The job market is in an odd situation right now: Unemployment numbers are the highest they’ve been in quite some time, but as more companies restart operations, qualified candidates are going to start getting snapped up quickly. When it comes to recruiting, speed is the best tool and greatest asset when finding and securing top talent. Starting a new job is an exciting time, from meeting new coworkers, getting acclimated on a team, and learning the way around a new building. New employees have a lot to learn to hit the ground running, including becoming familiar with a company’s culture. Some employees are now going through the onboarding process in a remote-work environment, without sitting face-to-face with their new manager or other teammates. But onboarding is even more important in uncertain times as it provides much-needed structure and guidance when everything else might seem shaky and unsure. When faced with an employee who is under-performing on some tasks while shining in others, managers have a tough decision to make. Is it time to let that person go? There’s another choice: Consider offering new training. Often a go-to for seasonal businesses or retailers who need extra help around the holidays, temporary workers could be a perfect solution during uncertain times. When a company needs extra hands to finish a project, fill a backlog of orders, prepare for a new product launch or to help meet a deadline, temporary workers are just the ticket: People who are available, eager to work, ready to join your team for a short time and then move on to the next job. Temporary work benefits the employees as it’s an avenue for income for a set length of time, plus it gives them new work experiences that can help point them in the direction of a new career (if they so choose). But there are plenty of advantages to managers and companies as well! Consider these benefits of hiring temporary workers: If your team has not worked remotely before, it can be a big and unsettling change from the routine of working in an office environment. Suddenly there are more distractions and temptations within arm’s reach, to say nothing of pets or kids or noisy neighbors. As a manager, your team will look up to you and follow the direction and example you set. It’s possible to work successfully from home, after making some adjustments in expectations and priorities. Here’s how to establish realistic goals for success while working remotely: There are only so many hours in a day and so many days in a week. As a leader, one of the most important skills you can cultivate is knowing when you take a task on yourself and when to delegate it to someone else. Delegating responsibilities is not a symptom of laziness or ineffectiveness. It’s a way to prioritize your time while allowing others on your team to rise to the challenge and expand their skills. It’s also a way to show you trust your team to contribute, in an important way, on a big project.If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re delegating enough, that’s usually an indication you’re not. This might sound like the set-up to a joke, but it’s not: What’s the difference between a boss and a leader? Much like squares and rectangles, bosses can be leaders, and leaders can be bosses, but they’re not always the same thing at the same time. A company is only as successful as its employees. A good manager knows this and wants to do all he or she can to make sure their team feels appreciated and valued. The good news is, appreciating your employees doesn't necessarily mean having to shell out bags of cash in the process. Here are some ideas on how to thank your employees without wrecking the bottom line: Hiring managers, HR reps, and team leaders know intuitively why it's essential to keep your best workers happy and under your roof. When a good worker goes somewhere else, it creates a bottleneck in production. It hurts efficiency, lowers morale, decreases institutional knowledge, and it brings on a period of reduced productivity until a new person is recruited, hired, trained, and ready to work. But when top talent is being contacted by other companies, or if someone's unhappy and starting to look around, what can be done to retain them? It doesn't necessarily mean cracking open the vault and offering a hefty raise (but that might be something to consider if the person is especially valuable or holds a set of rare skills). Here are some ways to keep your best workers on your team: Feedback doesn't have to be a dirty or scary word. It's of the utmost importance that employers, managers, and team leaders know what's going on with their subordinates. It's crucial for productivity, morale, and retention. But why? Isn't feedback just another word for complaining? That might be the way it was in the past -- think of those old suggestion boxes that went overlooked and ignored -- but we're wiser now, more considerate and more interested in hearing from our workers. 
