter how big or known they are – can’t find people. I would like to share with you some thoughts. Please, don’t treat me as a market researcher or a prophet. I’m basing on my recent experience as a recruiter, conversations with my recruiting technical friends, and some posts from people I respect – Adam Grant and Dan Price.
Recruitment
For the past couple of weeks, I was in the middle of recruitment armageddon, reviewing and screening dozens of CVs.
I’ve read recently that more and more companies use bots for CVs pre-screening, but in this case – I was the bot.
Recruitment is hard for the person, who applies for the job – he/she needs to prepare a CV that stands out, be ready for the interview and dedicate some time for the entire process, the time, for which he/she will not be paid for.
I have two tips for people looking for a new job:
Stand out
You may think – numerous companies are looking for employees. I’ll find a new job at once because I’m an expert in my field. You may be lucky – I do agree – but usually, the entire process takes time.
I’ll give you an example from my – testing – backyard. I received over 200 CVs for my last job offer. OVER TWO HUNDRED in a week. Most of those CVs were matching the job description and most of the candidates were my potential new hires. Skills are important, but the form, in which you are describing your skills, the graphic form of your CV also matter.
Know your skills and your value
Yesterday I’ve read a touching story, where a girl was describing how the recruiter from Google offered her a job with a salary 20 000 dollars higher than her expectations. Just because the company paid fair and didn’t want to create a pay gap between the employees.
Sadly, not every tech (or non-tech) company is so generous. So, if you are looking for a new job opportunity, do the market research first and learn what is the current salary range on your position in your region and outside your region. Know your value. In the end, you are the biggest asset for your new employer and you are the one who provides the service.
I’ve just seen too many times people, who were underpaid, who got half of the money they were supposed to get just because they were uncertain, insecure, and did not express such expectations during the recruitment process.
One more thing – even if you are the perfect candidate – there always might be delays in recruitment, onboarding, etc. Be prepared for long recruitment.
I have two tips for the companies who are looking for a new hire:
Be reasonable
I’ve seen 5 – stages-long recruitment processes.
I’ve seen 1 – stage long recruitment processes.
No recruitment process will ever be perfect, and some turnover from low-quality hires is inevitable. It means that making it difficult for the candidates to get hired doesn’t make you the most desired employer on the market. More often it can scare the candidates away. If you would like to hire people – keep it simple.
Be trustworthy
The recruitment process is a way to get to know the employee better but it is also a great way for the employee to get to know the company better, to feel how it is like to work for you.
Dear Employer, use your recruitment materials as a “show and tell” to give candidates a sense of what it’s like to work at your organization. Showcase employee stories that highlight the reasons candidates should want to work at your organization, and utilize photos and video whenever possible.
Be honest.
Even if the employee discovered that the job is not suited for his/her needs, it’s better to discover it before the employment contract is signed, not after it, right?
Onboading
The onboarding process for a new hire starts when the person accepts the offer, not when the person actually starts working. If you don’t keep the conversation going on, you risk losing them.
Some ideas to do before the person starts: – Talk about the work setup the person needs – Dedicate a “buddy” to the new hire – this will ease the onboarding process and gives the new employee the opportunity to ask questions – Ask the person to write a small introduction to be sent to the team they are going to work with. – Send news about what is going on with the company. – Add the person to the communication tools you are using (Slack, Teams, email, etc). – Send information about the project.
You have to be wise in what you share and how much of it, but total silence needs to be avoided.
Some great companies invite their new hires with some onboarding treats, such as small gifts or a dedicated space (chat, zoom call) to welcome new team members.
And one more fun fact – the employee works for you when he/she comes to the office (even the virtual one). In fact, he/she can resign between signing the contract and the 1st day of work. I’ve seen such cases, so I believe that it is worth investing in a good onboarding process.
Attrition
You can naively assume that when somebody is already employed and he/she gets paid, he/she will stay at your company no matter what is going on.
The fact is, that no employee is an isolated island.
You can be proactive, think of the well-being of the employees, and try to act before they think of leaving the company. I usually keep in mind that recruitment is hard – both for the employer and the employee. It requires investing a lot of energy from both parties, so at least from this perspective, it is better not to recruit and stay with the current employer.
To achieve that, the employee must be:
valued
appreciated
has perspectives for growth and education
paid addequately to his/her skills and accordingly current market prices
has space for family-time and balance between working and non-working hours.
It seems a lot, but economically speaking think how much effort is to find, onboard, and equip for work all new employees. I believe it is at least worth trying.
Counter offers
As I mentioned before – an employee is not a single island. We all do have LinkedIn, we all do get offers for different recruiters. So even if you, as the employer, care about your people, they may get a chance of a lifetime and they eventually will leave. You cannot help it. But if you screw people over and ignore their needs – you might encourage them to look for the job somewhere else.
Brand
You – as the employer – have your own reputation. You are not an isolated island as well.
There are companies, that really are the Best Places To Work. They value their people, let them breathe, and share experiences. They provide paid leaves and treat people fair, no matter their skin color or gender.
On the other hand, I know companies, which do the opposite, but who blindly believe that if they are mentioned in some I-am-the-best-employer-in-my-neighbourhood paid ranking, all their sins are redeemed. Well, it doesn’t work this way.
Employees usually are interested in what is going on on the market. If they know that a company X fired dozen of employees, because of pandemic uncertainty or some other reasons, but after a couple of months is looking for new people – it may not be a good place to work after all.
Employees exchange feedback, share hints and knowledge and maybe that is the reason why they don’t knock at your door.
Healthy way of working
One last thought:
In healthy cultures, quality of life is expected, and having a life is celebrated.
What is your opinion on recruitment and retaining employees? Share your stories! I’m very curious to read!
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