A USA Today article explains why our current staffing crunch may take years to abate. Between pandemic-related changes to the workplace and early retirements, organizations are in a fierce competition for employees, including roles like IT that are increasingly important for supporting the primary business or mission.
Technology is playing a significant role in helping organizations meet the challenges of recruiting, onboarding and retaining talent in this new era of remote work. Cybersecurity and IT support company, Xantrion – a Bay Area Best Places to Work honoree, is helping companies transition to and support remote work in order to compete for much-needed talent.
1. Supporting the new flexible workplace
“Most [CA life science companies interviewed] envision futures with more distributed workforce models, where some of their employees work exclusively on-site, some are fully remote and still others have flexible work schedules (i.e., customized, non-standard hours or hybrid in-office and remote work schedules)…. [T]his predicts a future of work that looks quite different for many employees of California’s life science companies.”
*Excerpts from 2021 CA Workforce Trends Report
In California, 66% of life science companies interviewed for the 2021 Life Sciences Workforce Trends report are currently implementing remote work, 96% of them citing pandemic safety concerns. Moreover, according to the recent Accenture Future of Work Study, 83% of workers prefer a hybrid work model.
Responding to this workplace disruption, Xantrion is helping companies adopt platforms for remote work that enable employees’ reliable, secure access to critical systems. It is also providing high-performance tools that meet some industry’s specific needs for security and regulatory compliance. Finally, to minimize disruption in implementing these tools, Xantrion provides 24/7 remote support, ensuring that team members have remote access to all necessary applications and data regardless of location or hour.
2. Expanding recruitment horizons
“Many employees are quitting jobs that require them to work in offices”
“Others are leaving jobs to take advantage of the abundance of openings and higher wages. A near-record 3.9 million quit jobs in June.”
“As more employers allow new hires to work remotely, the competition for employees has intensified, prompting workers to extend their searches.”
*Excerpts from USA Today article, Breaking Down the Big US Labor Shortage
Many of the same tools that Xantrion has developed to support a remote or hybrid workplace also allow companies to broaden their pool of prospective hires. By giving employees the tools needed to help them work productively and efficiently without having to be in the office, companies can look beyond applicants within easy commuting distance and focus on the best candidates wherever they are, in some cases allowing companies to avoid expensive relocation costs.
At a bare minimum, IT outsourcing solutions can help companies in their strategic approach to recruiting talent by helping to onboard and adapt employees, many of whom have never met their hiring company executives or teams face-to-face by providing top-notch support from day one. A virtual, streamlined onboarding process could include anything from preconfiguring computers, to supporting “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) policies, to links to online training courses, to web forms and checklists that help managers with new hires.
The world of recruiting, retention, and remote work has changed – likely forever. Technology is helping companies navigate these changes and compete for top talent. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to learn more about how we are helping other companies transition to and support remote work.