2023 is underway and we are well and truly back into the swing of things for the year ahead. In talking with many business owners and HR professionals, recruitment and HR remains a hot topic of conversation. After a challenging 2022, where candidate shortages and the war on winning talent was front of mind, there is lots to think about from a recruitment and HR perspective and what we should and could be doing to set our businesses up for recruitment and HR success in 2023.
With rising interest rates and the increased cost of living, will we have a recession and what does that mean when it comes to recruitment and HR? Will recruiting talent get any easier? We are already hearing of job cut backs in other locations and in certain industries, however, I am yet to see or hear that here in Ballarat. While there seems to be a little more movement from candidates in the employment market, this seems to be role – industry dependent, and will the talk of recession instil fear in candidates and make them batten down the hatches and stay in their current roles and not risk making a move?
There is no doubt, there is a lot at play when it comes to recruitment and HR in 2023. So, what do you need to be thinking about and planning for?
Here are my top 3 tips for recruitment and HR success in 2023 and beyond:
Employee Health & Wellbeing
It’s been a big focus and a hot topic of discussion over the last few years as we move on from Covid. Employers have ramped up EAP programs and have tried to do more in this space to support employees, as well as using the initiatives they have in this space to promote as part of their Employer Value Proposition and help attract future talent. The pressures of rising interest rates and the cost of living will bring new stresses and pressure for our employees, and potentially impact their health and wellbeing. From my experience, supporting an employee’s health and wellbeing is such an individual thing. What one employee might need support with can be completely different to another employee. Therefore, I think the focus for 2023 and beyond needs to be on how, as employers, do we offer a range of health and wellbeing initiatives that can be cherry-picked by the employee depending on their needs and what works for them. At present, I see a lot of businesses refer or encourage an employee to access EAP once an issue is identified, and it’s great that an employee can access this support through an EAP program, however, we know that preventative health and wellbeing initiatives are much more effective than trying to cure or solve an existing issue. The question is, what can you be doing from a preventative perspective to support your employees?
Workforce Future Planning
You’ve no doubt heard the Commonwealth Games are coming to regional Victoria in March 2026. It might seem like 2026 is a long way away, however, we are already seeing infrastructure projects and planning being rolled out as there will be lots to do starting this year to get us Comm Games ready. This means the creation of jobs across regional Victoria. With a candidate short market already, where is the talent going to come from to fill these jobs? And, with people coming to the region for these projects, the visitors coming to the region during the games, the athletes and their support networks; what does this mean for your business and how can you capitalise on this once in a lifetime opportunity? Are you at risk of losing existing employees to Comm Games roles? I anticipate that some of these roles will pay well and people will want to be involved in the Comm Games because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Will some of your people simply want to volunteer during the games for the experience and how will you manage this? On the flip side, how can your business maximise the opportunities that will exist and how do you need to scale up your workforce to maximise these opportunities? The time is now to think about the Comm Games and your workforce, leaving it until closer to the event will be a little too late.
Induction & Onboarding
How well we induct and onboard our employees directly impacts the new employee’s engagement and retention in the business. When talking to businesses about what they do in the induction and onboarding space, all too often the focus is on day 1 and week 1 and that’s it. For recruitment and HR success in 2023, we have a massive opportunity to enhance induction and onboarding and move it from a tick the box process to a value-add program that helps set the employee up for success, integrates them into the business, and provides them with training and development from a technical skill perspective for them to be able to do the job and a ‘how we do things at …’ from a culture, behaviours and values perspective. This is critical for not only when we employ a new team member, but also for when we promote a team member. For new team members, this program starts during the recruitment process and continues on for at least the first 6 months of their employment, if not 12 months.
For recruitment and HR success in 2023 and beyond what’s on your priority to do list?
