There is a head-spinning relationship between time and one’s ability to close a deal or lock down great talent. Those in the recruiting industry know time is the enemy and it is a relentless deal killer. Our recruiting experts understand interest declines over time. Therefore, it is imperative to make quick decisions during the interest phase of the interview process.   How Time Kills your Chance of Hiring   Let’s say you have a couple of great candidates waiting in the lineup for your new role. You are evaluating these candidates with your hiring team for a little over a week. During this process, you unintentionally let these candidates wait on the back burner while your hiring team evaluates. Two to three weeks after your interviews with interested candidates you finally come to a decision and extend a job offer.   This is how time kills your chance of scoring the best talent, the candidate you want to hire has moved on and is no longer interested in your company or the position. Or perhaps they have accepted a position elsewhere. All that time spent deliberating was pointless and you are left with no one to fill your open role. Of course, you can go with your second choice, but they were the latter for a reason.  Establish Hiring Timelines   “It's important to establish a timeline for any search project. How long is the role open for? What does your schedule look like for interviews (providing interview time windows, etc.)? Are there any upcoming events that may cause interview or hiring challenges (vacations, holidays, etc.)? Don’t lose top talent to time, stay ahead of it.”  - Pete Bolog, PeopleSolutions Client Relationship Manager - Life Sciences and Engineering  Communicate, Communicate, Communicate.  It takes time to build relationships, however, don’t drag your feet and miss out on a great candidate. When candidates are eager to accept your position, it is best to get to the next step quickly before they lose interest. Continuously communicate with your recruiter and candidates to ease any uncertainty or to simply kill the process. (Which is okay, not everyone is a great fit. That said, don't waste the recruiter or candidates' time. Let them know.) Establish a timed system with your team to narrow down prospects, quickly assess applicants and be in touch, often.      

Managing change has always been tough, however, it has been especially difficult these past few years. Considering pandemic adjustments, lay-offs, accepting new positions, remote workforce transitions, returning to the office and adapting to inflation have certainly increased our rate of change. Moreover, the constant modernization of technology and workforce standards forces companies and employees to respond and reshape their practices.  

As organizations restructure their labor force to meet new goals, priorities are addressed and reassigned, responsibilities are delegated differently, and change is plentiful. With employees facing a wide variety of changes at a constant rate, the importance of managing change has become pertinent. It isn’t easy to change attitudes or relationships, much less entire organizations.  

Surprise, Surprise: Most People Don’t Like Change

All organizations are made up of people. And people’s resistance is one of the biggest barriers to change. Research shows that only 38% of people like to leave their comfort zone. When these people are presented with a change, they experience positive interpretations of the change resulting in positive emotional reactions. The other 62%, however, immediately feel fear and discomfort. This is where change management becomes advantageous.  

 

Jon Burkhart, President of Banking at The Richmond Group USA states: “In my experience, resistance to change often stems from a person not understanding the personal benefit of what making a change would bring them. Change is more easily managed when you can help someone understand that the positive long-term impacts vastly outweigh the immediate inconveniences.” 

The Change Management Flow and Process 

Change management is meant to mitigate risk and give a methodical, winning approach to implementing change while helping people accept and adapt along the way. It is a systematic approach that includes dealing with the transition or transformation of organizational goals, core values, processes or technologies. 

 

Download PDF: Change Management Flow

Here’s How You Can Start Implementing Change Management At Your Organization 

One way to clarify the vision is to go through the 4P’s of change. By asking yourself these questions, you can feel confident and prepared. 

Purpose: What is the reason for/background to this change? What are the benefits? 

Picture: What will things look like after the change? What would be the risk of not doing it (the “burning platform”)? Restate the benefits. 

Part: What’s my part in the change? What do you expect me to do? 

Plan: What’s the timeline? What are the key milestones? How is it all going to work? 

 

Change Management Process Flow 

(WalkMe, Change Management Blog, The Ultimate Change Management Process Flow) 

PART 1: CHANGE PROPOSAL | Identify the change 

Begin with a needs assessment and the 4 P’s of change. You must support your change proposal with evidence. 

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OUTLINE THE DETAILS 

Who is this change affecting? What levels will the change impact? IT systems? Organizational hierarchy? Departmental processes? What are the costs and implications? What do you need from the organization to successfully put this change in place? 

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PART 2: TRIALLING & IMPLEMENTING CHANGE 

Contract and engage for change 

STEP 1: Establish a sense of urgency 

Remember, people are naturally resistant to change. What are the benefits? 

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STEP 2: Build guiding coalition 

You need support for the change at all levels of the organization. 

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STEP 3: ESTABLISH THE APPROACH | Create the vision and strategy 

Use the work you did on the 4 P’s of change. 

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STEP 4: Communicate the change vision 

An army of volunteers can help you communicate the change vision to stakeholders. 

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(B. CHANGE: Deliver and make change stick) 

STEP 5: IMPLEMENT | Empower or enable action 

Put plans in place for every aspect of the change, including communications, training, and review. 

Also, you must ensure that the organization is prepared for the change. There are no barriers to the change, nor conflicting behaviors or procedures. 

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STEP 6: Create short-term wins 

Remember to celebrate success to maintain high motivation. 

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STEP 7: MONITOR | Consolidate gains 

Measure, monitor, evaluate. This is how you can be sure of success. 

Monitoring and evaluation will enable you to anchor new positive behaviors into culture. You’ll also be able to catch old habits before they threaten the entire change process. 

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STEP 8: Anchor into culture 

Don’t rush into this step. It takes time to form new habits. Only when the old habits seem out of place can the new behaviors become ingrained in culture. 

To Wrap it Up 

Try sharing this flowchart with your organization, so everyone feels included in the process. Establishing a game plan for change allows easier management and continuation of the process resulting in a better environment for everyone.  

At the end of the deliberation, a celebratory beer or two couldn’t hurt the process, work hard and enjoy your company evolving. Happy, changing.  

Our company has noticed emotions are high due to economic changes. As recession talk heats up, so may your anxiety.  In this recession, the direction of the labor market will be key in determining the future state of the economy. Following a typical recession, when consumers buy less, businesses cannot sell as much, and they are forced to lay off workers; and the vicious cycle begins. On the upside, our current market has twice the number of job openings as unemployed people so, employers are not going to be so quick to lay employees off.   Regardless of the severity of this recession, we understand any type of economic slump is enough to fire up anxiety and cause overwhelming emotions. Below we provide suggestions to get ahead of your anxiety, prepare for potential changes and cope before it takes a toll on your mental health.  

Take a Step Back. 

It may sound trite but taking a moment to simply pause and take a few deep breaths can do wonders. Review and reflect on your current status. Do a ‘worst-case scenario’ exercise. Think about whatever is stressing you the most and contemplate the worst thing that could happen.  If you can live through it or deal with that, then you are ok. If you are healthy, have some great people in your life and live in a country where you are free to express yourself, you are doing pretty good.  

Narrow your focus. 

Try to take your focus away from the news and center inward on yourself and your current goals. When you do listen to the news, do your best to observe not absorb. Discern enough to be aware of current economic statuses and news updates, then let the anxiety of those updates go. You do not have to carry the weight of the world's news on your shoulders. After all, the human brain wasn’t designed with the capacity to empathize with every catastrophe. Practice living in the duality of educating yourself and staying in your own lane.  

Proactive planning.  

54% of U.S. adults said they are somewhat or very anxious about their finances.  That percentage drops to 46% for people who work with a financial advisor and 47% for those who self-identify as disciplined planners.  Anxiety boils down to uncertainty around future events, assessing your current finances and talking to a financial advisor could ease your mind. Preparing for the unknown will assuage your worry and increase your confidence that things will turn out alright. People who plan show more control over their emotions, less stress, more positive emotional health and life outcomes.   25% of our happiness hinges on how well we’re able to manage stress and anxiety. Remedy this by “fighting stress before it even starts and planning things rather than letting them happen.” The more you plan, the more stress and anxiety are minimized. — Robert Epstein, psychologist and self-help author.  Being prepared will ease your emotions. Take a calm step back before a worried step forward.   

Your employer brand impacts a candidate's interest in working for your organization and you. Organizations that understand this and take action position themselves as an “employer of choice.” In this week's tip, we provide three ways you can positively #impact your employer brand.

1. Treat candidates like customers
2. Respond to both negative and positive comments on social media 
3. Use anonymous employee satisfaction surveys  to learn why people work for your company & use that in your social media content. 

See what others are saying about this. Check out our LinkedIn Post!       

Should I Stay or Should I go?

1. Am I passionate about my work?
2. Will my current job allow for eventual advancement?
3. Am I learning & growing as a person and professional?
4. Will my current job provide the experience or knowledge that will help me do the work I want to do?