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If you are worried about your current position given the fallout from the Covid-19 crisis, you might be on the lookout for a new job. Employers across all industries are struggling to survive this pandemic. While they attempt to make savings across business functions, recruitment and staffing will inevitably have to take a hit. If you find yourself in the precarious position of facing redundancy, your self-confidence may be sapped. While it’s nothing personal, it can be hard not to feel like your work is not valued. However, redundancies are often not based on performance, they are simply cost-saving measures to help companies survive.
Facing redundancy can be tough, but you cannot afford to bury your head in the sand. You need to consider what you are going to do in the future. You may receive a redundancy payout that gives you a financial cushion for a couple of months to look for a new role. Hit the ground running by considering your options before putting a plan into action. Do you want to remain in a similar sort of role with a new company? Are you willing to take a demotion? Do you want to take this opportunity to switch careers? Think about what you want to do for the remaining years of your working life.
The pandemic has seen the economy face unprecedented difficult times as seen at https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/. If you are on the receiving end of this, think about the sort of employer that you want to work for in a post-pandemic world.
Safety
The most important thing in a pandemic world is to find an employer that puts the health and safety of its employees at the center of their future business plans. While you might not have a wealth of choices if you are made redundant, it is okay to refuse the offer of employment if the company demands that you attend an office environment that is not Covid-secure.
Any post-pandemic employer should have health and safety policies that address Covid-19. They should be keen on staff well being and they should be willing to embrace flexible at-home working.Click To TweetAt the very least, an employer should be able to answer your coronavirus related questions at the interview. Head to https://employeradvantage.com/workplace-safety/ and explore the sorts of policies that companies should have in place regarding safety training and legislation. Social distancing is crucial during the coronavirus pandemic. This is the cornerstone of ensuring that the infection rate of the virus remains low. Face coverings and hand sanitizer are also vital elements that any potential employer should have on offer.
Many employers are allowing their staff to continue to work from home for the foreseeable future. The coronavirus crisis has forced employers to think about their working methods and environments. Many companies have been wary of allowing their teams to work flexibly and out of the office. However, fast forward to today, and these employers are now welcoming the concept of working from home as staff are more productive than ever and money can be saved on office leases and transportation costs. If you are seeking reassurance from an employer that they trust their staff team, hunt for a company that welcomes working from home.
If some roles within a company are business-critical, it might be necessary to go into the office a few times a week. Ensure that any employer that you are looking to work for has office policies in place to protect their staff. Hot desking should not be considered under any circumstances. Deep cleans should be carried out at the end of every day. And the capacity of the office environment should be dramatically reduced. You should never feel pressured to enter an office where social distancing cannot be maintained. Instead, you need to feel confident and safe when sat at your laptop wherever you are.
Industry
If you are looking for a new role in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, you may be concerned about the stability of any future employer. Consider the industry that you currently work in and decide whether you want to remain in it. Tourism, hospitality, and retail have been hit particularly hard. To remain working in these sectors means that you risk facing redundancy again, especially if a second wave of the virus strikes. To ensure that you maximize your chances of remaining in employment, you may need to focus on alternative and growing industries.
Sectors like construction, logistics, and healthcare have seen massive growth during the pandemic. People still need homes to live in, items to be delivered to their homes, and they need to be cared for when they fall ill. If you are keen on a caring career, there has never been a better time to retrain and develop a new and more fulfilling way of spending your working life. There are plenty of ways to gain qualifications and experience before you take the plunge and commit to a new career. If you have some time in your current role before being made redundant, take an evening class, or shadow a relevant employee at the weekend.
Retraining can be a daunting prospect. You may not have been an active learner for a decade or more. However, many employers welcome those individuals who have had multiple careers as they have unique transferable skills to enhance the performance of companies. If you are an accountant and you have worked within financial services, HR, and banking, you will have a superb skillset for the charity sector to utilize.
Interviews
Any interview that you are invited to will not be conducted face to face. This can mean that it is more challenging to work out whether you will fit into the dynamic of a company. Do your research on any company that you are looking to work for. Think about the ethos of the company, the policies that they place importance on, and the morale of the staff. Head onto review sites and see how customers and clients view a business.
By chatting to some of the staff within a firm, you can gauge how they interact with you. Are they formal and corporate in their tone? Do they have a chatty, family-like vibe? Do they welcome you to take part in a larger virtual meeting with staff? Will they cater to a virtual tour of the office? Employers should be keener than ever to make their employees and potential employees comfortable.
When you attend your virtual interview, make sure that you are suited and booted in the same way as you would if you were attending an interview in person. Smile, speak confidently, answer questions without waffle, and be personable. You might be nervous, but it’s okay to crack a joke about being in lockdown and not getting to shake your interviewer’s hand. Treat the interview in exactly the same manner as you would normally. Have a list of questions to ask and base any offer of employment on your virtual interview and the people that you meet along the recruitment process.
Employment after redundancy can be tough to find at the best of times. This can be even more challenging during a pandemic. Competition for jobs is rife, there can be hundreds of excellent and overqualified candidates for one job, and finding a new job after losing the one you had for years can take longer than you would like. Ensure that you are prepared financially for the long haul and don’t be afraid to start on a lower rung of the career ladder with a new company.
Any post-pandemic employer should have health and safety policies that address Covid-19. They should be keen on staff well being and they should be willing to embrace flexible at-home working. Follow this guide and you will find an employer worthy of your consideration if you end up looking for a new role in 2020.
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