Still trying to get a feel for how to maintain and build a strong team amidst the Covid-19 crisis? Sure, some companies have moved to freeze hiring until the economic impact of the virus is made clear. However, many others are continuing to recruit to prevent a business slowdown.
Leasing teams are conducting virtual property tours. Maintenance teams are assisting tenants to resolve issues by phone. Marketing and management teams are mobilizing to create clear, consistent communication with residents about the virus. Just as these teams have been evolving their day-to-day process, hiring managers are evolving theirs. We have been working hand-in-hand with some of the best in business to keep the momentum!
Tweaking the Interview Process
Even though company offices are closed, we have many clients that don’t want to get behind the eight ball and are conducting phone and web interviews to keep the process going until they can meet in person when this all shakes out. We have facilitated a multitude of productive interviews through web conference services like Zoom, Teams, Skype and Facetime. At this point, most potential new hires have already been working remotely for a few weeks. They are set up with a home office space and full connectivity, squared away for seamless virtual interviewing. The process might move a bit more slowly but candidates and hiring companies across the board are overwhelmingly understanding given the circumstances. The trick is to remain engaged, communicate timelines and expectations up front, and keep everyone excited about the opportunity.
Onboarding Remotely
It’s doable! While it may seem impossible while maintaining social distancing, companies are still successfully bringing on new hires so their operations are ready to hit the ground running when normalcy returns. One of our candidates, who started a new job last week, completed all her new hire paperwork through email and had a call with HR to go over benefits options before she started. Screen sharing during a web conference was utilized to review systems and procedures. Calls with the rest of the team were scheduled to discuss property-specific details. On her first day, she picked up her laptop along with a can of Lysol (compliments of her direct report) outside of the office and was on her way!
Training Virtually
In checking in with many of our recently placed candidates, they are feeling good despite the lack of in-person training sessions. Many have spent the first week on the job completing online training and are well underway. Now is a great time to step up your training game with valuable resources such as Grace Hill training solutions. Systems training isn’t a problem either. Yardi and OneSite, among other property management software companies, offer online training via live webinar. These convenient options enable class attendance in which attendees can view the instructor’s screen and speak with other participants. Training webinar calendars are filled with a variety of sessions on specific topics for you to choose and register your new hire for. These companies also offer extensive training libraries with a slew of training videos outside of scheduled webinar classes.