Yesterday we informed about crucial economic aids from the federal government due to the Corona pandemic.
The restrictions to combat the virus affect all industries, including the recruitment industry. In a telephone interview, Christian Biedermann, Managing Director of Coopers Group AG, tells how he experiences the situation and how he is guiding Coopers through the crisis.
1) Christian, how did you experience the last days and weeks? What is it that currently drives you?
Surreal! It is frightening to see how quickly a virus has brought intact economies and systems to their knees. Our previously challenging VUCA world has now become even more insecure and complex within a very short time. And we all have to face these challenges now.
2) The article above refers to temporary changes in legal regulations which make temporary and fixed-term employees eligible for short-time allowances. Companies can also apply for bridging loans as emergency aid. Is this a big relief for your business?
The fact that employees on fixed-term contracts are now entitled to short-time work is a novelty in our industry and takes a huge burden off the affected companies. The bridging loans are also a useful and reasonable measure by the Federal Council, supporting the economy and ensuring the necessary liquidity in the market.
At Coopers we have focused on permanent personnel placements and the contracting of specialists in the areas of Information Technology, Life Sciences and Engineering. This gives us the advantage that most external consultants can work remotely from home. In these uncertain times, we keep up regular communication with our clients and it is really great to see how exemplary the majority of our major clients seizes their social responsibility to support their employees and us in these challenging times.
3) What are the biggest challenges of the Corona crisis for the recruitment industry?
The recruitment industry is very volatile and highly dependent on the economy. Due to the Covid-19 situation and the associated uncertainty, companies have become more reluctant to hire new employees or even have a "hiring freeze". But every challenge holds a chance! I am convinced that in the foreseeable future the demand for specialists will increase again strongly, for permanent placements and contracting alike. But first, we, as a community, have to master this challenging time together.
4) How is Coopers dealing with this situation?
At the moment we can only do one thing ¬– take intensive care of our stakeholders. For a good two weeks now, all our internal employees have been working from home. We are trying to bring ongoing processes to a successful conclusion and are simultaneously expanding our talent pool. The Covid-19 virus will be a digitalization accelerator – and we will be ready to support our clients successfully and sustainably in their search for specialists.
5) How does the future look like? What can be done already to be well prepared?
Further training is a constant companion in today's world. Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences currently offer exciting webinars and podcasts. In addition, you could use the time at home to update your CV. Don't hesitate to contact us – we are happy to support you with this!
Thanks so much for your time and insights, Christian!
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We would like to pick up a point from the interview: Christian mentioned the manifold great opportunities to spend the newly gained time in a meaningful way – like brushing up your CV or some further training. We have collected some links and listed a few additional ideas on what to do:
Online training opportunities:
– Coursera offers numerous courses from renowned universities (fees required for some)
– There are almost 500 free Ivy League online courses, here is the overview
– Temporary workers can check out the further training opportunities offered by temptraining
– Photography: Nikon offers many free online courses in April
Book tips:
– Tidy up: Clean up your home office with the new book by Marie Kondo "Joy at Work"
– "The Art of Thinking Clearly" by Rolf Dobelli concisely and enjoyably describes 52 cognitive biases that we are better off leaving to others
– A much-needed virtue these days: Patience! A good match is the informative book by Matthias Sutter "Die Entdeckung der Geduld" (only in German)
Podcasts:
– Who hasn't had enough of Corona: Here are overviews of podcasts in English or German
– We're stuck at home and if wanderlust get's the better of you, one of these great travel podcasts might help
– A daily aha-moment with "100 seconds of knowledge" from SRF 2 Culture (German)
Do you have questions about the design or content of your CV? Or do you have some great tips you would like to share? We look forward to hearing from you at any time – via email, phone or social media!
Stay home, stay healthy and steady nerves – we'll get through this together!
Your Coopers Team
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