Finding and keeping high quality employees has never been more difficult. Whether you call it the Great Resignation or the Demographic Drought, the fundamentals of the workforce have changed.
There are fewer employees available to hire, and those employees are switching or quitting jobs with greater frequency. Whether you’re still reeling from the economic impact of the pandemic or you’re back on the path to growth, this new workforce reality can be extremely intimidating, leaving you searching for answers.
This new reality calls for a mix of classic and new solutions. There are three in particular that we currently use and that I recommend to all businesses, particularly those in the technology services space. Let’s dive into each of them in detail.
Classic Solution: Be Intentional About Retention
Whether your business is in growth or maintenance mode, success depends on retaining good employees. As with customers, it’s far easier and cheaper to keep the employees you have today than it is to recruit and train new ones. Throwing more money, perks and benefits at your existing employees might seem like the easiest path to retention. However, I believe there’s more you can—and should—do to be intentional about retention.
- Clearly define (or redefine) and continuously communicate your core values and the vision for your business. High-quality employees will stay with companies whose values fit theirs and who communicate a clear path to a bright future.
- Make work meaningful. This doesn’t mean you have to fundamentally change the work your employees perform. Instead, you need to help all employees–customer facing and back office–understand how their role is meaningful in the success of both your business and your customers.
- Coach and develop. Regardless of how long they’ve been working for you, top performers love to learn and grow. All your managers (this means you as well) should provide frequent, specific feedback to help employees improve in their roles. Managers also should ask questions to understand what new skills and knowledge your employees desire as well as where they’d like to take their careers. Once these goals are understood, put together plans to help your employees achieve them.
- Recognize and praise. In addition to telling your employees how they can improve, you should frequently tell/remind them of what they’re doing well. As often as possible, your recognition and praise should be tied to your core values, your vision and the meaning of each employee’s role.
New Solution: Continuously and Creatively Recruit
Even with a strong retention plan, there’s a good chance you’ll need to recruit new employees. Engaging outside recruiting firms might seem like the easy answer in the current workforce reality. However, recruiting firms are expensive and struggle with the same realities that employers face. Today’s reality calls for more constant and creative recruiting.
- Constantly look for great talent. In every interaction you have as a customer, vendor or partner, you should constantly be searching for people who might be a good fit for your organization. As long as it’s not prohibited by any legal agreement, be bold about introducing yourself and telling your story to potential employees.
- Proactively recruit via LinkedIn. People who are currently employed in similar work make great recruiting options. Identify targeted companies and job titles, and proactively connect with and message people on LinkedIn. A simple message can yield surprisingly good results. Try something such as “I’m not sure how you’re enjoying your current role, but we have opportunities at [company name] that might be appealing to you. Would you be interested in having a conversation?”
- Tell your story in your job postings. With the crazy number of jobs being posted today, you need to make your listings stand out. Be bold and clear about who you are, what makes your company and culture unique and what type of employee would fit best in your organization. Take a look at our careers page and job postings for inspiration.
- Build partnerships. Recruiting can be made a bit easier with help from friends. If you’re not already doing so, engage with local colleges, universities and trade schools. Find and engage local organizations who help people make career changes into technology fields. In our home market, AIM Institute is a great example. Finally, let your partners know what type of employees you’re seeking and be willing to share prospective employees with your partners as well—assuming those prospective employees aren’t a good fit for your team.
Classic Solution: Don’t Compromise on Selection
A clear, consistent and selective hiring process continues to be an absolute necessity for hiring and retaining good employees. The limited pool of applicants might make you consider compromising and hiring the first available warm bodies. However, you’ll pay dearly in the long run if you lower your hiring standards. Instead of compromising, be even more intentional about who you hire.
- Avoid job hoppers. There’s an important saying in the employee selection field: the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. If a prospective employee’s resume shows a pattern of leaving jobs and companies after a short stay, you can bank on that person leaving you quickly if you hire them. The only exception to consider here is a clear career progression. However, the best candidates will show career progression without constantly moving from one company to the next.
- Emphasize culture fit. For the sake of your current and prospective employees, spend time in the interviewing process assessing candidates’ fit with your core values and culture. Skill, experience and knowledge are critical, but hiring someone who doesn’t fit your culture can be a morale killer.
- Hire for aptitude, train for skill. In the technology services space, you might think you’re compromising if you hire someone who doesn’t already have the skills required for the job. However, it’s very likely that your current employees acquired a significant portion of their skills and knowledge while working for you. For new employees, look for the general technical aptitude and ability to learn that makes your current top performers so good.
- Consider assessments. Pre-employment selection tests can help you uncover knowledge, skills, abilities and personality traits that are difficult to assess through resume screening or interviews. The best assessments can be tailored to your job types, giving you specific interview questions to ask of candidates who make it to that step. Choose your assessments carefully, and be wary of using personality type indicators in the hiring process.
When applied diligently and consistently, the strategies above can help you navigate the challenge of hiring and retaining employees in today’s crazy workforce reality. Reach out to me via LinkedIn with any questions you have regarding the suggestions above as well as any strategies you’d like to share.
