Are you an employer of choice? How to Become an Employer of Choice? Being an 'Employer of Choice' means that you have created a great working environment within your business, which means that the best people want to work for you. Having developed an ‘Employer of Choice’ strategy, HR should work closely with the marketing team to develop an employer branding and communication strategy which tells the world that your business is a great place to work. This will increase the effectiveness of your ‘Employer of Choice strategy.

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Using HR to become and employer
of choice
Twitter: @pathwaygroup
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What is HR?
 A reactive and administrative area of the business?
 HR was used to achieve broader business goals
 Seen as a more strategic and proactive function in
the business.
 Enabled the business to become an employer of
choice.
What if… ?

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What does becoming an employer
of choice mean?
 Prospective recruits look to find a career in your
business
 Prospects believe that your business will offer them
the job/career they are looking for
 Your business is correctly aligned with them as
individuals.

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What does becoming an employer
of choice mean?
 Staff of competitors and others in your industry will
look for opportunities to either work for/with you
 High staff retention
 Your business attracts the best talent

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Sounds good…, how does it happen, and
what part does HR play?

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 Step 1: Defining what being employed by a
company looks like
 Step 2: Refining the recruitment process
 Step 3: Communication

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Step 1: Defining what being
employed by a company looks like?
 Is the work meaningful?
 People want more than a job, they want to make a
difference
 What opportunities do you have for growth?
 Giving people the opportunity to improve themselves is a
strong motivator
 What are the standards and value of the business?
 High moral standards and values are attractive in
businesses. People want to work for businesses they buy
into and feel aligned with.

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Step 1: Defining what being
employed by a company looks like?
 What kind of leaders are in the business?
 Leaders should be inspirational and forward looking.
The business should have a clear plan
 Does the business value quality of life?
 Flexible working, good working conditions and a
commitment to creating work life balance, are all
important.

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Step 2: Refining the recruitment
process
 HR needs to be involved in sourcing and screening
potential candidates
 Involving HR specialists at the outset is vital as the
chances of employing the right candidate is greatly
increased.
 Creation of position descriptions
 A position description doesn’t just describe the job that
needs doing, but is specific about the kind of person
required and the attributes they need to be successful in
the role and within the business.
 Sourcing strategy
 Do you need to headhunt? Where do you recruit from?
Where should you look for candidates?

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Step 2: Refining the recruitment
process
 Recruit on values and personality as well as skills
 Does the candidate have the skills, will they fit in with
the team? Use other members of the team to help
with this process.
 Be honest and clear about the job
 Explain about the job a recruit is taking on and the
team – manage expectations.

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Step 3: Communication
 Keep employees engaged
 Ensure new employees feel competent and
confident
 Properly induct a new member of the team
 Show your commitment to training

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What should you give new
employees?
 Company understanding – The what, why and
where it is going
 Working knowledge – how do things work –
policies, politics, standards and norms?
 The job – Role, expectations and what does
success look like?
 The products – What does your company sell and
why would customers choose you?
 Personal growth – What is the development plan
and what do they want to achieve?

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What should you give existing
employees?
 Recognition – Timely and clear
recognition for great performance
 Worthwhile meetings! – Do you
waste time in meetings? Can they be
more effective?
 Personal growth – Development plan? What do
they want to achieve and how can they help the
business grow
 Regular feedback – Both theirs and the company’s
performance

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Pathway Group, specialises in training
people to achieve their individual and
business goals. Our business advisors can
work with HR teams to understand what
they need to do to become an employer of
choice.
PathwayGroup.co.uk