Employees in the restart process definitely play an integral part in this project, with Covid-19 impacting businesses and people trying to figure out how to come to terms with the new normal. At such an unprecedented time as this, employee’s contribution to a business is of utmost importance. They have to be treated with empathy and concern as they too grapple with the reality of the situation and are expected to put in their best efforts to support the business. It is important to understand their concerns about family health and future as almost every sector has been affected by the pandemic. Hence, kindness and empathy shown to them during these times will be reciprocated which will in turn help the business to revive and reach greater heights.

We can expect a great boom in the recruitment turf post pandemic, since the companies will begin hunting for new resources/talents and there will many professionals/job seekers who will actively be looking for a job or a job change. If you want to start strong, you will have to use this time to prepare for the post-pandemic recruitment world.Developing a talent pipeline is one of the most strategic approaches to recruiting. Look for ways to make your brand meaningful and memorable, as this will make job seekers and clients much more receptive to invitations to connect. Invest some time on LinkedIn building your network. Use a personal note with every single invite you send and follow them up. Once an organisation posts a job on their job board, they could typically use some help from a recruiter to fill the role. Contact them and see if they can offer your recruiting/HR services. You may use your personal network of friends and ex colleagues for introductions. Also, always ask existing clients who they can refer you to. Follow them on social media and in the news. If they are bringing out a new product, opening a new office, etc. get in touch to see if this means they will be hiring. Also, new clients can be reached through an email marketing campaign and cold calling, but ensure that you have an attractive email template that highlights the quality of your business/services. Showcase your stories, achievements, testimonials, etc. Keep yourself and your business updated on the industry and clients industry. People prefer to connect with people they feel are similar to them so it makes sense to speak your clients’ language. Always prepare for face to face meeting as it builds relationship and trust and get the contracts signed easily. Provide them best candidates in shortest possible time frame. Remember first impression counts. Once position is closed, meet them and ask for feedback and for references. Tailor your recruitment technology (Recruitment tool/software) to speed up and improve your recruitment process. Make tie-ups with renowned universities and colleges to conduct workshops and seminars and get featured in campus newspapers/magazines. Digital media has become the main source for finding jobs today. Organize online talent hunt programs for students and professionals to participate and display their skills. Value the time of others as you value yours. Let the students, professionals not wait and contact them instantly as you scan through their profile and find them deserving. Speed up your recruitment services to avoid the risks of a delayed recruitment process. Use tools like Zoom, Google Meet and Skype to stay connected and take initial round of interviews/screening. Job seekers look for clarity in the job advertisements in terms of the profile, company history, pay scale, career opportunities etc. Provide a clear picture of every required detail in the job notification/calls and clearly communicate job requirements and how one can benefit from this role/profile.

It is important to first be 100% clear on the role, and expectations from the person - technology, skills and attitude etc. Write a clear Job Description for the role for which you intend to hire and prepare a good interview evolution sheet to test the skills. You can use coding skills platforms like hackerearth to test the coding/technical skills of the person before the interview as well. Coming to the second part of the question, while there are loads of agreements online, it will be good to have a legal firm draft some of these for you as a one time activity. This will be cheaper in long run as well rather than using some templates online which cannot be validated. It is also recommended that you seek references from known software companies for legal firms to ensure you are going to a trusted source.

Higher attrition generally is symptom of the following cases:1. Employees are not able to see the growth of organisation / visualise their future with the company2. Line managers are not able to deal with the team appropriately3. Compensation is not at par with the industry standards.You have to spend little more time having a thorough exit interview ( internal / external ) to get a clear understanding on root cause(s) for this higher attrition, CEO/HR can personally can take time to analyse the situations by doing employee engagement survey ( NOT satisfaction survey ) to find the areas where people are disengaged and fix the gaps with planned approach. You can seek professional external help on these as well if needed.

It is definitely a tough time, at the same time this situation will not last forever. You have to wear your finance hat and write down the clearly all the expenses you have, and which are most needed . When listing the expense just ask yourself: "Is this essential? Can we live without this ". When you narrow the list you will see your burn rate and till when your savings will sustain. Ideally if you have less than 3 months of savings left - you have to act fast to secure temporary sources to get money to fuel your needs ( can be a part time job, odd jobs etc ). Friends and Family are always the first option if you can't sustain however you must ensure you honour payback commitments once your situation starts looking up and you are back to work.

This is a misconception, as even as on date, there are several junior/ fresher openings across the sectors, students needs to up their skills and learn what ever they can online, as much as possible till they discover the right opportunities. Lot of initiatives by universities, large corporates, job sites are already in place, students need to utilise these options appropriately.More importantly, we have to remember that, this will not last forever, and that opportunities will be available for those who are seeking.

It would not be fair to generalise and say that that this will be applicable to all those who have returned and all the companies will respond this way. It is far more important for the NRIs to showcase and prove their skill, talent and ability to work efficiently, as in the end their capability will win them the race.

It is definitely recommend that if the concern is genuine the person should reach out and speak to their line managers and HR on the same and solve the issues. Going to the right channel in the organization is important to keep the communication relevant and effective. You can encourage your contacts to honestly discuss their issues directly with their management or representatives of management like line managers or company's HR.

Constant communication, organising engagement initiatives ( for example, family calls, group calls, team surprise calls , planning for surprise gifts etc ), sharing the success news more often and enabling line managers to deal with the team work related challenges will go a long way to help in such times especially.

There are enough openings for the talented, and for skilled and unskilled workforces who may return from other countries. While they will have to compete with locals and construction workforce and may have to work for lesser wages, this phase is temporary and should settle in couple of years after which regular job flow should be back on track.