As part of NJBIZ’s latest virtual discussion, human resources and staffing professionals at New Jersey-based companies spoke about current trends when it comes to recruitment, as well as some best practices for keeping a team that’s happy, healthy and productive.

Moderated by NJBIZ Editor Jeff Kanige, the Nov. 28 panel featured:

• Gene Camm, senior director at Compensation Resources, a Woodcliff Lake-based consulting business that specializes in human resources and comprehensive compensation;
• Judy Sailer, director of learning and development at Westhampton-headquartered HR and payroll solutions provider Primepoint LLC;
• Manisha Subramanian, owner and strategic partner of Edison staffing agency PrideStaff & G.A. Rogers;
• Marta Voda, a senior human resource strategist with business consultancy firm Eisner Advisory Group LLC.

During the hour-and-a-half roundtable discussion, panelists dove into topics such as social media’s role in recruitment, the importance of a strong corporate culture and the benefits of incorporating more technology into HR.

For a full recap of the panel, check out the Dec. 4 edition of NJBIZ.

What’s trending?

When it comes to overall trends in recruitment, Camm said the increasing adoption of technology in more industries “makes hiring a challenge across the board.”

“Regardless of whether you’re in manufacturing and distributing, whether you’re really in the customer service field, tech is being driven into everything,” Camm said. “When you start talking about artificial intelligence and you start really talking about machine learning, I think those types of positions and those types of jobs are really at a high demand and I think that’s going to continue.

“We’re also starting to see a little bit of release from a wage pressure perspective, where you’re coming off of the Great Resignation and where a number of organizations had to inflate salaries to be able to hire people,” he explained. “We’re starting to see that subside a little and I expect that to continue throughout 2024.”

Additionally, Camm said there appears to be “less of a movement and focus on diversification” and more placed on “equity and inclusion to where all groups of all folks are really feeling included.”

“And then from an equity standpoint, you start looking at pay equity, pay compression and really the focus. And I see that driving through to 2024 really being more on equity and inclusion,” he stated.

The new year will also bring more retirees back into the workforce, Camm believes.

“Life expectancy is increasing and their Social Security is not going to increase dramatically from where it’s at,” he said. “If they have a 401(k) plan, is that going to be enough to supplement their income and their living habits? So, I do believe that you’re going to see retirees make an impact in 2024 and beyond.”

Who’s at work today?

Despite low unemployment rates, industries such as health care, hospitality, technology and retail are struggling to find qualified applicants, leading to persisting labor shortages, Camm noted.

At the same time, turnover at some companies isn’t what it once was as employees are staying put amid continuing concerns about the economy, panelists said.

Voda said, “I think people are just, again, just really being cautious, thoughtful and strategic about any career moves right now.”

Sailer agreed, saying, “They’re not looking for job hop … Folks are not willing to take that risk right now, not knowing what’s coming. We’ve talked about recession, we have multiple wars, we have financial issues across the board looking at the banks and the different level of layoffs. So, if I’m safe where I’m at, I’m not going to go. And there are organizations that really do count on letting go of that ‘last in, first out’ group to bring in new and fresh and kind of reset themselves and we’re not seeing that right now.”

On brand

A company’s reputation can be one of its biggest tools for attracting and keeping talented workers, panelists said.

Camm said, “You hear more about ESG [environmental, social and governance] and that’s a big part of it. But how are we communicating with applicants and our employees?

“I think the communication through that entire [recruitment] process is key. Even if you’re not selecting the candidate today, because potentially in six months that candidate’s skills could be something that you need and they’re going to remember how they were treated through that interview process. So, I think that’s very important as well. It’s about really identifying what your brand is, promoting your brand and standing behind it,” he said.

Replay: 2023 Recruitment & Retention Discussion

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The internet can be a good way to get a read on how a business is perceived, Subramanian said.

“Your online reputation is huge. We have clients that we Google almost daily and we want to make sure we’re at that 4.9-star rating, if not five star, but we have clients that are at two, one, we have a tough time sometimes getting candidates to interview with them,” she said.

Panelists also advocated for giving potential employees a sneak peek of the workplace as part of the recruitment process.

Camm said, “Whether it’s shadowing someone who’s doing the job already prior to making an offer so that they can actually get a sense and flavor and feel for, hey, these are going to be my coworkers, this is what the actual day is really going to look like. I’ve always been a big proponent of ‘walk a day in my shoes.’”

Voda believes one of the biggest mistakes a business can make when it comes to attracting workers is “ignoring culture.”

“It’s what’s going to help you recruit, retain ad promote your employees. And not everybody needs to have a mission vision, value proposition statement. You can just have tenets that everybody in the organization follows. You can eliminate microaggressions, you can allow people to share feedback. You can nominate employees that will have a culture crew or a culture club of sorts that makes sure that those tenants, those values are constantly happening within the organization,” she said.

Keeping it simple

Experts reiterated the importance of making sure the job application process is as simple and straightforward as possible.

Sailer said, “We have to be sure that in terms of recruitment, we’re meeting people where they are. So, we need to stop asking them to upload their resume and then to key in all of the resume information into an application on their online. We need to make sure that we’re being mobile phone friendly … We’ve got to meet them where they are to make sure we’re reaching everybody.”

As for the job ad, Subramanian said it “needs to be short.”

“People have very, very small attention spans nowadays … You should hit the high notes with the job ad, some ‘must haves’ in the requirements and then they can click through further if they’re interested. Make it easy,” she said.

Sailer said a clearly written job description that jives with the company’s mission, vision and values is “critical to the hiring of the right person.”

“And then you have to have honest about the job. And then you have to be prepared. Folks are learning really quickly how to negotiate for more money and we’re seeing big upticks in that. That’s become a skill that people are working on,” she said.

Sailer also reminded companies to have realistic expectations for a new hire.

“You get somebody in the door and you think they’re a great fit and they meet your culture. And then two months in, you are throwing stuff at them that has nothing to do with what they got hired for,” she said. “We see that 50% of all hourly employees are quitting within the first 120 days of working somewhere because they had an unrealistic expectation of what that job was going to be. And so, the employer has to be sure they’re being very clear on what this job is and the employee has to be very sure they understand that you need to ask questions,” she said.

Subramanian said, “We’re also noticing that time to fill is increasing. Companies are slower to pull the trigger – they’re waiting for the right person.”

“Employers, I think, need to reduce their hiring timeframe. They can’t take three weeks and have them [candidates] meet with eight people to make a hiring decision. If you still want them to meet with the eight people, reduce the time, have them within from first interview to last interview. I’ll say if you can do it in a week even better,” she said.

‘Beyond just a worker bee’

For Voda, retention “starts the day that the employee starts with the company.”

“Have they been given a mentor or a buddy? Have they had a proper orientation where they feel like they’re going to be set up for success and they feel like they’re going to know who the players are within the organization and that they’ve been given feedback the first week, the second week and so on?” she said.

“And then as it relates to burnout and as it relates to employees being disengaged, having a stay interview. It could be as simple as having a one-on-one where the topic isn’t about, all right, what’s going on with this project and this project. It can be topics like, how are things going? How are you feeling right now about your job? What are some of the things that are working for you and aren’t working for you?”

Voda went on to say, “Just asking a few of those questions as a manager, as a leader, gives you insight into where your employee’s mindset is. Now, not all employees are going to be a 100% truthful, but I think that it’s worth asking. A lot of managers get into a routine of one-on-ones or just all about checking in on work and not always checking in on employee. And I think that will go a long way toward retention … It’s a good habit and it’s a good act of leadership to just check in and see how your employee is doing, remembering their birthday, remembering their anniversary, remembering things that are important to them, understanding what inspires them and using that to help build a more compelling relationship with them beyond just a worker bee.”

The whole package

In order to make sure talented employees stay put, Camm said it’s a mix of having the right culture, providing career development opportunities and giving workers a chance to improve their skills.

Companies also need to consider the other benefits and perks beyond salary, such as hybrid schedules remote work, supplemental assistance and tuition reimbursement, he said.

“So when you start designing that, I think it’s not just compensation from dollars and cents, it’s total compensation package. And really what’s important to your employees, understanding that and then making sure that you’re able to deliver programs that meet your strategic long-term objective,” he said.

Tech talk

Sailer said, “One of the last biggest pieces to me at this point is social media. TikTok is everything.”

Besides being a place where users share content on HR-related topics, like giving notice, negotiating salaries and navigating interviews, Sailer said the platform is a way to connect with potential applicants.

Along with embracing social media, panelists urged companies to invest in technology to promote efficiency, including the use of artificial intelligence for writing job ads and chat bots for narrowing down the pool of applicants.

Voda said, “By taking a look at workforce analytics and taking a look at metrics month over month, the data can tell a story.”

“It could be we have some attrition here and it’s happening over and over, so we maybe should look at that manager if we’re having spikes, like maybe that person was promoted and wasn’t given the type of coaching and mentorship that they needed to be a strong leader,” she said. “Using technology and HR analytics helps us as HR professionals to look at some of the heat map of where I’ve got issues with my leadership or with the organization.”