Tips to Attract & Retain Talent
It's no secret that since Covid-19 the majority of today's workers feel disengaged or disconnected in the workplace. We're often asked by organisations what steps they can take to listen to their employees and pave the way for them to speak about how they're feeling. So we've shared 4 simple tips below that can help internal teams and employees feel heard, appreciated and autonomous.
We've also shared some information to help businesses understand what job seekers are looking for now. Attracting and retaining team members is key and many organisations are finding themselves competing fiercely to ensure their future growth and performance is maintained.
How can businesses ensure employees feel heard, appreciated and autonomous?
1. Make Listening a Priority - through quarterly feedback sessions, staff surveys, focus groups, regular appraisals, team meetings, individual meetings.
2. Be prepared to hear the feedback and act on it - good or bad. There's no point receiving the feedback from employees and then sitting on the information. Being open and prepared to really hear the feedback and take it on board whether positive or not is key. Acting on the shared information is important to show support and will make the employee feel valued and heard.
3. Take action - As mentioned above, listening is only the first step. You must also take action. Always closely evaluate what employees have shared then when you come across employee suggestions or concerns that call for more attention, don't stop at just listening - take action. Follow up is also just as important so schedule a time in the diary to meet again if the team member feels this will help.
4. Review and follow up - Listening is not a single point-in-time activity, it is ongoing. If the employer fails to follow up on the input staff have given then this will have a negative impact on the staff.
How can businesses understand what job seekers are looking for?
Job seekers are looking for different things when finding a new job since the pandemic started e.g. more companies are supporting remote work and finding talent with non-traditional backgrounds. Also, job seekers are now able to apply for positions they previously weren’t able to due to location or education.
Recent research has also shown that people are looking for more meaning in their work. According to a survey of 2000 workers BetterUp Labs, a San Francisco based leadership development platform, states that 9 out of 10 career professionals told researchers that they would sacrifice 23% of their future earnings for 'work that is always meaningful'. Job seekers are searching for meaning and purpose much more now than in the past.
Job seekers are also increasingly wanting to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Many recognise that it is not only important to have balance for health and relationships, but a healthy work-life balance can also improve employee's productivity. Now that hybrid working seems to be the norm and many people are still working from home, the thin line between work and personal time needs clearly defining and a work- life balance is more important than ever.
Some clients have reported sitting at a desk in online meetings for 4 hour solid stretches. We'd recommend that employees should be encouraged to:-
-Not check work emails at all hours
-Have regular breaks when working at home
-Get outside at least once during the day and step away from the desk / phone with the aim to switch off from the many tasks and (online) meetings.
Just these simple few things above can help to avoid burn out and keep balance.
As businesses grapple to meet the preferences of different employees and demographics, we shared our views with HRD Connect on how businesses can adapt to Hybrid Working including enhancing their Employee Rewards and Benefits so they will be ready for this next big theme in the evolution of work - click here to read the full article.
For more information and advice get in touch directly by emailing katie@meaningfulrecruitment.co.uk
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