Key Steps to Position Your Company as an ‘Employer of Choice'.

Drake Editorial Team

Whether you are a small business or a large organisation, there are specific steps any company should take to help position itself as an ‘Employer of Choice’.

But first, let’s discuss why that’s even important. Quite simply, appealing to and being able to hire the best employees makes a huge difference in productivity and therefore, the success of your business. Here are some stats: based on their research, authors Scott Keller and Mary Meaney report in their book, Leading Organisations: Ten Timeless Truths that “superior talent is up to eight times more productive.” They also observed that when a job or occupation is more complex, “high performers are an astounding 800 % more productive.”

The late Steve Jobs was thoroughly convinced that the quality of the team is much more important than the size.

If top performing employees are eight times more productive, then you obviously want staff who are engaged in their jobs and with your business. Happy and productive team members directly impact your corporate image. Forward thinking companies understand that being recognised as a great place to work is a crucial factor in attracting top talent.

If you want to secure your place as an ‘Employer of Choice’, here are three key steps to focus on: 

1. Review your recruitment practices

• How your company is perceived starts at the very beginning with the candidate experience. Candidates will research your company so make sure what they see and read on your website and elsewhere will influence them to apply for the position. If your company has negative reviews online from former employees, now is the time to assess and plan action steps to make any necessary changes.
• Simplify your application process so that it is a positive and not a discouraging one when candidates apply.
• A common complaint from candidates is lack of communication. 60% have said they’ve gone for interviews and never heard back from the company. In today’s technological world, it’s hard to excuse any lack of communication to candidates at anytime throughout the process. Be polite. Everyone wants to know where they stand.
• Consider using applicant tracking software to speed-up your hiring procedures. When you receive many resumes that need to be processed, the software can help you control the job applications wave so you can commit time to the best candidates. Candidates don’t want to wait forever to hear something back. Speed is essential.
• During the interview stage, be prepared, and give the candidate your full attention. Even if rejected for the job, remember that the candidate may talk about your hiring process and overall experience to others.

 2. Evaluate your retention practices

• Start retaining your employees from the moment you hire them. One-on-one time with their direct manager is the most important part of any pre-boarding or onboarding process. Make it happen.
• Ensure your onboarding and orientation processes are exemplary. Organisations with a strong employee onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82 %. If people are constantly jumping ship, word gets around directly impacting how your company is viewed.
• Appoint a mentor who can offer advice, encouragement and foster the employee’s development. Support new hires until they are fully acclimated to the company, their role, and the culture.
• Focus on learning, development, and opportunities for growth. It is expected by today’s talent. It signals that the company is interested in their success over the long haul.
• Utilise workforce analytics to connect the data and discover insights about your workforce and retention rates. Employees who are happy in their jobs are less likely to quit. Making strategic workforce decisions without the data to back them up is as good as guessing.

3. Assess your company culture

• Corporate culture is a key ingredient to becoming an ‘Employer of Choice’.
  A company’s culture is rooted in its vision, values, behaviours, and work environment. It impacts everything from public image to positive workplace morale, engaged and productive staff, high retention rates and growth.
• Culture transformation is initially a top down strategy starting with the CEO. Leaders must have a compelling vision and consistently communicate it.
• From there, culture management should be owned by everyone. It must be integrated into everything the company does including talent acquisition, onboarding, staff development, customer interactions, etc.
• If culture management is to be owned by everyone, then you need the right people on board. First define the type of person you are trying to recruit and retain. Then screen candidates during the interview process to ensure they have the necessary core values that complement your company culture. 
• Assess your culture regularly to ensure you keep your finger on the pulse of the organisation. Check up on how your employees view you such as through engagement surveys. Leaders are often wrong about what their employees think! A healthy and happy workplace is your competitive advantage. 

There is no one blueprint for an organisation on how to stand out as a place where high performing employees want to work and where customers want to do business. However, reviewing your recruitment and retention practices and focusing on your corporate culture are crucial steps to get your company to where it needs to be. Be sure to revisit your recruitment procedures when hiring virtually, and your retention tactics with staff working remotely. Adjustments will need to be made. You need to ensure there is clarity around responsibilities, processes, and procedures so that new hires get up to speed from day one and current staff are not idling in a vacuum. 

Creating loyal fans out of both employees and customers and becoming an ‘Employer of Choice’ is quite simply, good for business!

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