Recruitment isn’t a one-way street, although many candidates might say it feels otherwise.
Many talented applicants who land jobs are thrilled to do so, even if they weren’t too thrilled with their overall employee experience. This can cause make them disgruntled from the outset, which lowers their desire to perform at high levels and gives them wandering eyes. According to data collected by Hays, 81% of workers would leave for another job if the offer was right.
The connection between happy workers and improved workplace morale, efficiency, and customer service isn’t a revolutionary concept, of course. It only makes sense that a happy associate will go the extra mile for customers, supervisors, and colleagues. Yet many employers still struggle with how to master the associate experience.
However, one of the most important ways to build a workplace culture that generates camaraderie and celebrates associates daily is to have the right hiring and onboarding technology in place.
How Tech Humanizes the Recruitment Process
It might seem odd to say that technology could lead to happier associates. But that concept is easier to understand after considering how technology can improve, enhance, and streamline the hiring experience.
For one, technology can pinpoint areas of potential discrimination or bias throughout hiring. Case in point: Recruiters can analyze snippets of data to explore job descriptions, interview questions, or pre-screening tools for adverse impact on underserved or underrepresented candidate groups. Once identified, issues can be corrected immediately.
So why don’t all businesses immediately begin adding new recruitment technology advancements to their hiring departments? For smaller companies, not hiring at scale means they don’t see the advantage of paying for cloud-based subscriptions or services. Even if they want their associates to feel happier, the cost-benefit doesn’t seem to pan out.
This seems reasonable on paper, but it can backfire in the long run. As a result, smaller entities and startups with seasonal or occasional hiring needs may want to work with an outside recruiter that already has access to a proven, leading-edge tech stack. That way, the employer will encourage positive associate touchpoints without having to purchase the software.
Put Together a Candidate-Focused Tech Stack
Are you interested in developing your own tech stack to improve the happiness quotient of your associates and employees? Use these suggestions to pick and implement the right add-ons.
- Expect everyone to use new tech. People don’t like change, even when it’s positive. Instead of assuming that everyone’s going to start using technology you bring into your business, make using it a long-term key company initiative (KCI).
Start by mapping out a training and implementation strategy, which you can then disseminate to your team members. By prioritizing the adoption of the latest tech at your fingertips, you’ll ensure everyone stays up to date.
- Bring all voices into tech stack discussions. One method to encourage tech buy-in is to allow all end users to share ideas and recommendations about candidate-focused tech. Don’t underestimate the value of involving your whole team.
Gallup figures suggest roughly half of all employees are disengaged. Ignoring or undervaluing their input won’t help you bring everyone together to support technological solutions.
- Create a tech implementation team. Integrity Staffing Solutions uses interdepartmental steering committees and large project groups to elicit feedback and insights when evaluating which tech belongs in our firm.
The committees and groups take ownership of the process, offering oversight as the tech project comes to fruition. It’s rewarding to see people working together from across teams take so much pride in serving our associates and clients.
Happy Candidates = Healthy Recruiting
Candidates almost always go into the job application process with a tremendous amount of anticipation and hope. Companies can help turn that hope into a positive and rewarding experience by boosting their tech stacks.
Even if they ultimately have to turn down a talented candidate for a given role, the candidate should remain engaged as long as they’ve been treated fairly. And fairness, not to mention a satisfying experience, requires tech’s helping hand.
