With hiring on pause there is no better time to nurture your employees
In a time when so much feels out of our control, one thing is still within reach: how we show up for our people.
At Invisible Partners, we’ve been lucky to work alongside two incredible allied health businesses Kieser and Bloom Hearing Specialists, who’ve responded to the COVID-19 crisis not just with operational agility, but with heart.
Two People & Culture leaders you wish you had
Mai Etl and Mardi Versteegen, have been leading the charge in keeping their teams safe, supported, and connected. And perhaps most importantly - they’ve continued to nurture their employer brands, even while active recruitment is on hold.
Because when the world does begin to shift again, the businesses that invested in people during tough times will be the ones talent gravitates to.
It starts with your current team.
For both Bloom and Kieser, the first step wasn’t about hiring. It was about holding steady.
Bloom quickly rolled out telehealth services through “Bloom-Connect,” keeping both clients and staff safe.
Kieser checked in with their entire workforce, surveying how people were feeling and where support was needed.
Both leaders made clear, consistent internal communication a priority.
As Mai from Kieser said, “We had to make sure our people felt confident. That started with listening.”
Then: Communicate outward - but only if it’s real.
Once they were confident that team sentiment matched leadership intent, Bloom launched a gentle employer brand campaign: Time to Bloom.
It wasn’t a recruitment push. It was a message of quiet confidence.
And it landed. Audiologists - who are notoriously hard to reach in any climate - began reaching out. The campaign created warmth and familiarity in a time of distance and doubt.
Keeping the recruitment lights on (even when no one’s being hired)
Kieser kept their talent pooling efforts going, with one crucial tweak: honesty.
They were upfront that they weren’t hiring yet. But they stayed present in the market, building relationships and keeping their employer brand visible - particularly with experienced physiotherapists (a scarce and competitive talent segment at the best of times).
The response? Surprisingly strong. In fact, better than pre-COVID. It turns out when people have time to reflect, they pay attention to how companies behave.
People are watching how you show up - right now.
Mai and Mardi both shared stories of professionals who had become disillusioned with their current employers during this time - not because of the pandemic itself, but because of how the business responded.
Companies that said they were “people-first” but then disappeared when things got hard.
Workplaces that stopped communicating.
Leaders who forgot to check in.
This crisis is exposing culture. The good, the bad, and the performative.
And it’s creating an inflection point. People are beginning to reassess what they want from work, and who they want to work for.
What we’ve learned (so far)
If you’re in a hiring freeze, now is not the time to go dark. What you say - and more importantly, what you do - in this moment will shape your employer reputation for years to come.
Here’s what the teams at Bloom and Kieser have shown us:
💬 Communicate clearly and consistently
🫶 Make internal wellbeing your first priority
🌼 Share your employer brand story gently and honestly
🤝 Stay in touch with your talent pools - even if you're not hiring
💡 Empower your frontline teams - they have the insight you need
🎯 Keep your purpose visible. It’s what keeps people moving forward
This is a challenging moment - but it’s also an opportunity.
An opportunity to build trust.
To reinforce culture.
To lay the groundwork for the hires of tomorrow, by being the kind of employer people remember today.
We’re grateful to Mai and Mardi for sharing their insights, and for leading with empathy and courage.