BUSINESS TOOLS Hook the Keepers

Do your hiring and retention plans catch the best candidates – and keep them hooked?

By Gail Cruikshank

to solve workforce woes. There are six areas that must be addressed to help with employee retention.

People and culture

burnout by focusing on mental health support programs. These include access to wellness coaches, sabbaticals, financial counseling, and other resources.

With the number of jobs available today, an efficient, concise, and well-communicated recruitment and retention plan is essential. Otherwise, job seekers will go elsewhere.

Key characteristics of a highly effective, yet simple, hiring process include:

1 Screen every applicant instead of relying exclusively on systems. You never know where they may fit perfectly within the organization.

2 Allow opportunities for candidates to informally reach out with inquiries about the company before applying for a job.

3 Consider and tap all markets for talent – meet them where they are at.

4 Ensure that the application is concise and easy to fill out. Only ask for information you truly need and will use in selection – additional information can be captured later.

5 Review job descriptions and requirements for all positions to compare essential criteria with skills that would be nice to have, but not required.

6 Offer “returnship” opportunities to recapture talent. Create a smooth path for professionals to return to the workforce after a career break so they can quickly develop new skills or prepare for different areas of responsibility.

7 Implement an efficient interview process that provides timely updates to all candidates – even the candidates you don’t extend employment offers to. Speed up your hiring decisions and extension of job offers, because candidates who have options won’t wait around.

Once you’ve hired a new employee, that’s just the beginning. Retention is one of the easiest ways

Cultivate a culture of trust and accountability. Build performance models that encourage candid conversations, provide continuous feedback, offer clear expectation on goals and outcomes, and encourage self-directed employee improvement.

Acknowledgement at work

A little gratitude goes a long way. Thank and recognize your employees verbally and in written communications. Discover what motivates your employees, and provide opportunities to enhance both professional and personal passions. Share words of confirmation and affirmation and respond to feedback or ideas.

Meaningful benefits

Competitive compensation is the easiest way to incentivize employees to stay, but benefits go beyond pay. Offer flexible benefits to best meet all employee needs, – which can be different based on age groups and type of workforce. Review scheduling and job requirements for areas of flexibility. Provide childcare benefits and flexibility to work while caring for family members. Address employee

Ongoing training

Provide opportunities for growth and advancement with continuous learning opportunities. Encourage additional responsibilities or opportunities for engaged employees. Provide flexibility and autonomy to deepen engagement in company and community. Implement reverse mentorships, where younger talent provides insight to managers to support hybrid work, diversity and inclusion, stereotypes and generational divide challenges that companies are experiencing.

Workplace environment

Share your business on social media for recruitment marketing. Conduct townhalls and staff meetings to share company sales, planning and challenges. Operate your workplace in a manner that is professional, appreciative, positive and safe.

Mission and values alignment

Live your mission and values through all you do. Address the mission and values during every step of the recruitment and retention process to ensure candidates’ beliefs align with company mission, vision and values.

The Benefit of Time

When it comes to nontraditional benefits, flexibility reigns. American workers feel companies should offer employees more control over their work hours and location, but less than 50 percent of businesses do. This is according to results from a Harris Poll survey commissioned by Express Employment Professionals in December of 2022. The survey also revealed:

WHAT'S VALUED VS. WHAT'S REALITY