Many companies and organizations process applications and conduct interviews for job vacancies that arise due to the termination or resignation of one or two employees. However, some conduct mass hiring events for seasonal workers, upon opening a new location or to create a new department to accommodate business demand. Mass hiring events require HR support from the application process to the employee’s first day, creating significant effects on the human resources department.
Coordination
Mass recruiting and hiring demands coordination throughout the HR department. Every HR staff member must have a specific role or function; if not, hiring hundreds or even dozens of new employees becomes chaotic. The hiring process begins with recruiters who conduct preliminary screenings to determine which applicants meet the basic qualifications. They pass on their recommendations to hiring managers who conduct job-specific interview and make a decision. The candidate then goes back to HR for new hire processing such as reference and background checks, drug testing and completing new-hire paperwork like payroll forms and benefits enrollment. Every HR staff member is responsible for each step in a mass hiring event, which can burden an already busy staff.
Efficiency
HR feels the effects of inefficient operations when it conducts massive hiring. The absence of a plan for processing applicants, scheduling interviews and processing new employees can result in numerous errors. Mistakes in processing newly hired workers can lead to negligent hiring, payroll mistakes, inaccurate tax remittance and incorrect compensation and benefits. Inefficiencies of this sort cost HR staff time, additional expenses and, most important, employee dissatisfaction and frustration from the first day on the job.
Cost
HR budgets include expenses for background checks, drug testing, staff time to check references and provide new employee orientation, as well as time to arrange on-boarding activities. The expense of massive hiring can be astronomical. Many organizations calculate cost-per-hire; however, multiply that figure by dozens or hundreds of employees and the total can wipe out the entire HR budget if the costs weren’t anticipated.
Outsourcing
To alleviate the burden of scheduling interviews, administering pre-employment tests and assessing candidate strengths, some companies outsource massive hiring events. This, too, affects HR from an economic standpoint as well as time investment. Although the conducting of massive hiring can be outsourced, there must be an HR staff member responsible for overseeing the activities of the entity to which hiring processes were outsourced. Overseeing outsourced operations might not prove a huge burden on HR, but it can take away time from day-to-day staff responsibilities.
