One of the biggest challenges in today’s environment is talent—how to find great people, how to keep them engaged, and how to retain them. And it likely is no surprise that if it is a challenge for you, it is a challenge for your clients as well.
The data on turnover has been consistent for decades—the negative impacts of people leaving run deep with increased workload, diminished morale and the toughest, which is the financial costs to hire and onboard new employees. Companies across all industries are trying to figure out the best way to reduce turnover and build a culture and work environment that fosters growth and development and improves retention.
Here are some key considerations for companies finding themselves on this journey:
Happy employees make for happy clients
Employers should remain focused in their efforts to support their staff’s overall health and wellness. Beyond the basic medical insurance offerings from the company, managers in particular should take the time to check in with their team members to see how they are doing.
Aside from the visual cues that a leader might get the chance to observe, engagement levels often are a sign of an employee’s overall satisfaction at work. The higher their engagement, the more positive their interactions will be with their clients and customers.
Your company values matter
Day-to-day business operations represent your company values. What do you stand for? What do you believe in? What are you delivering? And the big question is, are your employees living those values and representing your brand in the way you would expect?
Your values can help drive your culture, perhaps mold it or transform it, and for talent just beginning their journey with you, this concept can help better connect them with the work they’re doing on your behalf. Regardless of where your company is, now is a good time to consider how your company values can help with talent attraction.
Culture is not a ping pong table
The topic of culture and its impact on talent has been reflected upon for decades. Although it is esoteric in nature, culture has proven to be a big part of an organization’s ability to attract and retain talent. While perks like game rooms and ping pong tables set off a vibe of the atmosphere of the company, they only tell one piece of a much larger story.
Culture is the feel of an organization, how you operate and how you make decisions. When your employees are talking with friends or family and someone asks, “What’s it like working at your company?” how they respond essentially is their take on your culture.
Career growth is personal
Across most industries, candidates often ask about career opportunities within the organization they are considering. For many companies, especially small businesses, there are likely limited rungs of the traditional corporate ladder they can climb. Companies today need to talk more broadly about career and development in general.
Opportunities for growth come in many shapes and sizes and don’t necessarily need to include a corner office or a C-suite title. Can talent further develop in their current role with additional learning or certifications? Are there other functions within the company where they can gain exposure and experience with a project or assignment? Do you have potential for mentoring roles where they can take a newer employee under their wing and help show them the ropes?
The core of this discussion on career growth starts with one-on-one conversations between the employee and the leader. If the employee is not openly sharing their aspirations and what they enjoy doing, leaders need to ask them.
The conversations surrounding talent attraction, engagement and retention are here to stay. The labor market might continue to shift, but the need for companies to find the right talent will remain a key component of long-term success.
Take a look around your organization and leverage any sensing mechanisms you have in place to help you understand the pulse of your company and most critically how your employees are feeling about working there. If you don’t have formal sensing tools like engagement surveys, don’t worry.
You can simply engage in conversation and ask them; the sheer act of doing so will inherently signal to them that you care, and those interactions will go a long way in building trust throughout your organization.
Amy Freshman is Senior Director of Global HR at ADP.
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