Written by Chief Product Officer Ranjeev Teelock
More than a year has passed since the stay-at-home guidance was initiated. We still give it a second thought before heading to our favorite coffee shop to meet with friends or colleagues. Conferences and events that helped us stay connected with peers have morphed into highly-digitized experiences. Nothing is the same. The pandemic has forever changed these industries. One thing that is finding renewed interest – almost universally – is the desire for travel, restaurant dining, and shopping experiences. This collective spark has led to hiring surges in hospitality and retail. However, the shelter-in-place guidance and suspension of lab-based employee drug screening has left many businesses scrambling to onboard the staff needed to help meet accelerating demand.
Just like every other organization, business shifted at First Advantage since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A swift reallocation of the company’s resources quickly transformed into new technologies that help hotels, resorts, retail chains and restaurants acquire talent during an unexpected hiring boom. The introduction of an instant oral fluid drug screening solution is providing some much-needed assistance to those in travel, retail and dining with same-day, end-to-end employee drug screens despite the ongoing crisis.
The instant oral fluid solution uses intuitive technology, supported by an OralTox collection device, to conduct on-site or virtual employee drug screens. The Collection Portal is pre-populated with the donor (employee) details through the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) integration. Easy to follow screens provide Human Resource and Talent Acquisition professionals step-by-step guidance through the collection process. Screening results are typically delivered in under ten minutes, dramatically shortening onboarding times where traditional, lab-based testing could take several days. In the event that the OralTox screening test is anything but negative, confirmatory lab testing is available as part of the solution.
Electronic chain-of-custody capabilities help retail and hospitality organizations adhere to their compliance standards with screening results that can be captured and stored digitally – a central function of the technology. This new solution also helps minimize the chance of collecting adulterated samples, detects recent drug use, and, in turn, empowers more employers to clear individuals for work quicker.
This accelerated time-to-hire – down from an average of two and a half days to just a few hours – brings some assurances to those in hospitality, retail, food & beverage and many other establishments. First Advantage helped businesses hire more than one million essential workers in a short, six-week period during the height of the pandemic.
Finally, after months of isolation and social distancing, there is a real chance to visit destinations other than the local supermarket, especially now that most have embraced solutions necessary to kick-start their businesses while minimizing risk. As the world gets ready to re-open its collective doors, same-day hiring with rapid drug screening is now possible – an essential part of the hiring process that’s easier than ever.
Positioning For A Post-COVID Future:
It’s imperative to consider the organization’s future, although perhaps still grappling with recovery. Among the many decisions of HR leaders today, simplifying – even expediting – employee screening is at the top of the list. Touchless drug screening is an integral part of the solution.
Re-opening
How prepared was your organization culturally to deal with the crisis? Have the challenges over the last year brought employees together, albeit remotely? How might they see the organization post-pandemic? Your responses can help inform what you might expect to achieve once the pandemic gradually comes to a close and how to plan for recovery.
Recovery
Consider how your business might evolve. Its identity will likely change if it hasn’t already. What strategic initiatives do you need to consider? What projects are languishing that require new life or more resources? Prioritize those that will future-proof the organization. Beware of starting too many at once, however. With too numerous initiatives, it’s easy to end up with resource constraints that derail your recovery.
Renewal
A crisis can bring your organization and leadership teams closer, facilitating a renewed energy with a focused eye on growth. In all likelihood, the pandemic has presented business challenges and new opportunities that the market wasn’t prepared to accept before the onset of COVID-19. Today may be an ideal time to consider some of your most out-of-the-box initiatives. Markets may be more receptive to a renewed business model and a refreshed identity. Consider what “renewal” means to the corporate strategy and the company’s products and services.
