During the health crisis, is there any good news for businesses? Yes. Human Resources is rarely praised for improving a company’s success overall. But it happens with companies that Topgrade, even during economic downturns. Canadian accountancy LLT, LLP is an example of how HR can shine, and an organization can succeed even during a crisis.
The 2020 Conference Board survey shows bad hires to be the #1 concern of CEOs globally. The 2021 survey will probably show talent to continue to be CEOs’ top concern, not because of bad hires, but instead because the health crisis slammed the brakes on economies worldwide. As you know, companies everywhere have gone out of business or at least downsized massively, and unemployment has shot through the ceiling. HR is swamped with cutting, cutting, cutting, except in a few industries.
The Good News: Topgrading companies turn crises into opportunities. With companies desperate to survive, Topgrading HR professionals shine by improving talent during crises by:
- Replacing low performers with A Players, since more A Players are unemployed
- Hiring few people but almost all A Players, and then, when the economy roars back…
- Hiring A Players fast, using their “virtual bench.”
Virtual Bench? While unemployment is at record highs, and when the millions of unemployed include millions of A Players, Topgraders recruit and go through selection steps, short of hiring. Then, as soon as they are back hiring, they are among the first companies to hire A Players.
The LLT Topgrading Story: At LLT, HR avoids almost all bad hires by doing the heavy lifting of recruiting, interviewing, and hiring people, with great results.
After Casey Langbroek, Founding Partner, and Gayle Brunt, Office Manager, attended a Topgrading seminar, Topgrading was fully implemented at LLT. Brunt became the primary Topgrading interviewer, and some Managers received training so that they could serve as tandem interviewers. In all interviews for management and professional positions, Brunt asks most of the interview questions, drilling deep to get to know the candidate well. The tandem interviewer is there to be a support to Brunt and a second pair of eyes and ears.
The Topgrading Results: 95% have turned out to be A Players, and HR is highly respected.
Langbroek says, “In this time of economic downturn and challenge, we will stick with our Topgrading disciplines and we will hire fewer people but almost all high achievers. It will become even more important when the economy settles back to its new normal. At that time there could be many accountants seeking employment and it will be important to have a proven tool, Topgrading, which serves as an excellent screening process.”
High Praise for Human Resources: Langbroek continues, “It is true that talent is LLT’s competitive advantage, and Topgrading methods have produced 95% A Players. LLT’s Office Manager, Gayle Brunt, deserves a great deal of credit, for first being a Topgrading student and then a Topgrading Master. She has worked hard to make the Topgrading methods work so well and that has allowed us to innovate and live out LLT’s Core Values. Thanks, Gayle.”
Improve your hiring success with Topgrading. Our proven hiring process will transform your selection methodology so that you get better hiring results. Our leadership and candidate assessment tools will help you assess, hire, retain, and grow outstanding team members. Contact us to learn more!