Insights into the forces shaping our industry.

Moving Forward: Work from Home

Candidate Advice, Hiring Advice

We surveyed 30 clients and candidates asking about the lasting impact of the pandemic. The surveyors are present in one of the four verticals we serve, across the US. Despite the negativity surrounding COVID-19, we’re seeing companies adopting long term changes. The majority of the surveyors agreed that their company’s work from home policy would change indefinitely…whether it was increasing work from home (WFH) days, moving some positions to 100% remote and/or creating more WFH flexibility. We also found that our surveyors adopted at least one of three strategies (as expected) in response to WFH: adjusting marketing/advertising (some focusing on social media), downsizing/layoffs/furloughs and/or Zoom meetings. About half of the surveyors, felt they were prepared and the remaining had to purchase equipment in order to effectively WFH.

Even though none of the surveyors reported positive sales, they all remained optimistic. As states begin reopening, we expect to see some companies to return and adjust to the “new normal”; where others will continue WFH for another few months or through the end of the year. There was an outlier present, discussing no change in their company’s WFH policy i.e. no increase in WFH days flexibility.

For us, we saw companies either put their hiring on hold or prioritized hiring based on the position. Valin Corporation reported its response as one of the first states to abruptly force WFH and how various companies within construction adjusted to remote work.