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Much of the standard advice for attracting talent, while good, can be frustrating to hear. How many companies can really offer a first-class compensation package, allow employees to work whenever and wherever they want, or outline exciting career paths for everyone? Not many.
Here are some strategy ideas for recruiting, engaging, and retaining employees without breaking the bank.
It’s pretty common for businesses to entice employees with industry-specific perks. Restaurants and retail establishments offer employee discounts. Movie theaters treat their employees to free showings. These can be motivating perks. They do offer employees something of value. But this value is short-term. It’s a convenience; a way to save a relatively small amount of cash that employees might not even otherwise spend.
But every business has the opportunity to give its employees something of lasting value that, if used well, can benefit them over their entire careers. And that would be training in some of the foundational practices of running a business.
In most workplaces, employees gain knowledge and acquire skills directly related to their specific job duties. Young people new to the workforce, for example, might learn how to run a register, package orders, or keep a drive-thru line moving smoothly. But on-the-job learning experiences seldom extend beyond the immediate demands of a person’s current job. And that’s a missed opportunity.
The knowledge and skills needed to run a successful business are versatile and often transferable. Employees at a bookstore could be taught the basics of deciding which books to stock, what prices to set, which sales techniques to try, which marketing efforts to pursue, how many employees to hire, and what hours to schedule. Your local coffee shop probably has relationships it manages with importers, roasters, and others. Its employees could learn the key aspects of initiating and maintaining such business-to-business relationships.
In the short term, employing people who understand more of the fundamentals, intricacies, and needs of your business, and the demands and pressures on it, benefits you as their employer. When employees have a more complete and detailed understanding of what goes on in the business, they’re better able to offer insight and feedback from their individual perspectives. When they understand and appreciate the work their teammates do, they’re better able to collaborate.
Long-term, direct experience learning about the ins and outs of your business provides employees with knowledge and skills that may serve them throughout their careers. So, how do you do this?
1. Determine what knowledge and skills would be valuable to your employees
Think broadly when you’re doing this. Don’t limit your list to what they’re naturally learning on the job. Instead, consider what knowledge and skills could be learned in your workplace and what lessons would be the most useful for your employees. Think about general business practices and industry-specific ones. Need ideas? Ask your employees what they’d like to learn and what they’d be comfortable teaching one another.
2. Figure out how your employees will learn and set aside time to make it happen
Job shadowing may be one option. Training videos are another. Even a quick, impromptu “Let me show you how I do this thing” lesson can pay dividends. Figure out what works best given workloads and staffing needs. Take advantage of slow periods. You don’t have to be too formal about it or get in a certain number of hours. Learning is the goal here, not certification, and it can happen in many ways.
3. Explain to your employees why the knowledge and skills they’re gaining are useful and valuable
Your employees, especially those earlier in their careers, may not be investing much thought into how they can increase their value in the labor market. They might not immediately appreciate the applicability of what they’re learning to what they may do later in life. These are also business lessons they can take with them throughout their career. If they understand these lessons, they’ll see that you care about them and their success, and not just while they’re working for you.
4. Recognize, reward, and celebrate their success
Employees who are learning and growing will become more productive and profitable. As much as you’re able, provide new opportunities for employees to put what they learn into practice at your business. If profits increase, pay them more. Take pride in their career advancement, even if they go elsewhere. Retention is only good if the employment relationship is advantageous for both parties. If an employee would be happier and more successful doing something else, help them get there; don’t hold them back.
Conclusion
Finally, don’t keep all this a secret. Spread the word that your business is a place where people learn valuable knowledge and skills that advance their careers. Share success stories. Be a cheerleader for your employees. Cultivate a reputation as an employer that cares. Build a place people want to work. That’s an investment with little risk, but a lot of reward.
GTM Can Help You Attract Employees
Our HR consultants have many years of experience in finding talent for companies by leveraging behavioral interviewing techniques, cultural awareness, and a deep understanding of people. We work on each search as your HR Manager, understanding your business and finding employees who can add value to their roles.
Whether you have a well-established staffing process or are just starting out, we can connect your company with hard-to-find, highly sought-after candidates nationwide. Often, we can mitigate the negative effects of an underperforming employee by replacing them with better talent.
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