Signature Source Blog

Navigating the New Digital Divide

Navigating the new digital divide

It’s no surprise that the pandemic has changed the way people live their lives. From grocery shopping to traveling to socializing, 2020 and 2021 has seen a lot of changes, most dramatically in the job sector. The majority of people are working from home and it seems to have created a bit of a digital divide between employers and employee expectations.

This digital divide is mainly focused on employee experience, which is defined as “the journey each employee takes with a company, including everything from company culture to the work environment to day-to-day technology.” According to a Gallagher survey, employers are working to enhance employee experience, specifically the areas of “employee mental health and wellbeing (70%), diversity, equity, and inclusion (55%), and ‘new ways of working’ (52%).” Given that the pandemic has created a growing number of remote employees, more companies have been using technology and data to address employee needs in a more targeted way.

In a recent article from Korn Ferry, it was found that

older executives liked remote work so much that they’re thinking about delaying retirement. Granted, the pandemic still brings its own stresses, but according to Kevin Cashman (Global Leader CEO and Executive Development at Korn Ferry), they’re worth working through compared to the stresses that come with having to go into the office.

It’s surprising since a recent Oracle study showed that stress levels are higher for executives versus all employees (85% for top bosses compared to 77% of employees). Cashman says that these executives figure “If I’m still showing value and getting a good paycheck, why not [stay]?” Because of the rapid shift to a remote work environment, employers now have the added stress of making sure their employees have the right technology and communication channels (e.g. mobile messaging apps, Zoom, etc.).

Christian Hasenoehrl (Korn Ferry Senior Client Partner and the firm’s Global Account Leader for the Consumer and Industrial sectors) says many company boards and leaders want to reshape their core team of executives, paving the way for a more diverse, high-potential leadership. Currently, millennials are the largest workforce group, with women and minorities leading the charge.

Hasenoehrl says that companies’ digital transformation has been accelerated, so boards are offering more enhanced voluntary retirement packages and other incentives to get older executives off the company payroll and make way for younger tech-saavy talent. However, this isn’t to say that age plays a role in determining success of remote work. When looking back on the Gallagher survey, it was found that organizations and the majority of their employees were both feeling overwhelmed with digital options across the board.

So what can be done about bridging this digital divide, no matter employee’s age or work experience? According to Worldwide ERC, “employers can bridge the digital divide and improve upon internal communication in the remote environment by first defining what digital employee experience means for the organization to enable leaders to take more cohesive actions.” Since leaders tend to be older, it might make sense to talk through an overall digital employee experience and organizational communication. What specific communication needs to be done about aligning digital platforms with communication goals? What needs to be done to ensure flexibility and compatibility across the company? Does your workforce and leadership need to be assessed again? Figuring out the answers to these questions can improve overall digital employee experience and organizational communication, and solidify your organization’s success going forward.

We’ve been in the Global Mobility Recruiting industry for over 15 years, we’d love to learn more about you and your company. Let’s schedule a short chat by contacting us here: https://signature-source.com/contact/

Virtual Onboarding Tips For Employers

Virtual Onboarding

As a company, you’re going to hire people and one of the most important steps in the hiring process is onboarding. Onboarding is the process by which companies get new employees started working as efficiently as possible in the shortest timeframe. Having a strong onboarding strategy (in-person or virtually) shortly after hiring someone is essential to making sure new employees feel confident and knowledgeable in their new workplace. Given the fact that virtual onboarding is the go-to now, the onboarding process can be a bit trickier. Luckily, we have some tips from professionals who have personally helped employees navigate the virtual onboarding experience:

BEFORE THE NEW HIRE STARTS

The time before a new hire’s start date is vitally important to making sure the onboarding process goes smoothly.

Communicate with your new hire a week before their start date about what the onboarding plan will entail and the things they can expect to learn. Any important paperwork that needs to be filled out should be sent to them and any equipment they’ll need should be ordered e.g. work laptops, computer camera
Make sure the new hire knows how to contact the HR department. Have the HR team get in touch and introduce themselves, letting them know they are there to answer any questions or concerns
Keep new hires in the loop by sending press releases when they come out and any departmental meeting notes so that they are aware of what’s going on before starting

WHEN THE NEW HIRE HAS STARTED WORKING

The first day and first week are a time to make sure your new hire is feeling comfortable in their role and are having a smooth transition.

If possible, have a new hire orientation. These can include discussions on company culture, how the company is structured, and going over benefits
If your team is able to give the new hire a mentor or a “buddy,” that can help alleviate some of the stress of navigating a new company and provide someone who can answer any questions the new hire may have. Encourage new hires to shadow people in other key departments to get a sense of how everyone works together.
Send a list of activities and projects to be worked on for the first day and for the rest of the week. They should also introduce the new hire to their team. One nice thing to do is to have a virtual lunch, where you have a meal delivered to the new hire’s place and the team can eat “together” and get to know each other
Don’t overwhelm your new hire with new projects and unfamiliar systems and processes during the first week. Leave some time for them to absorb a couple of new things per week.

FOLLOWING UP WITH THE NEW HIRE

Once your new hire has been working for a few months, it’s still beneficial to follow up with them and get a sense of how they’re feeling at the company.

Sending out satisfaction surveys every three months, six months, and yearly can provide a more accurate view of how the company is doing overall in regards to new hires

How To Ace Your Video Interview

It’s no surprise that COVID-19 has affected all aspects of our lives. In an article from The New York Times, it’s noted that nearly 14 million people are receiving unemployment benefits, meaning that a large percentage of people are probably looking for a job.

Given that most companies probably will not be doing in-person interviews, the rise of the video interview has gained traction. While most people have had experience with video calls thanks to Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams and Google Hangouts, participating in a video interview is a different kind of experience.

Read on for some tips on how to ace your next video interview:

Setting and Location Matter

When you’re setting up for your video interview, you should think about the location. If you’re going to be in your room, make sure you clean up and don’t have anything that could potentially be embarrassing in view. Try to avoid rooms that have a lot of glass and do not sit facing a window as this can cause echoing.

If you are going to be in a shared area, it would be helpful to let others in your household know that you will be in a video interview and shouldn’t be bothered. In addition, any pets that may act as a distraction should be put in another room or blocked off area. Better yet, if you have a clothes closet that you can sit in, it will act as a natural soundproof space.

Be Mindful of Your Camera

Camera placement is something that should also be considered very carefully. You want the lens of your camera to be at eye level for the best and most flattering angle.

The camera should also be about four to six feet away and should capture your shoulders and head only. Your background should be a plain, solid color (no crazy patterns). Some companies might ask you to use one of their branded backgrounds for the interview, so if that is the case, go ahead and use that.

Dress the Part

No matter which company you are interviewing for, always dress professionally. Employers will want to see how you will dress for the position you are applying for. Your video appearance will portray how you feel about their company and new position.

You might be running errands in your sweats, but for a job interview, you want to impress your interviewer. This shows that you respect the company and the interviewer, who is taking time out of their busy day to talk to you.

Be Engaged and Focused

Even though the interview is being conducted over video, act as though you are sitting across from the person in real life. Make sure you are making eye contact (by looking directly at the camera lens) and smiling. A helpful tip is to put sticky notes on either side of your camera lens, so you know where to look when talking and listening.

Pandemic – Now and Later – Solutions from Signature Source

global executive recruiters

As employees begin to come out of the stay at home order and return to the office, what can Signature Source do for you?

Signature Source is here for you and your team members. A few of our clients are beginning to have their employees return to their physical offices in various phases while others are continuing to remain in virtual. In any of the various scenarios, we wanted to share with you that Signature Source has the ability to assist you by offering the viable solutions:

COVID-19 Outplacement Services – Unfortunately, this pandemic has forced the hands of many leaders to make both structural and talent adjustments that go beyond the normal review of full-time headcount reviews. At Signature Source, we are able to provide outplacement services for either key positions or a group of employees affected by the organizational changes. We work with our clients to create a customized outplacement solution to ease in the transition of their employees within the Global Mobility Industry or based upon the employee’s career goal, transition to a different industry with coaching sessions, resume creation, or career repositioning and the distribution of proprietary Signature Source Career Tools.

Contingent Workforce Solutions – Many of our clients have expressed concern about furloughed employees not returning to the organization. There are many reasons for this, but the workflow and needs of the customers still must be met. Signature Source has candidates that are willing to work for a month or longer as independent contractors to help with special projects and/or to assist in numerous ways based on the candidate’s experience in the industry.

Compensation Consulting Solutions – With an applicant database of over 15,000 relocation professionals around the globe, we can help you evaluate the competitiveness of your compensation in a specific geographic area as well as the functional strategy and planning for adding talent.

Confidential Succession Planning – The pandemic has us looking at so many deliverables in our business differently, including planning for leadership that may retire or identifying new talent at the leadership level due to a restructuring of the company. Signature Source can confidentially and respectfully assist you in your succession planning process.

If you would like to learn more about our expanded resources and solutions, please contact us at 727.906.9963 or contactus@signature-source.com.

Just Launched – Our Online Career Center

Hunting for a job is hard. With the current state of the world right now and unemployment numbers rising again, searching and applying can feel disheartening and overwhelming, but at Signature Source we want to change that. Our Motto is “Making a Difference, One at a Time…” and we strive to do so for our candidates and clients everyday!

Maybe you’re already familiar with Signature Source as a Global Executive Search and Talent Acquisition firm, or maybe this is the first time you’re hearing about us. Either way, we bring results-driven solutions to companies and job seekers that serve the global mobility/relocation industry. We pride ourselves on “pairing the right talent with the right job at the right company.”

Today we’re delighted to announce the launch of our newly revamped mobile-friendly Career Center on our website. After five months of hard work and dedication, we’re ready to share this new and exciting part of Signature Source. As more and more people use their phones to access the internet and job hunt, we wanted to create a place where candidates could easily learn about available positions and experience a streamlined navigation and application process via a mobile platform. We structured the site so all the useful information is in one place for a “one stop shop” type experience. The Career Center page has a new design and colors that reflect the general Signature Source palette, making for cohesive branding.

With that being said, we’ve made the Career Center page a more user-friendly experience, not just for mobile phones, but also for desktops and laptops. There are several new features that we’re especially thrilled about:

One time upload of your resume into our system. Have you ever become frustrated with applications where you had to keep uploading your resume over and over again? With Signature Source’s Career Center, you just upload your resume into the site once and you’re set.
Customized job alerts and the ability to easily apply to positions of interest. In the Career Center, you can customize the alerts you get for specific jobs (e.g. marketing or office management).
Resume tips. In the Career Center, you’ll be able to access tips on how to make your resume stand out to a recruiter.
Mobile and tablet friendly. The Career Center site is now mobile and tablet friendly, so you can easily work on your job search from the comfort of your phone or tablet.
Reduces the amount of time spent searching through potential jobs and applying to them. Thanks to the customized job alerts and being able to upload your resume into the system, you won’t spend hours on end sifting through jobs that may or may not pan out. Since your resume is already uploaded to the Career Center, you can easily include it in the job you’re applying for.

Learn more about the Career Center and Signature Source on our website. You can contact us here or call us at 1-888-613-4179.