1.
Becoming an Employer of Choice
What doesit mean to be an Employer ofChoice?
It meansthat people will choose toworkforyou.It meansthatpeople will choose toreally
dedicate themselvestoyourorganisation’s success.Itmeansthatpeople will choose tostaywith
youthroughouttheircareers,evenwhentheyare being courtedbyrecruitersfromother
employers—recruiterswithexceptionallyattractive inducements.It'sessentially the HolyGrail for
employers.
What’smost importanttorememberisthat beingone employee’s employerof choice maynotbe
the same as anotheremployee'semployerof choice.But,for themto be happy andmost fulfilled
at work, their employermustbe theiremployerof choice. Thismeansthat as an employeryou
needtodetermine whothe people are thatyouwant torun your business.
It islot more than compensation,benefitsandperks.Itisan employerwhooffersaworkculture
and workenvironmentthatattracts andretainsemployees,ultimately favouringthe well-beingof
employees.
Whybecome an Employerof Choice?
 Marketingand Recruitment
As yourcompanybecomesmore widelyrecognisedasagreat place to work,recruiting
becomesconsiderablyeasier. Peopleapproachthe companythemselves,inquiringabout
employmentopportunities. Asmore people begintoapproachyourcompany,youare able
to evaluate andchoose whoevermeetsyourstandards. Thisattractivenesssaves your
company considerable expenseinmarketingandrecruitingtoattract the people that you
wantand need.
 OptimisingPerformance
A companythat isan employerof choice will be more attractive toahighercalibre of
worker.Notonlywill youhave more applicantstochoose from, butthe overall quality of
applicantswill be significantlybetterthan companieswhichare notrecognisedasemployers
of choice. Withhigherqualitypeopleonboard,productivitywill become significantlyhigher.
As the companyisable to hire the kindsof people theyreallywant,itwill be able tohelp
workersachieve ahigherlevelof performance more quicklyandwithagreaterlevel of
consistency. Staremployeeschoose starcorporationsbecause that’swhere theyfeellike
theybelong.
 ChoosingtoStay
People willnotonlychoose toworkforyour company,butmay alsomake the conscious
decisiontostay knowingit’sagreat place to work.The happierthe employeesare,the less
turnoverthere will be.Higherlevelsof loyalty resultsingreaterdedicationtothe qualityof
performance.

2.
 LessStress,More Enjoyment
Employersof choice have lessstressandmore fun.It’sthat simple.There is lessdisruptionin
attendance andlessdisruptioninthe workflow whenpeople choose tostay atthe company
and choose tomake the bestof theirrelationshipwiththe companyandtheirco-workers.
Managers andsupervisorshave amuch easiertime indoingtheirjobsbecause they aren’t
workingagainstresistance fromemployeeswhowouldrathernotbe there.Workingwith
employeeswhoare there by choiceis a much more enjoyableexperienceforall.The focusof
these managersandsupervisorscanthen focusmore oncoaching,teaching,andsupporting
than onmanaging,controlling,anddisciplining.
 IncreasedAttractiveness toClients
Employersof choice enjoyareputationforreliabilitybecausethey’re often able torespond
more legitimatelyandconsistentlytothe inquiriesandexpectationsof their clients.Because
more experiencedemployeesunderstandtheirclient’sneeds,they’re able totake better
care of them. Employersof choice are,therefore, muchmore attractive toclientsina
relationship-basedenvironment.Clientsenjoyinteractingwiththe same people onalong-
termbasis because this continuityof relationshipbuildsstrongerbonds andgivesthe client
a greatersense of comfort,confidence,andsecurity.
What Makesan Employeran Employerof Choice?
Although numerousfactorscontributetoitsoverall success,there are three overarching aspects
that helpmake anemployeranemployerof choice:
1. Define andPromote your Specific‘Employerof Choice’Brand
Jobseekers typicallywanttofindan organisationthatoffersaunique culture,professional and
personal developmentopportunitiesandthe chance to make a difference. Knowingwhatunique
attributesmakesyourorganisationagreatplace to workis the firststepincreatingan appealing
message tobothcurrent and future employees.
 Create the Culture youwant– By developingaconsistentemployerbranding
strategy that isfocusedondistributingconsistentmessagingaboutthe companyculture
and missiontoclients,investors,employeesand candidates,there willbe no confusionas
to the type of employees the companyhopestoattract.Top tiercandidatesresearchthe
internetthroughvarioussearchenginesbefore applyingto acompany.It isimportant
that paintyourcompany ina consistentlightwiththe culture youwant.
 Encourage Personal andProfessional GrowthOpportunities –Professional development
and trainingare keyareasdemandedbytoptalent.The mostvibrantand ambitious
workerswill notsettle forremainingstagnantinacurrent position. Employeesneedto
feel asif they are encouragedtocontinue todeveloptheirskillsandcareers. Employers
of choice typically offerperformance developmentplanning,careerpaths,andinternal
and external trainingopportunities. Forinstance, Fortune’stop100 bestemployers
typicallyoffermore traininganddevelopmentthancompaniesthatdon’tmake the list.
The top 10 companiesprovide 32to 135 hoursof trainingeachyearper employee.

3.
 Value anEmployee’sQualityof Life –Most employees now wantareasonable work/life
balance sothat theyare able to minimisestress.Anemployerwhooffersaflexible
schedule cangaina competitive edgeoversimplymore salary.Allowingemployeesto
workadjustable hoursandto workfromhome a few daysa weekcouldcreate extremely
loyal employeesbecause theyknow theycanjuggle familydemandsandworkdemands
withlessstress.
 Compensate Competitively –Compensationisabasicfoundationthat a company needs
to getright so itdoesn’tbecome anissue.Today’sworkersare concernedabout
competitivepay,butthey’re alsolookingforprofitsharing,stockoptions,domestic
partnerbenefits,directdeposit,diverse insurance coverages,wellnessprograms,family-
friendlypoliciesandtime off.
 Emphasise PerformanceCulture andRecognition –Employersof choice regularly provide
feedbacktoemployeesabouttheirperformance,growthprospects,accomplishments,
and areasneedingimprovement. Anemployerof choice also findswaystotie the
performance andthe interestsof employeeswiththoseof the employer.Twoof the
waysthat employers canaccomplishthisare througha variable compensation
systemthattiesrewardsto performance anda jobplanprocess that providesregular
guidance andfeedback.For anemployerof choice,recognitionisregular,targetedtoreal
successes,andusedtoreinforce positive,desired contributions.
 OfferMeaningful Work–People wanttodo somethingmeaningful withtheirwork,
takingcomfortknowingthatit isn’t‘justajob’. Prospective employeeswanttoknow
whatis importanttothe companyand whetherthose principlesalignwiththeirpersonal
values. Theyalsowantto know where theyfitintothe company’sbigpicture or
vision. Employeesthatare involvedwiththeirjobare proudof what theydoand feel
responsible fortheirqualityof work.
2. Hire Smart
You needpeople whonotonlyhave greatskills,butwhowill be agreatfitfor your corporate
culture – hire the right people the first time,everytime.If youhire smart, youwill fill your
organisationwithcompatible,dedicatedemployees.Combinedwithaclearcultural marketing
message andemploymentbrand,yourcompanywill starttoreapthe benefitsof agood
reputation.Thiswill helpbuildyourcompany’spositivereputationinthe jobmarketand
encourage the bestpotential candidatestoapplyfor positions inyourcompany.
 Clarityof Position–While it’simportanttohave descriptionsorspecificationsthat
communicate the position’srole andresponsibilities,itshouldalsocommunicatethe
skills,knowledge,education,experience,personalityandculture fitof the desired
candidate.Thiswill helpincrease the qualityof new hiresandthe speedinfindingthem.
Whena positionhasn’tbeenproperlyoutlinedanddiscussed,the besttalentwilloften
not respondtothe posting.

4.
 Commitment–Commitmentisatwo-waystreet.Employersneedtodemonstrate a
commitmenttoemployees,reflectedineverythingfrompoliciestobusinessstrategies.
Similarly,employeesneedtobe committedtothe companyand are most likelytodoso
whentheyagree withthe company’sgoals,values,andethics.
3. Retention
There are twomainreasonspeople leavetheircompanies.The firstisthe perceivedfinancial
healthandsafetyof the company.In otherwords,theyfearthat the companyisheadedina
direction thatmayultimatelyleadtothemlosingtheirjob,sotheyleave tofindacompanyin
bettershape.The secondisbecause of the company’sculture – because itwasn’tstrongenough
or positive enoughtooutweighother determiningfactors,suchas a lowersalaryandbenefits
package.
 InspiringEmployeeswithGreatManagersand Leaders – Most employeesdonotleave a
company;theyquittheirmanager. By takingthe time toinvestinhiringandtraininggreat
managers,they,inturn,will developgreatemployees. Ensure seniormanagement
includespeople whocommunicate well andare representativeof yourworkforce.
Rememberthatwhenconsidering employeeretention,employeesleave bossesmore
than theyleave anythingelse presentintheirworkplace.
 Positive Relationships withCo-workers–Successful companies motivatepeople toaccept
each otherandto work as a teamto achieve commongoals.Organisationsencourage
buildingpersonal relationships,while Gallupresearchfindsthat the mostengaged
employeesare likelytohave abestfriendatwork. Employees whohave co-workersthey
respectare also lesslikelytoquitdue to a single negative event.
 Fairness – Perceptionsof unfairtreatmentora workplace thatfavourscertainindividuals
overothersfor unknown,undefinedreasons,isananathematoan employerof choice.
Employersneedtofairlydevelopandapplypolicies,treatemployeeswiththe same
regardand consideration,andmake the workplace guidelinesclearandenforceable
across the board.
 Employee Communication –Whenemployersshare informationwithemployees,they
feel asif theyare membersof the in-crowdbecause theyknow whatishappening.
Employeesneedtoknowwhat’sreallygoingon sothat theydon’tbegintofeel alienated,
leadingtoa disinterestwiththeirjob
 Empowerment,FreedomandRespect–Atan employerof choice,employeesfeel asif
theyhave the opportunity tomake meaningfulsuggestions,thinkupnew productsor
service innovations,serve onemployeecommitteestoplaneventsandworkprocesses,
and attendappropriate meetingsandhave inputonworkprocessesthataffecttheirjobs.
Althoughemployeesmaynotalwaysbe rightandtheirideasmaynot setcompany
directionand choices,atan employerof choice employeesfeel thattheyare
fundamentally respected bytheirmanagersandco-workers.

5.
 Employee Surveys –Assessingemployee satisfactionwiththe company provides
employeeswith anopportunitytoexpresstheirfeelingsoneverythingfrombenefitsand
careeropportunitiestoavarietyof company-widepractices,whileidentifyingareasthat
can be improved. Employersof choice conductthese periodicallyandreviewthe feedback
inorder to developstrategies toimprove areasof concern.