While on client site, sitting in Leadership meetings, attending training, there is always one key initiative all companies are talking about right now: How do we attract top talent and, how do we get those people to stay?
There is a war on talent happening in today's world and the answer to it all comes down to two important words: CORPORATE CULTURE. Culture isn’t something that happens accidentally. You can’t just flick the “fun” switch on and call it culture. It needs to seep into everything you do so that people within your organization can tell you why they do what they do. In other words, great employees have many choices, even in today's economy, and they aren't limited to just your industry.
To attract top-flight intellect, you need to build a persuasive case as to why your opportunity is not only the best of your competitors, but the best of all potential employers, including the one each person works for now.
How to Successfully Attract and Retain the Best Employees for Your Business
- Put your employees first and maximize your best employees. The great talents all have one thing in common: they want to be heard. They want to know their voices are heard. They are treated with respect and they WANT to come to work. They believe they are making a difference and they are proud of the company. This idea trickles down from top to bottom. Meaning, if the Leadership isn’t a champion of the company, don’t expect your employees to be. Leadership: take note and set a good example. Place your top talents in positions of pronounced influence as they will help be change agents to folks that may not be on board yet.
Stay involved and build a culture of intention. Top talent needs to be “touched” and recognized. Don’t be active and engaged only during the hiring process and then fall off after people have completed those first few days. Constantly recognize your employees. Use a peer-to-peer recognition function, send a thank you note. Little things mean engagement and culture are aligned. Here at Helios, we try to be very intentional about what we stand for and how we approach our work. Since we’re clear about who we are and what we bring to the table, we’re able to articulate our goals to clients and employees purposefully.
- Build a strong company brand and mission. In the world of technology, you bet your prospective employees are researching you as much as you are them. They are looking at websites such as Glassdoor and Indeed to see what others are saying about your company. Ensure your brand, the behaviors that impact your core values, and the mission or purpose of the business are strong and clearly defined. Employees want to work for a cause they believe in, with similar values, and where they feel they are making a footprint.
- Help your employees grow. All employees want a chance to grow and be mentored. Instill a coaching mindset into your company and have weekly or monthly touch-point meetings one to one. Create dialog. What have they done that’s been great and what do they need to work on? Creating this open environment fosters healthier relationships, thus creating a further engaged workforce. Also, it’s important to have development programs to keep those top-talent employees. Employees want opportunities to grow their careers.
By consistently focusing on the key objectives above, you will create a stronger sense of shared purpose, foster more productive collaboration, and greater employee morale. Your top employees will believe in the work they are doing, appreciate the business and their chance to be recognized and mentored. In short: a strong corporate culture is critical to win the war and attracting the employees your competitors are all gunning for. GOOD LUCK!