Supercharge Your
Recruiting By Showcasing Your Company Culture
The job market is on fire right now: April 2019 reporting told us that unemployment rate was 3.6 percent and open job rate was 4.7 percent. That means there are more jobs open than people to fill them! For those working, this is a great market. For those looking to fill jobs rolesā¦. Well itās not quite the same feeling.
There are more jobs open than people ready to fill them. This can mean a few different things but often leads to employers who are forced to move work around to keep business operating. And this necessary evil can cause happy employees to become anything but.
Itās an interesting time to hire candidates for open positions. The fact that there are more jobs open than people looking for work has given rise to the conversation of employee retention and how to keep good people working for you (and not for someone else!)
Sometimes this idea is scary for businesses (especially small businesses). While you may be thinking of employee retention only in terms of financial compensation, itās not the only way to keep employees happy, engaged, and employed in your business.
Company Culture is an Important Factor for Job Seekers
So what do we really mean when we say company culture and why should you prioritize a) making your culture the best it can be and b) clearly showing that culture to job-seekers?
Your culture is the personality of your organization. Your culture is the sum of the values, actions, behaviors, attitudes and guiding practices your company uses to make decisions and manage employees. Itās also that intangible feeling employees have about the work environment and coming to work each day. Itās what makes your business different and unique. And itās what makes your employees happy or not.
āIn a survey of 2,000 employees, almost half (43%) said they are looking for a new job, and corporate culture was the main reason.ā A strong corporate culture is linked to happier employees. And happier employees stay.
A great culture is one of the ways to improve employee engagement.Ā But it goes beyond a foosball table or free snacks ā itās about how you make the workplace productive, inviting, engaging and accommodating for all. Itās important to think about how engagement and culture go hand in hand.
Sure, you can have āthingsā that make people excited to come to work (free stuff can always help) but itās how you engage with and get to know those that work for you. Itās how you treat your team, how they understand their part in the bigger picture, and the why behind what they are doing.
Poor culture and poor engagement can lead to poor employee engagement which can lead to good employees leaving. This can lead to bad reviews and a bad reputation to overcome in attracting new employees. Businesses can be reviewed in a variety of different ways online and have the potential to do a lot of harm. Engaged, happy employees not only will stay but wonāt want to scathingly āreviewā your business in an effort to hurt a business. Keeping employees happy and engaged NOW can pay off not only while they are with you but also after they may move on to another job outside of your company.
How Can You Showcase Company Culture?
Showcase your Mission, Vision, and Values
When an employee knows and feels connected to your mission, vision, and values, they are more engaged and motivated to do great work. Consider showcasing your company mission around the shop floor and/or corporate office in a central place that your team will see it. It can be a poster, mural, vinyl decal or some other way to show off your MVV for all to see.
Connect with your staff on the āwhyā behind what they are doing. Even if itās a smaller task (making a smaller component to a large device) tie it to the bigger picture and why their role in the business is important. Explaining why they and their job role are important and valued makes employees feel their job means more than just a place to come Monday ā Friday.
Regular meetings, touch bases, or reviews celebrating why the jobs are important and how they tie into the business overall will go far. Consider awards, friendly competitions, or some other incentive that celebrates high performance.
Boost Your Web Presence
Yeah, we knowā¦ managing social media or a website can seem like a full time job on itās own. BUT, social media is a great way to be seen by potential employees and to showcase the work you do and how you make work a great place for everyone.
Donāt get too hung up on this one ā the amount of platforms and what is shared on each can be overwhelming to think about. If you have accounts on social media platforms, review what you post and how you interact with your audience. You want to align your social media presence with what your mission, vision, and values are.
Audit your web presence to make sure your online reputation matches your in-person reputation too. There are great companies and softwares out there to allow you to view a review of your business before itās posted. You can then personally address each one and answer each person before the review gets posted.
Engage With The Community
Consider sponsoring non-profit or community events, or volunteering as a group at an event that aligns with your organizational MVVs. Being seen giving back is a great way to align your company with causes and organizations that are aligned with yours.
Know Your Competition in the Employment Market
Do you know what separates your company and job opportunities from competition for the same talent in your region? Is what your offering attractive to the demographic of talent youāre trying to attract? Where are your positions posted and are your opportunities showcased in the right way?
āAs Baby Boomers exit the workforce (and take valuable skills with them) and opportunities made possible by technology fuel growth, itās expected that nearly 4.6 million manufacturing jobs will become available over the next decade ā and nearly 2.4 million are expected to go unfilled. Today, 6 out of 10 open skilled production positions are unfilled.**ā This can prove to be a big challenge for manufacturers looking to fill roles with skilled talent. In order to entice someone to consider your business, your job posting must stand out from the rest.
So how can you do that? Knowing who else is out there, posting similar jobs is a great first step. Know who you are competing with and what they offer so you can clearly communicate how your organization is different.
Consider using the job listings as a place to showcase your company culture and work life. These types of company attributes paint a bigger picture of your organization and can inspire job seekers to apply.
This can include things like
- Workplace awards your organization has won.
- Nonprofits and altruistic organizations you support.
- Your new employee training program.
- Your employee mentoring program.
- Continued education for your staff.
Staffing agencies can help you determine the best features of your company and job opportunities to promote and set you apart from the competition. Not evaluating the market and evolving with the competition could be a hold up to your hiring!
Donāt Forget About Culture When It Comes to Hiring
And if you need help with hiring or identifying ways to show your culture off in the hiring and recruiting process, weāre here to help you.Ā Get in touch with GTR today, and begin working with a staffing partner that will help you Build a Workforce That Works.
*https://medium.com/@checkli/why-employees-quit-20-stats-employers-need-to-know-b921c253f767
**https://www.weidert.com/whole_brain_marketing_blog/top-challenges-facing-manufacturers
https://www.inc.com/marla-tabaka/7-elements-of-a-great-company-culture.html
https://www.hays.com/press-releases/us-workers-willing-to-compromise-on-salary-for-the-right-benefits-company-culture-and-career-growth-opportunities-2030744