It is difficult to find and retain the right people, and strong recruiting and retention strategies are critical to every company’s success. Without them, you are wasting time and money and creating frustration that could lead to even greater retention issues.
Here are tips to find the best employees — and keep them.
- Research and utilize recruitment/staffing agencies. If you don’t have staff dedicated to recruitment, it is worth the investment to bring in a recruiting agency. However, not all recruiters are created equal. What industries and positions do they most frequently fill? What are the recruiters’ backgrounds? They are an extension of your company, so choose carefully. The right recruiter is an invaluable partner equipped with software and the expertise to help find the right people for the right job at the right time.
- Refine job descriptions and roles. Avoid vague descriptions and be candid about what the job entails so you don’t hire a candidate under false pretenses — then lose them to dissatisfaction, only to start the process over. And make your hiring page interesting. If it looks like the classified section of a newspaper, you’re unlikely to draw attention.
- Create an internal employee referral program. Your employees can be the best resources for new hires, so incentivize them to refer friends or family. They can give prospective candidates firsthand information about your company, and they are unlikely to refer a bad fit, as it would reflect poorly on them.
Retention strategies
The best way to retain employees is to have them engaged with your company and the work they are doing. Recent Gallup data show that highly engaged and motivated employees are at least 44 percent more likely to stay in their job than unengaged, employees. To drive employee engagement:
- Focus on onboarding. You’ve found the perfect match and are awaiting their start. First impressions matter, and your company will be judged as soon as your new team member walks in. Do they feel welcomed? Is there a well-documented process of who should do what? Is their work area prepared? Is everyone they may encounter aware of the new team member? Onboarding does not stop on day one. Schedule regular check-ins at 30, 60 and 90 days. This provides an opportunity for the employee and the company to check in on each other’s expectations. Is the company upholding its end regarding what was communicated during the interview process? Is the employee performing to what was communicated in the position description? Identifying disconnects saves everyone time and frustration.
- Provide opportunities for training and upskilling. Give employees the option for additional training that allows them to grow their skillsets. This lets employees focus on something new and set themselves up for promotion. And the company benefits from them bringing new skills to the position.
- Improve internal communications and ensure employees are aware of growth potential. If you show employees open positions before broadcasting them, they will likely jump on a promotion or a lateral move. There will be less training involved, and employees will know they have a future with the company.
Devote time and energy to this process. Focus resources on building a solid foundation. Get it right, and you’ll have a continuous pipeline of qualified candidates and engaged employees who are improving their skills. ●
Kristy Knichel is CEO of Knichel Logistics
