What’s it like working in the environment of 2020 and possibly beyond? In 1972 the Rolling Stones issued an album called Exile on Main Street, with a song called “Ventilator Blues.” Its chorus varies, but the first time through it says:
Ain’t nobody slowing down no way Everybody’s stepping on their accelerator Don’t matter where you are Everybody’s gonna need a ventilator
Mick Jagger is not generally considered a prophet. But the words “exile” and “ventilator” describe a lot of what’s going on almost 50 years later, in the working environment as well as in general life.
Someone who sees the current work environment clearly is Lesley Donnell, vice president of Robert Half Finance and Accounting, a professional staffing service. Based in Midland, Donnell saw big changes afoot even before the oil patch fell off a cliff. Some of the coping strategies, such as peppering a work-at-home day with online meetings and video sharing, may be here to stay.
Experiencing the challenges personally, Donnell and her office began officing remotely at the start of the general shutdown in March.
For many companies, the remote meeting option, at least for white-collar workers, extends to hiring as well as working. “We’re finding companies that are doing all their interviews virtually, and maybe not even meeting the candidate before they hire them. [And] doing virtual onboarding,” she said. In their own placements, Robert Half has found ways to get candidates on the temporary side the technology they need in order to work remotely.
Workers generally are looking for three things through this process, she said. “Flexibility, stability—I think that’s a big thing,” she said, adding that some who have been laid off from oil and gas jobs are seeking stability in other fields, due to the seemingly constant ups-and-downs in oil and gas. One candidate took a job with a municipality—at a significant pay cut—in exchange for more security.
The state of salaries for those who do stay in the industry is yet to be determined, she noted. “It’s still a little too early to tell how significantly salaries are going to be impacted.” Some candidates are willing to take less, especially those who have been laid off. Some who were laid off are paused, hoping to wait out the quarantine and the downturn in order to return to their old jobs—even if it might be at reduced pay. Fear of catching COVID-19 could play into delays in reintegrating into the workforce.
As far back as 2014’s downturn, the industry began embracing technology at a suddenly breakneck pace—and the 2020 quarantine has caused them to “step on their accelerator” even harder. Donnell noted that tech savvy is more important than ever. “I think in the IT profession, we’re seeing an uptick in help-desk professionals and cyber security. I think there’s much more that’s needed these days.”
A select group of industries were not affected, some even seeing job growth in the crisis.
In addition to tech jobs, the gradual reopening of the economy in June facilitated at least some hiring in other areas. These include financial services, banking, mortgage and lending, construction, legal services, health care, and food services (as in groceries, not restaurants).
Whatever the job, the new remote environment has created a greater need for what she called “virtual communication skills” on the white collar end, which work on videoconferencing. “It’s different now; people need to be used to not having conversations in person.” So much for discussing the Cowboys’ game in the breakroom on Monday morning.
With videoconferencing replacing even phone calls, she recommends people always be camera ready—at least from the waist up. As early as March 27, Wal-Mart reported a significant increase in the sales of tops in the United States, but not bottoms. The company’s executive vice president of corporate affairs Dan Bartlett told Yahoo Finance that he attributed that to people working at home.
Shifting to remote working in many cases has made “remote” the operative word. On one side, previously local employees may now be working from a cabin at the lake a couple of states over, or at a family member’s home in a different time zone.
On the other side, Donnell said, hiring for office workers now extends across the country and perhaps further. “That is a unique time to capitalize on that and get, maybe, someone you couldn’t find here locally,” instead of needing to bring someone to the Permian to work. “Obviously, that doesn’t work for every job.” Meanwhile, micromanaging bosses may not be on board. “This is going to be a new way of working,” she added.
This may mean some of these issues forced on businesses by COVID-19 may actually be part of the working landscape long term.
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Paul Wiseman is a freelance writer in Midland, Texas.