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Re-allocation of staff

20th April 2020

We truly are living in unprecedented times right now – something that I’m sure that you’ve heard plenty about over the last few weeks.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed all life as we know it and nobody is quite as hard hit as small businesses and independent companies, some of whose future is unknown. Although it’s easy to become overwhelmed as the world of business takes a huge shift, it’s not time to throw in the towel.

Plenty of businesses have countless staff who, until very recently, were core to the daily operation and are now left standing around (or sitting at home) with their hands in their pockets, feeling like an unwanted spare part.

However, if there’s one thing we’ve learned in the years working with businesses around the globe, it’s that you can teach an old dog new tricks.

A company reshuffle

In the situation where one or a number of staff member’s positions are compromised or rendered obsolete during the current pandemic, rather than to furlough or layoff, it is most effective to reshuffle the current staff into relevant positions.

Although this can be a struggle for some companies, for others, the reshuffling of positions can change the emphasis and focus on different, more currently relevant areas, to capitalise on the current situation.

We’re not talking about receptionists becoming self-isolating bricklayers or vice versa, but a small change in the job description to cover the identified most important areas of the business. So, for example, where a receptionist may have increasingly little to do in the current situation, they may have underlying content creation or HTML skills that the company can capitalise on.

So how do you effectively reshuffle a company to capitalise on the strengths of the individuals during a crisis?

It’s simple, you just need to know the strengths and weakness of each employee.

Psychometric Testing

Perhaps the very best method to identify employees strengths and weaknesses is through a psychometric test.

There are countless benefits to a psychometric test that come into play at any stage of the employment cycle including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Get more insights into your candidate’s job fit.
  • Screen candidates more quickly and robustly.
  • Identify top talent more easily than before.
  • Reduce your organisation’s levels of employee turnover.

During the coronavirus pandemic, there’s another, very specific benefit of the psychometric testing and it directly correlates with the reshuffling of the company. By identifying individuals personalities, alongside their qualifications, companies can be effectively structured with an emphasis on the strengths of the employees.

In these difficult times, every little helps and ensuring that all employees are as happy as possible with not only create a fantastic working environment but build morale, promote unorthodox teambuilding and ultimately pay dividends.

Conclusion

Although a company reshuffle may be necessary to operate during these unprecedented times, there’s no reason that the experience can’t be a positive one.

By allowing employees to complete a psychometric test, each individual can be applied to a position that works both with their current skill set as well as their personality.

About the Author:

Nikky van Bommel is the Marketing Director for Big 5 Assessments and has worked in the Psychometric Testing industry for over 10 years. Nikky is responsible for all marketing and social media for the organisation.

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