4 ways to compete and win when it comes to recruiting and retaining great people.

There’s probably never been a better time to be in the labour market than right now. Talent is king, and there have never been more blue-chip employers seeking to recruit the best of the best. This means that the top talent can be highly selective in terms of the companies they join, and the terms and conditions they demand.

The tech sector, in particular, has upped the ante hugely over the past decade when it comes to their employee experience strategy and has looked to attract talent not just through highly competitive salaries, but also through a wide variety of perks that added a whole new lifestyle dimension and work environment to the position. This has included everything from free restaurant facilities on a 24/7 basis to on-campus fitness centres, or sponsorship of third-level studies or the opportunity to transfer to other company locations around the world.

But what if you’re not a Facebook, a Google, an Apple or a Microsoft? Can business leaders and human resources still compete with these giants, and offer something that’s different, unique, and true to your own company values? Here are four key principles to consider to help redress the balance.

Stand for something important.

We’re all human, and part of the human condition is that we want to feel valued and valuable. In other words, we want to believe that we’re making a difference and that what we do for forty or fifty hours a week is not just about picking up a paycheque, but about making a contribution to the world that we live in.

Standing for something important is not solely about producing a product or delivering a service that’s life-changing. It can also be about doing what you do in a way that’s different. For example, you can stand out as a great corporate citizen, both in your own locality and on the national or international fronts.

Leaders and managers who behave in this way – and who encourage people to do the same – are developing not just a great workforce, but a great culture that will continue for generations to come and will help attract and retain engaged employees and further greatness.

Communicate honestly, and communicate often.

Whether it’s our work life, our family life, our sporting life or our social life, we all love to know where we stand. Is my relationship with my partner actually going somewhere? Is my football manager pleased with my progress? Am I being a good parent?

In the world of work, of course, the question that we ask ourselves most often is “what do my bosses think of me, and how do they see me progressing”? For successful companies, however, this question is rarely left unanswered. They make a point of communicating honestly with their people, and of making feedback a regular and frequent part of the workplace experience.

This isn’t easy and takes a huge level of time and energy. It’s much easier, of course, with a platform such as Frankli, which can ensure that the lines of communications are open at all times. It also ensures that people know how they’re doing, where they can improve, and what the future opportunities for them may be.

Having your own personal talent journey planned out with you is a tremendous confidence-boosting exercise, and can drive unprecedented levels of commitment to an employer in a way that bonuses or paycheques simply can’t.

Treat your current people brilliantly.

We’ve all been annoyed on occasion by insurance companies, banks or utilities that offer fabulous deals to new customers – but don’t offer the same value to their current customers.

As an employer, you absolutely need to avoid this approach. Why? Because what your current employees feel and say about the company is the single biggest reason for newcomers to come on board. They are the ones who make your company culture famous, and whose word-of-mouth feeds into the chatter out there in the recruitment landscape.

It’s never been easier to find out what people are saying about a potential employer. A site like Glassdoor, for example, makes it super-easy for employees to easily check out the brand reputation for your company. It’s publicly available - warts and all. So building an authentic, positive culture today impacts your ability to attract the talent you need tomorrow.

The bottom line is that it’s every bit as important to retain a great team member as it is to hire new talent. With the ubiquity of social media, how you treat your current staff can be amplified a hundred times over in the digital world. It’s one of the surest ways to guarantee that the attractiveness of the company as an employer will continue to grow ten years or twenty years down the road.

Build a great recruitment brand.

Whether you’re aware of it or not, you occupy a certain position in the ‘pecking order’ when it comes to your desirability as an employer. This is not fixed, however, and you can move the dial in a variety of ways. Right now, for example, companies have an opportunity to distinguish themselves by how flexible they are in terms of facilitating remote or hybrid working.

As the workplace readies itself to open fully over the coming month or two, people who’ve avoided the daily commute for the past 18 months of Covid are now looking for a choice when it comes to the long term. They’re also looking to make sure that, should they choose the WFH route, they won’t be overtaken for promotion or advancement by office-based colleagues.

This is where a platform like Frankli can really come into its own, making interaction and visibility exactly the same for all team members – regardless of where they may choose to sit each day. Similarly, the reputation of the employer can only grow if it adopts a position where cross-training is the norm, and where people can move seamlessly from one area of the company to another.

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For further information on how Frankli can help you to deliver a great employee experience and employee satisfaction, feel free to get in touch here.