“In your LIFE, have you seen anything like that!”

“In your LIFE, have you seen anything like that!” It is hard to believe April came and went without playing the Masters and hearing Verne Lundquist on 16 making famous calls like this one, in 2005, when Tiger Woods holed his chip shot. However, we have been hearing some version of this statement quite a bit from candidate patrons and client partners over the last couple months.

It certainly has been interesting and we’ve noticed a number of trends in the marketplace as we witnessed different phases. The first phase was filled with shock and fear as the initial lockdown orders were implemented. This caused companies to lay good people off, furlough others, and put hiring freezes into effect. Seeing these actions put many candidate patrons on edge and caused them to be proactive in ramping up search efforts as a defensive move.

The second phase moved into adjusting to working from home, teaching children at home, and getting comfortable with confinement. Many companies were surprised at how well their employees adapted to working from home and were relieved when month-end close was effective and efficient. The sense of relief was similar to the moment just after midnight on Y2K when systems didn’t fall apart. We’ve heard from a number of companies that are reevaluating their telecommuting policies as a result of going through this challenge with positive results.

 Many people working from home have had the ability and interest in talking proactively with recruiters as they process the fluidity of their situations and map out a long term game plan for their individual careers. On the other hand, we have also seen candidates hunker down (after all accountants are trained to be conservative) with no desire to rock the boat or take a chance on a new company.  We’ve heard the phrase, “I don’t want to be LIFO’d at a new company” (Last In – First Out).

Next week, we’ll share a little insight on the anticipated recovery as we move into phase three which has similarities to another great sporting event in the month of May, The Indianapolis 500.