How do I become an employer of choice?
How do you become the employer that everyone wants to work for?
Employees now expect a lot more from employers - it's no longer 'just a job'. But can they be fussy in hard times?
An employer of choice is an organisation that cares for individual employees and is concerned about their careers and wellbeing. Increasingly, businesses are creating a "brand" that attracts the best staff through strong recruitment strategies. They work out how to retain and develop their people and they provide flexible work options that consider an employee's life outside of the office.
A successful organisation is one that can attract and keep the best staff. It doesn't matter whether it is a tough time or not - this should still be the focus of every business.
The best way to do this is:
- Create a culture of pride
- Promote yourself as an employer of choice
- Recruit the best people
- Provide development opportunities
- Offer flexible work arrangements
- Be family friendly
Consider these questions alongside what your business is doing...
What makes your organisation stand out and would you call it an employer of choice? Think about what aspects of your business contribute to it being considered an employer of choice, and what detracts and needs improving. Most people will immediately know what is not working.
Consider the recruitment strategies - how do you find the best people to work for you? A "cultural fit" is important. But what did your business do to establish this in the recruitment phases? How can the recruitment process ensure that successful staff will fit with the ethos of the organisation?
Employees should be continually learning and developing - but what opportunities are provided in your business? How are the training and development needs of staff met within your organisation? What additional initiatives could be developed to ensure employees are continually being developed? What opportunities does your business provide for leadership development?
Are the working hours made flexible, such that they meet the needs of both the individual and the organization, without resentment?
Is your business a family-friendly environment - how do you manage when a staff member's family is sick? Do you offer carer's leave? How do you know this would not be abused? How could initiatives be implemented within your organisation to ensure it is flexible and family-friendly?
Do you have a culture of pride? What's the evidence? How can a culture of pride in an organisation be developed and maintained?
What does your organisation do to improve its retention of good employees?
And if you are looking for a job, what attributes would you look for in a new employer? Make your list and rank them...
- Treat me as an individual
- Care about my needs
- Provide options for growing
- Respect for community and environment
- Career path
- Training and development
- Mentoring
- Coaching
- Unique opportunities
- Flexible hours
- Good pay/bonuses
- Security
- Travel
- Leadership
When employers truly care, employees are passionate about their work, they perform at their best and often surpass expectations.
The following article was supplied by Icon Business Solutions of which Tony Gattari is an accredited Global advisor.
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