A lack of digital skills is jeopardising companies’ post-coronavirus strategy and must be addressed efficiently.
Highlighting the issue, the Digital Transformation and the Workforce Survey 2020 found that nearly half of companies surveyed do not have the skills in their workforce to make the best use of adopted technologies.
While there is certainly a buzz around the need for digital transformation due to the current pandemic, this has actually been the case for a while. Digital and tech disruption was cited as a top priority for businesses in 2020, pre-coronavirus.
However, there is escalated pressure within businesses now to rapidly adapt and adopt, rethinking skills and priorities. Not hiring properly – and not having access to these profiles that are in high demand – will impact businesses negatively and could lead to irreversible damage.
While things are tough and uncertain, businesses may rush their hiring processes and usher in candidates without fully vetting them. In digital and tech, this is costly.
A Careerbuilder survey in 2011 initially pointed out the cost of a bad hire and it’s become clearer ever since – it’s also especially true during a pandemic, when every decision (and penny) counts. Shockingly, the U.S. Department of Labor puts the price of a bad hire at (at least) 30% of the employee’s first-year earnings.
And those are just the quantifiable impacts. When we get down to the nitty-gritty of the impact of a bad hire, it is felt on all levels throughout the company. Morale and productivity is hit as better employees pick up slack, and company culture can start to spiral; it can even lead to good employees leaving due to feeling disengaged, overworked, and underappreciated.
There are certainly some red flags to look out for – check these:
1. Agreed-upon work is late, low-quality, or simply non-existent. Even after onboarding and training.
2. The CV is starting to look a little… inauthentic. Noticing that skills they claimed to have aren’t actually apparent is a big red flag.
3. They have a bad attitude, don’t respond well to criticism, and don’t make an effort to contribute to company culture. Other employees or customers may complain about them.
4. They keep making the same mistakes and maybe even blame others for their failures.
The plethora of problems listed above stem from one simple mistake: a bad hire. The solution therefore lies at the source, with a proven and reliable recruitment strategy. There are many things that could have gone wrong in the process that meant you didn’t see the warning signs until it was too late; from not vetting for soft skills, to skipping scenario-based interviewing techniques.
But there’s a lot more to it than that, and in an era of digital skills shortage and demand for transformation, a refined hiring strategy that consistently delivers the best results is vital. At Concentric Recruitment, we help Business Leaders hire and retain top Tech & Digital Talent so they can build high-performing teams, ensure knowledge is transferred, achieve company objectives, and scale their business.
Here are 3 ways I can help if you are serious about taking your business to a whole new level:
▶ Claim your FREE guides - that reveal the secrets top performing Business Leaders use to hire and retain Top Tech & Digital Talents. Simply send an email with the words “Free Guides” to leopold@weareconcentric.com
▶Follow our LinkedIn Page for regular news, updates, tips and advice on you could hire & retain top talents
▶ Work with me privately - Working with us privately to help you hire and retain top talents in your market will help you achieve company objectives and scale your business fast. Simply click on the following link and book a time for an initial conversation: https://calendly.com/leopoldconcentric
