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I — along with almost everyone around the world — ate way too much fast food during the height of the pandemic. And after realizing that I was spending an aggressive amount of extra money on tips, delivery charge, and services fees, I had to start venturing out into the world and pick up my own food.
Brave, I know right?
Quickly I started to see different renditions of a similar sign popping up in drive-thru windows.
“Short staffed, inside service only.”
Or the more blunt version…
“We all quit.”
While it was pretty obvious to see how the pandemic directly resulted in this low-staffing issue and negatively impacted hiring in general, no one could have predicted how it would shake up the way hourly employers hire 2-3 years later. Maybe for the better? Hear me out.
There was a serious problem with how businesses were hiring hourly workers. For decades, hourly workers were easy to find, but all of a sudden they were gone. Old systems and holding on to simply hoping that enough candidates would come in person to apply, couldn’t sustain the new world we were living in. The pandemic opened our eyes to the fact that this process wasn’t super effective. Now available, The High-Volume Hiring Guide: The State of Hourly Workforce and Gaining Buy-In for Better Solutions breaks down from Aptitude research shows that 79% of high-volume companies are hiring more hourly workers this year than last year. The hourly hiring transformation is needed, and we need to be fast.
Here are three issues that Aptitude Research says are standing in the way of this transformation:
…and how we think they could be fixed.
1. Lack of TA presence in high-volume hiring.
Only 17% of companies with 3⁄4 of their recruitment dedicated to hourly roles have a dedicated recruitment team. Without the necessary help, business owners and general managers are forced to screen, schedule, interview, onboard, and more while attempting to work other functions of their businesses. Location managers provide the most value to their location when they have the time available to support their teams and serve customers. Imagine trying to serve your customers, take drive-thru orders, all while scheduling an interview to get the help you desperately need.
2. Accessible applications for few.
Somehow in 2023, not every hiring solution offers multilingual or universally accessible options. Only 33% of companies knew if candidates had access to a laptop and ¼ of companies stated that English is a second language for their candidates. Creating a hiring process with candidates in mind, these accessibility accommodations no longer can live as “nice-to-haves”. Candidates, now more empowered than ever, are more inclined to a hiring process that fits their needs and comfort level. If they aren’t feeling represented in the hiring process, there's nothing holding them back from applying to the business across the street. Not to mention the ease of use of applying on a phone rather than requiring all candidates to find a laptop or desktop computer.
3. Feedback for none.
Most companies are not providing communication or feedback in a way that is consistent and meaningful to candidates. Eighty-two percent of candidates stated that they would like to receive feedback on the interview process. In the age of Glassdoor and social media, one single poor candidate experience can result in a landslide of destructive online employer brand reviews. Allowing the candidates to have an outlet to communicate any issues or appreciations with the hiring process can be critical.
Automation is the solution.
Conversational software, powered by an assistant, provides personalization through a deeper understanding of the candidate and an ability to respond to every question(in over 30+ languages). This technology relieves hiring managers and recruiters of the calendar tetris and constant stress of answering candidate questions, 65% of companies using conversational AI are able to respond to candidates within two days of application. AI allows candidates to provide feedback on the hiring process without requiring recruiters intervention. When candidates are asked for feedback during the onboarding process, they have a 133% increase in a positive experience with that company. So no matter if the candidate gets the job or not, they will most likely return to being a happy customer.
Find more information on the high-volume hiring guide from Aptitude Research:
