Let’s start off on the right foot
“There’s only one thing more precious than our time and that’s who we spend it on.” — Leo Christopher
The skinny
HR teams looking to get off the hiring hamster wheel need to recruit with kindness.
♥
I see dead people.
Ghosting is on the up and up. And not the kind Tinder dates do on a Friday night. More and more often, candidates (and even new hires) are cutting contact with employers.
Wait, you got a Dear John text?
Count yourself among the lucky. Over 80% of workers admitted they ghosted an employer in the last year and a half. And while it’s making hiring managers lose their hair, the truth is… the recruiting process favors the party in power and right now job candidates are giving some companies a taste of their own medicine.
Unimpressed.
Workers aren’t willing to ignore red flags (aka, cultural incompatibilities) uncovered as they interview with leaders, complete assessments, and interact with your HR team.
Fool me once…
After describing a painful interview process, can you say 22 unpaid hours drawn out over the course of three months, this HR TikToker reminds today’s job hunters that it is perfectly okay (time- and cost-saving in fact) to decline a second date.
Can Ye not?
Stop with the puff-piece job descriptions that offer little insight into the realities of day-to-day duties. Stop conveniently leaving out salary rates and schedule expectations. And start treating candidates like you would a tenured team member—be honest, respect their time, and don’t expect people to work for free.
Roger that.
Over the last couple years, organizations across the nation have doubled down on their commitments to diversity, climate change, and a variety of other social issues. Your customers, your employees, and yes, your candidates are waiting for executives to put their money where their mouth is.
Loud and proud.
Inclusivity starts with confidence. When job listings emphatically encourage people from all backgrounds to apply—including queer, disabled, veteran, and BIPOC professionals—applicants know every minute spent updating résumés, crafting cover letters, and rehearsing presentations are truly worth their time.
Their time, which is valuable, remember?
Great, we’re on the same page. So, what happens when the grey hair in the room isn’t psyched to hire the candidate with blue hair and tattoos?
Blue is the warmest color.
Employees who feel they can be themselves at work are happier and more engaged. Recruiters who are trained to look past the physical and prioritize both technical and core competencies will score loyal (and very much alive) talent.
Date with data: Disabled people in the US continue to be unemployed at a rate that’s nearly twice as high as their non-disabled peers.
Further reading: Why workers and employers are ghosting each other
The skinny
No, sometimes it shouldn’t be an email. Work friendships, debatably unwanted, are still necessary.
♥
Alone at the lunch table…
While it might be slightly less excruciating, making friends doesn’t get easier after graduation. But friendships do get more important as we age, elongating life spans and laugh lines.
No, this was yesterday.
Right. More than 4.7 million Americans work remotely and might’ve lunched alone every day this week. How could I forget?
Out of sight, out of mind.
Once a trending recruiting topic, workplace pals no longer rank highly as a factor in job satisfaction. The pandemic—and subsequent soaring turnover rates—have given employees #workspouse cold feet.
Making work friends = working out?
Many employees proudly abstain from both activities while fully understanding the long-term benefits to their health and happiness.
Virtual Nappy Hour
Please stop asking if we can see your screen. We can. Every time. The novelty of group video chats faded with the Tiger King hype and most employees straight-up admit they won’t attend voluntary virtual social events. They’re just no substitute for in-person gatherings.
Dystopia much?
Maybe not. The focus is on quality not quantity. Fewer (but better) friends are what really make a difference. Remote technologies redeem themselves in our story by making it equally easy to connect with anyone in any department. In today’s virtual workplace, friendships aren’t limited by physical proximity.
So cringe.
So if virtual happy hours, while well-intentioned, are grossly underwhelming, what can leaders do to infuse some much-needed spontaneity back into the workplace?
The weakest link.
Whether metal or mail, chains are only as strong as their most flimsy point. We’ve all had jokes lost in translation (at best) and project details totally misconstrued (at worst). Next time you’re about to click “reply all” on someone else’s “reply all,” consider hopping on a quick video call to clear the question up and—brace yourself—talk to a real human being.
Got a fiver?
Taking five minutes to discuss work (even if, sure, it could’ve been an email) opens the door to personal connections that can foster creativity and you know, give you all those warm fuzzies.
Be a CoverGirl.
For those of you in leadership positions, an easy-breezy video chat can help offset those hard-hitting meetings. Plus, sincere face-to-face time builds rapport with colleagues to better tackle difficult conversations in the future.
Double date: One in ten people lost touch with close friends in the last year.
For you: 5 Ways You Can Incorporate Friendship into Your Busy Week
 Now a break from the news… |
 Compliance Corner |
Here’s something to…
- Savor: 20 Best Spring Cocktails
- Read: ‘Free Brittney’: A Campaign to Release Brittney Griner Fills the Silence
- Follow: Internet gem, @DunnSpunn delivers positivity every weekday at 2 p.m. CT
- Consider: Endometriosis Affects One-in-Ten Women But is Largely Ignored in the Workplace
- Save: 7 Ways to Make Your Home Look Cleaner—Without Cleaning
- Watch: Ukrainian Influencers Bring the Frontlines to TikTok
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Social Corner
Rae’s Roundup—what we’re reading
Diversity, equity, and inclusion a critical lever in talent war: Mixpanel’s Amy Hsuan
