About two-thirds of companies have furloughed or laid off workers because of the pandemic, according to a recent survey. But, as the economy begins to sputter back to life, and businesses begin to reopen, they are looking to bring back employees.

Some businesses may be lucky enough to pick up just where they left off, hiring back the workers who were furloughed. For most companies, however, things are unlikely to be so simple. Some former employees may have found other jobs or are unavailable for some other reason. Or the company may find that economic changes resulting from the pandemic necessitate changes in the way they do business, requiring new types of jobs and new people to do them.

But the world doesn’t stop as companies are grappling with these problems. It takes time to hire new people. In the meantime, a company needs to operate. What can the business do to fill holes quickly? It should look internally at its current workforce to find people with the skills that are needed, ones that are transferable to new requirements. These are people who know the business, know the culture, and can do the job. The problem is that too often companies see their current employees not as people with certain skill sets, but jobholders, roles they play.

Here is a process to follow in finding the people you need.

1. Determine what skills are needed.

What are the skills needed to help your company move ahead, to operate effectively in the new environment? Then use this information to prioritize the jobs that you need to fill. This may take some work because you may first have to determine the skills that are needed for each job in the company.

2. Compile a skills databank

The next step is to find out the skills that each of your employees has. And the best way to find out is simply to ask. Then you want to put this information into a databank. You can use a spreadsheet for this task, or there are a number of templates available online to handle this job. Check also with employees who have been furloughed.

3. Make a match

Doing this, however, is not quite as easy as looking at your skills list and finding an employee with a corresponding expertise. You need to talk with employees to learn about their skills – what exactly they are capable of doing, how they have used a particular skill in the past and whether they feel capable of applying their skill to the list identified in step one.

Looking for work in New York City or environs? If you are, your best course of action is to contact Winston Resources, a top-notch staffing agency that will work closely with you to find a job that matches your skills and experience. Give us a call today.