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Cape Town - Small businesses, especially those operating in the white-collar business process sector, take on disproportionate risk when they sign up young, previously unemployed recruits, according to Mark Essey, director of debt-recovery service business, Debt-IN.
"Youth unemployment is critically important for the stability and future of our country. The negative impact on our economy affects us all and we need to work together to find solutions," says Essey.
Up until 2014, Essey was running his own recruitment and selection process at Debt-IN. This included both numeracy and comprehension assessments in addition to interviews. There remained some leeway for subjectivity in that “if you really liked a candidate, you generally hired them".
When youth employment accelerator, Harambee, pitched to source, screen, match and bridge candidates for him, the value proposition was appealing, although he had reservations. Harambee offered to a guarantee the candidates’ retention at the critical three-month mark.
“In a call-centre environment where the industry attrition rate is 60% to 70%, guaranteeing retention is a bold commitment. It takes most of the hiring process’s risk and uncertainty out of the picture,” says Essey.
Working together since 2014, Harambee and Debt-IN have partnered to give previously unemployed youngsters a break into the job market so they can learn skills, contribute to the economy and grow their careers.
One of the key drivers of success, according to Harambee’s regional bridging manager, Hayley Spriggs, is that, the company gives the candidates a realistic insight and preview into the world of work.
"By approaching their first job as an opportunity, and understanding my work and my university ethos, candidates see their entry-level position as a stepping stone within the company, not a final destination," says Spriggs.
Essey says that, “some operational scepticism around the business value of the partnership quickly changed when Harambee recruits demonstrated quicker time-to-competence, a higher retention rate and arriving with no "baggage" brought over from previous work experiences.
The new recruits come into the business with a hunger to grow their skills and make the most of the opportunities they are given within their first year.
That approach has paid off handsomely for two of Debt-IN’s young Harambee recruits. Within a year of joining the company in entry-level positions, Siyabonga Moloi has been promoted to Quality Assurance and Yonela Nombaba to IT Desktop Support.
For Essey the rewards of taking on risky young applicants without work experience has made both business and social sense.
Being informed and responsive has helped him to create an environment in which his staff are genuinely heard and appreciated. Feedback from candidates is positive.
Finding ways to attract and hold a young person of limited social means in employment remains a challenge. For Essey, whose business is centred around understanding people and finding solutions from their perspective, it’s a journey that even smaller businesses cannot afford to ignore.
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