BrighterMonday urges SMEs to invest in digital tools to hire the right employees
Bella Abok (second left), Head of Operations and Customer Experience at BrighterMonday Kenya takes the firm’s CEO Emmanuel Mutuma (second right) through her presentation as Pancy Maina, Marketing Manager and Kimani Kinuthia (left), Head of Human Resources look on during a media briefing at Grosvenor Building on Thursday.
East Africa’s leading online jobs platform BrighterMonday Kenya is calling on SMEs to invest in digital tools and solutions to enhance their recruitment process and onboard the right personnel.
Most SMEs often hire through word of mouth due to the perception that advertising a role publicly is expensive or employ relatives in filling vacant positions even when they are not qualified.
The SMEs rarely invest in an efficient process to hire the right talent and skills for specific positions even though they represent about 90 percent of businesses and more than half of employment opportunities worldwide.
According to BrighterMonday Kenya CEO Emmanuel Mutuma, businesses need to leverage on digital tools and data to thrive in a more complex and challenging business environment.
“The current job market is embracing Artificial Intelligence and data analytics to recruit effectively. As a recruitment partner, we have enhanced our digital processes to help businesses shorten the hiring process and recruit the best candidates,” he said.
Hiring, retaining talent, and managing the workforce is a delicate issue as the world prepares to celebrate International Labour Day. To navigate this, BrighterMonday Kenya Human Resource Manager Boniface Kimani advises businesses to be more strategic in talent recruitment and management by reviewing Human Resources policies and processes to redefine recruitment, working conditions and employee experiences.
“HR managers and business leaders need to make the most of technology to hire and manage the workforce. Global research indicates that there is a talent mismatch and with an increase in remote working, innovation will play a major role in businesses preparing for a dynamic job market.
A large percentage of local businesses have embraced virtual hiring, online interviews and online employee engagement and should continue enhancing these processes going forward,” Kimani said.
Currently, 85 percent of Kenyans are accessing the internet on their devices, advertising roles on online platforms isn’t only affordable but ensures businesses attract the right talent across Kenya and beyond.
Research reveals digital labour tools not only boast of hiring but also of managing, retaining, and developing employees in the modern workplace. The Harvard Business Review reported that a more than 25 per cent improvement by online talent platforms than by humans alone, in identifying talent.
The BrighterMonday Kenya report on the impact of COVID-19 on the Kenyan job market, on its part, revealed that organisations need to ensure that their future-proof talent strategy addresses all skills, including emerging skills and skills in-demand, needed for relevant business models.
