Vive la revolution!
In my opinion, finding the right talent in a growing business is one of the most challenging and rewarding parts of leadership. Whether hiring your first employee or running a seasoned team in your organization, the first step to success is having the right people. So what does that mean in the current recruitment landscape where finding talent has become so difficult?
For the first time in many years, the balance of power is shifting from the employer to the employee. The reasons for this have been percolating for a while, but the effects are here to stay. Employers need to dig deeper than higher wages and gimmicky perks as reasons to attract and retain good talent. We are witnessing a revolution in how and why people work, and like many major shifts, the first adopters will rise to the top.
Don’t get me wrong, financial incentives are essential for employees, but the reason someone starts or stays with a role today is more complex than just the paycheck. Take hiring bonuses or retention bonuses as an example, they may work in the short term, but instances of employees leaving shortly after a bonus is applied are on the rise, making this an expensive and ineffective strategy to retain talent. What about gimmicks like free lunches, games rooms, or free uber rides to work? Although these perks are nice to have, they simply aren’t enough, in the long run, to keep top talent satisfied.
Employees are looking for more, they are looking for purpose, they are looking for development, they are looking for flexibility, and they are looking for connection. Meaning comes from the mission and vision of why the work matters, while values are how the work gets done in a demonstrative way. Development means upskilling and providing growth opportunities for employees, even if that makes them more valuable outside your organization. Flexibility means choosing where and when the work gets done and a lived experience of true work-life balance. Connection means that people belong to something bigger than themselves and a shared culture that binds them.
These points all start with leadership, making it more critical than ever to hone in and practice those skills. That said, even if you have great leadership systems in your business, you still need a way to share that with potential recruits. Having a solid recruitment marketing plan is fast becoming a necessary way for companies to attract top talent. According to SHRM, companies that incorporate recruitment marketing into their hiring strategy generate more applicants and save major dollars on total talent costs. Have you ever considered recruitment to be a marketing exercise? Well, if not, you aren’t alone but if you have employees or need employees, incorporating marketing into your recruitment planning is a great way to set yourself apart in the competitive environment.
Of course, if you need help with your recruitment marketing planning, say hey, and we can get that plan in motion. Also, if you are in the early stages of hiring your first employee, make sure to check out our free guide on the initial steps to leading a high-performance team. Wherever you are in your recruitment journey, it is time to evaluate your company's talent revolution and start taking the right steps to make sure you have the right people necessary to succeed. Vive le revolution!
