Let's face it - the competition for top talent is fierce, and the best employees are looking for more than just a job. They want options, and they want meaning. Check out these 7 areas HR can fine tune to ensure they're attracting and keeping the right talent around.
2. Thanks to the skills shortage and the Boomer exodus, organizations
are now in dire competition for the top 10% of skilled employees—
who are looking for more than just a job. Expectations include not just
benefits and vacation time, but ongoing development, flexible work
policies, and a meaningful place to work.
The war for
talent is over
–and the talent has won.
3. Even the most progressive
companies may find it difficult
to retain high performing
employees.
Engagement levels are at an all-time low across all industries,
with surveys showing a whopping 87% of employees either
disengaged or actively disengaged.1
http://www.gallup.com/poll/165269/worldwide-employees-engaged-work.aspx
4. 7to ensure your organization
delivers what the people want:
actions
to take
But the outlook isn’t all doom
and gloom.
With great change comes great opportunity, especially for
organizations eager to build success around their talent.
5. The old way of work focused on managing the 1% who
were doing it “wrong.” Successful companies today instead
prioritize the 99% who are doing it “right.” This means
transitioning from a command and control mindset to one of
trust and transparency.2
Trusting your people quickly creates a
culture of loyalty, leading to harder-working employees.
Stop policing,
start trusting.
1
Jason Averbook, 2014: The Year of the Employee webinar. HCI February 12th, 2014
6. If this morning’s news is already old news, what does that
say about your once-a-year engagement survey?
Organizations must change how often they measure
engagement and use the right metrics. A couple examples
you could track are retention rates of critical employees or
resignation rates by department.
Change the way you
measure engagement.
2
7. What has social media taught us?
There are no secrets. Your organization’s
culture, successes, and failures are public
knowledge, thanks to networks of increasingly
vocal employees and customers.
Remember transparency
is everything.
3
8. And they’re not the
only ones sharing their
experiences online.
Candidates today are not shy about airing their recruiting
experiences, glowing or scathing. Are you giving the right
candidate the right amount of attention at the right time and
are you transparent throughout the recruiting process?
9. Quantify the value
of engagement.
4
Switching to an employee-centric workplace requires
leadership buy-in, so share relevant research with executives.
For example, according to a study by the Jackson Organization,
companies that focus on employee value see a return on
equity and assets three times that of organizations that don’t.3
Steve Cooper, “Make More Money by Making Your Employees Happy,” Forbes, July 30, 2012
DON’T
DO
10. Stating engagement goals in terms of profits and market share
helps gain leadership backing, so you’ll spend less time asking
for permission to change—and more time executing it.
11. Realize talent
is your only true
differentiator.5Almost everything else can be duplicated, including your
services, products, and customer care. Forward-thinking
businesses think of HR not as cost containment but
as true competitive advantage.4
Highly developed and
passionate employees are the key to maintaining a unique
edge in the marketplace.
Elaine Orler, 2014: The Year of the Employee webinar. HCI, February 12th, 2014
12. Make “our people are
our most important asset”
more than a cliché.6Ensure engagement, development, and leadership building
are true priorities—and make the effort to know your people
better than LinkedIn. How? Begin by demonstrating real faith
in your employees by posting all your job openings internally
first. Show you realize that work and life are blending by not
limiting what people can do while they’re at work. Finally,
make trust, not control, your driving force.
13. Acknowledge the new
candidate priorities.
7
Job seekers are looking for a vastly different work experience
today, especially Millennials, for whom meaning, mission, and
mobility are paramount.
15. Will I have the ability to make a real difference?
Will I be more than a cog in a machine?
Will I have career and learning opportunities?
Can I progress?
Contribution
Opportunity
ONE
TWO
16. Will my surroundings be supportive, flexible,
fun, and engaging?
Is the company inclusive? Is challenging the
status quo acceptable? Will I be recognized
and rewarded for a job well done?
Environment
Trust and Leadership
THREE
FOUR