Interviewing our clients about recruitment during lockdown

Companies from all over the world have had to adapt their ways of working to fit in with the current lockdown rules and regulations. To give you an insight into how companies across Europe have adapted to the current lockdown situation, we interviewed 4 of our clients: SYKES Hungary, Webhelp CZ, 5CA & Fujitsu about their transition from office to remote working, the changes to their recruitment processes, future hiring plans and how the future of recruitment will be affected by this global crisis. 

Our exclusive client interviews discuss the changes in the recruitment industry during the current lockdown.

First up, interview with Webhelp CZ:

1. How has the transition from the office to home been for your team at Webhelp CZ? 

The transition went smooth. The IT department did their best to provide access for our tools from home. Also working from home is good since we have application Teams where we can have group calls for such things as Induction day. The only thing that has to be discussed in advance now is the presence of at least one of the HR members in the office to deliver contracts/amendments to the employees and send the post. 

2. Are you still hiring? & if so, how does the recruitment process work at the moment? 

We are still hiring and all processes are managed remotely. All interviews are managed through Online applications. When it comes to onboarding, we provide our candidates with required information through emails and all written forms are to be signed on the first day of work. we all the time try to take in consideration safety roles to be protected. As for now, we are not considering any kind of change for positions opened into remote or work from home. We try all the time to count on Candidates that are already located in the Czech Republic.  Check them here: Jobs at Webhelp CZ.

3. Have you made future plans on how to move forward after the current situation? If so, what are they?

We are creating plans regarding on current situation which changes every day. They are simple. We have a couple of topics which are really important CURRENT EMPLOYEES x UPCOMING AND POTENTIAL and how to do our very best for them. 

4. What long term effects do you think this global crisis will have on recruitment?

It is really hard to say. Companies may decide to keep reducing costs on employees, which is not an optimal way... That's simply: BE ONLINE. 

5. How are you supporting your employees through this difficult time? 

We are supporting employees through all channels very promptly - skype, teams, email, share mailbox. I am open for calls and be for them when they need it. We are more flexible and we are trying to help them with any request. It is not new methods so much, as when we are personally and physically in the office for them it is more comfortable to come and ask us...now it just changes the ways in which we communicate and how employees can reach us - as I mentioned via skype, teams... 

As a company, Webhelp CZ has successfully implemented remote hiring and onboarding techniques to keep their hiring process in action. Despite all that's going on, Webhelp CZ are still actively hiring candidates who are based in the Czech Republic, so if you are a candidate looking for work here, be sure to check out their opportunities! It's so encouraging to see that they are also working towards their future hiring plans whilst closely focusing on their current employee's wellbeing through online communication and flexible working methods. 

Next up, interview with SYKES Hungary.

1. How has the transition from the office to home been for your team? (Are you operating as normal and have you experienced any difficulties? 

Although SYKES Hungary was mostly site based so far, the global SYKES family has 20+ years of experience managing remote workforce. Thanks to this we have access to a vast amount of know-how on working from home solutions. With IT and other supporting teams working around the clock, we managed to move all of our workforces into work from home offices in a very short time. Right now, our colleagues are working from their homes.

2. Are you still hiring at the moment and if so, have you implemented any changes to your hiring process?

Yes, we are continuously hiring and offering jobs for people speaking East-European and other rare European languages to join our multinational team in Budapest. Check them here: Jobs at Sykes.

The recruitment process was adjusted to the current situations of course and we have video interviews instead of personal meetings, so the entire process is contactless.

3. As a company, have you made any plans on how to move forward after the current lockdown? If you have, what are these plans?

Keeping our employees safe is always our priority, so we are already planning how to provide adequate space for social distancing in our Budapest office when we will be able to move back.

We are also considering launching a hybrid model, combining office working and home working.

4. What long term effects do you think this lockdown and pandemic will have on recruitment? What challenges are you already experiencing in your department? 

The sudden drop in international mobility will definitely impact the industry. Our biggest challenge at the moment is that we can only hire candidates based in Hungary. We are looking forward to the time when borders open again and we can continue recruiting across Europe again.

5. How is SYKES Hungary supporting their employees through this difficult time? 

Our people leaders are constantly receiving training on managing the remote workforce and we use our online channels a lot more than before. We are also putting emphasis on engaging with colleagues via various online channels for communication and having fun with home-based activities.

With 20+ years of experience managing a remote workforce, it's safe to say that as a company, SYKES Hungary was more than prepared to support their remote employees! The team at SYKES Hungary successfully adapted their hiring process to be carried out remotely, through online interviews and other techniques. As a company, they continue to search for candidates who speak Eastern-European and other languages to join their team in Budapest. If you are a candidate looking for work in Budapest, make sure you check out their opportunities! It's also encouraging to see that the team at SYKES Hungary continue to make plans to recruit across Europe again in the near future! 

Exclusive interview with 5CA.

1. How has the current lockdown affected your style of working? Are you operating as normal and have you experienced any difficulties? 

5CA has been a work-from-home company for a long time, although we have maintained a presence at our headquarters in the Netherlands. However, the infrastructure and knowledge of working from home were not just present, but an intrinsic part of who we are as a company. As a result, it was as easy as a message from our COO to our office-based staff (roughly 10% of our workforce) asking us to please stay home and everyone who wasn’t already was working from home within a few days as well, with absolutely no impact on our operations whatsoever.

2. How does the recruitment process at 5CA work at the moment? 

We actually entered a peak in hiring due to the situation that developed. 5CA provides customer support on behalf of great companies in the games industry, and the demand for customer support rose as a result of the crisis. We feel fortunate to be able to offer more people remote jobs in trying times like these. 

As a result of our existing work from home program, practically nothing changed in our hiring process. The process has always been focused on a completely remote set up where recruiters and hiring managers assess candidates through video interviewing and online assessments. The only difference is that candidates (usually for staff positions) who might have come to the office in Utrecht for interviews have now also been recruited entirely remotely. Check them here: Jobs at 5CA.

3. Have you made any plans on how to move forward after the current situation? 

Our focus is and has been for a long time on providing an excellent work-from-home program because finding the best talent is a challenge which should not be made more difficult by geography. We will continue to showcase the benefits and our expertise in working from home and recruit the best people from practically anywhere. 

4. What long term effects do you think this pandemic will have on the recruitment industry? 

I think that the biggest impact this crisis will have on recruitment is that working from home is no longer a niche benefit that only specific roles or companies can facilitate. This crisis has functioned as a proof-of-concept that large-scale working from home is not just an option, it is equally viable to working in an office. I think that employees (and therefore candidates) will be more demanding in requesting flexibility to work from home part of their time, or even to do their jobs entirely remotely. At the same time, I think that more companies will take advantage of the new infrastructures that are now in place to facilitate working from home and expand their horizons to find talent globally instead of being restricted to local markets. 

5. How are you supporting your employees through this difficult time? 

We have always known the difficulties involved with working from home: one can feel more distant from coworkers and lack a human connection. We have a brilliant engagement team that is working hard to make sure that there are initiatives in place to engage our workforce on a basic, human level, and beyond the scope of just their work. 

We are actually starting our Community Week next week, in which everyone will be invited to online parties with their teams, we’ll run a radio station where people can dedicate songs to their work friends and listen to it while working, and much much more. Even more than that, our CEO himself initiated a program when the crisis started which encourages people who have always worked from home, to connect with those who are now struggling with the new situation. The two are encouraged to spend some time, video chatting, and connecting, and the person who is more experienced in working from home even gets paid for the time they spend – All to make sure that nobody, and I mean nobody at all, is left behind. 

As an established remote working company, 5CA adapted quicker than other companies to the current lockdown situation. With no actual changes to their hiring process and a clear vision of how to implement remote working successfully, 5CA continue to offer exciting work-from-home job opportunities with effective remote onboarding programmes. If you are looking for a work-from-home job, check out the opportunities with 5CA now. 

Last but not least, interview with Fujitsu.

1. How has the transition from the Fujitsu office to working-from-home been for your team? 

We made the transition in just one and a half weeks for 1900 employees, currently, business is operating as usual. 

2. Are you still hiring at the moment? 

Yes, we are still hiring for specific languages and positions. Check them here: Jobs at Fujitsu.

3. What long term effects do you think this global crisis will have on recruitment? 

Nothing specific for now, but it will change the process of onboarding and the way that people are recruited. 

4. How are you supporting the staff at Fujitsu through this unusual time? 

All employee support is being given online and through remote assistance. 

After successfully transitioning 1900 employees to work remotely, Fujitsu managed to maintain their business as usual. As a company, they are still hiring for Sales and Customer Support roles in a variety of European languages, so if you are looking for work in Portugal, be sure to check out the opportunities at Fujitsu. It's also refreshing to see that despite the current situation, the team at Fujitsu have managed to maintain their level of employee support and assistance through online communication channels. 

We hope our client interviews have helped you to gain an insight into how different companies across Europe are adapting to the current lockdown situation and how their hiring processes have also changed. As you can see, there are 4 companies that are still actively looking for candidates in 3 countries across Europe; Webhelp in the Czech Republic, SYKES in Hungary, Fujitsu in Portugal and also 5CA who continue to hire remotely. For any candidates looking to work for these 4 companies, it's certainly uplifting to hear the ways in which these 4 companies have adapted their ways of working to keep new and existing employees happy and motivated. Even with all the uncertainty that we are facing globally, companies like these continue to plan and work towards better working methods to ensure that these job opportunities are still available for candidates like you! Stay motivated & stay safe.