Staffing, search firms see varied impacts on employers, employees from pandemic

The coronavirus has caused a range of impacts on businesses, especially when it comes to their workforces.

Some companies, making essential items from face shields to hand sanitizer, have added more employees to their teams to get the work done. Other companies, seeing shrinking revenue, have slashed the employee base. Others fall somewhere in the middle, trying to hold steady as they shift existing employees to different tasks, work on long-term projects or push the pause button as effects of the pandemic play out.

Area staffing and search firms are seeing all of the above and more as they navigate the evolving needs of employers throughout the region.

‘It’s a confused marketplace. It will sort out, but the dynamics that are in play in this marketplace haven’t been experienced previously.’ — Darrin Rohr, HH Staffing

Sarasota-based HH Staffing has helped some clients staff up quickly during the crisis. For instance, Owner Darrin Rohr says his firm has been working with a local nutritional supplement provider that’s seen more business from customers trying to stay healthy. Rohr has also witnessed increased demand for hiring employees for companies that sell such items as hand sanitizer and cleaning products. Anything to do with commercial cleaning is seeing a bump too, he says.

There’s also demand for warehouse and distribution employees. Those employees are needed now to help companies get their products out of warehouses and into retail stores, as well as to work on fulfillment for online businesses.

Another labor implication of the current environment Rohr's seeing is a domino effect caused by retail giants such as Publix hiring thousands of employees for its stores and distribution centers. Employees who have worked at a smaller warehouse or distribution center might jump at the chance to work for Publix, Rohr says. “Companies are saying, ‘We’ve lost some people — they’ve gotten hired by larger employers,’” he says. “It’s a confused marketplace. It will sort out, but the dynamics that are in play in this marketplace haven’t been experienced previously.”

Rohr is watching demand increase for workers who handle tasks related to finance, from medical billing to accounts receivable. “The health care system is being taxed right now,” he says. “A lot of additional activity is needed to keep the whole volume of work in order.” Accounts receivable specialists are increasingly working with customers who are not able to pay their bills on time.

Also impacting the market are what Rohr calls unintended — or perhaps intended, depending on perspective — consequences of current levels of unemployment benefits that might incentivize some workers to stay home and not work. For clients trying to fill warehouse and distribution jobs that pay less than those benefits, this can present a hiring challenge, he says.

Rohr’s advice for smaller employers facing unsettled times and potential employee attrition includes companies communicating their value proposition to employees and firms ensuring wages are competitive. If they don’t, companies might lose more people and end up training one of their employees for their next employer.

Frank Ferreri, managing partner and founder of Tampa-based Ferreri Search, says the impacts of COVID-19 he’s seeing with area employers vary widely. “It’s been all over the map — just a totally unpredictable, unprecedented time,” he says.

In 2019, the search firm, specializing in accounting and finance, information technology and executive search, had its best year ever, Ferreri says. Things were going well in January, February and into March before the coronavirus started to impact the area more, and some of its business dropped off. “This week we’ve seen an uptick in clients looking to utilize consultants and contract resources, so that’s a positive for sure,” he says. “We have seen needs with our immediate clients for consultants in the area of accounting and finance.”

Ferreri Search is working with a number of clients that remain in active hiring mode now. The firm is also talking with a couple of its clients about quick ways to retrain long-term employees, so they can find a way to keep them on staff.

Some executives the company recently completed searches for, meanwhile, don’t have confirmed start dates yet. Others have experienced their first days virtually. Some individuals the firm has been working with have decided to put their job searches on hold. Others have begun aggressive job searches because they think their positions are at risk. “It’s just a wide array of different circumstances,” Ferreri says. “Every company is different. The dynamics are different and the situations are different. We’re seeing things all over the grid.”