WHAT ATTRACTS THE BEST EMPLOYEES TO A COMPANY?

by Brandon Rigoni and Bailey Nelson | February 16th 2016

With the creation of such sites as Indeed’s Forums and Glassdoor, employees have had vehicles to share the good the bad and the ugly about the companies they work for.  This has become damaging to companies as they have now lost control of their Employment Value Proposition or their Why People Want to Work Here statements.  This can cost a lot of money for employee retention, attraction and in many cases loss in revenue.  But you do not have to leave this in the hands of the forums and blog sites. We can help you here. What are you doing today to keep a good employment brand? ~The Organic Recruiter

 Highlights of this article:

  • First, companies need to study their best performers
  • A strong employee value proposition attracts talent
  • An effective EVP sets a company apart

When leaders see their best performers achieve business outcomes, they no doubt wish they could get more similarly talented people to apply to and join their company.

Apple’s brilliantly defined employment brand not only speaks to people with a strong desire to learn and grow, but also says a lot about the company’s culture and what it values.

Gallup meta-analysis results suggest that when companies select the top 20% most talented candidates for a role, they frequently realize a 10% increase in productivity, a 20% increase in sales, a 30% increase in profitability, a 10% decrease in turnover and a 25% decrease in unscheduled absences.

Best Practices From Companies With Strong EVPs The right talent selection and management practices offer a powerful approach to human capital that should be central to any leader’s business strategy.

Companies with the very best EVPs apply the following best practices:

  • They understand their best performers
  • They connect their applicant messages to their culture
  • They differentiate themselves from the competition

Companies can use an evidence-based approach to develop a definitive guide for attracting applicants with the most potential to thrive.

Just because a candidate has the talent to be a top performer in a role doesn’t mean he or she is a good fit for a company’s organizational culture.

A company’s applicant attraction message should help it stand out from its competitors and provide potential hires with compelling reasons to choose the company as a workplace.

To ensure companies are differentiating themselves, they need to analyze their employment brand’s effectiveness and authenticity and then compare their brand with competitors’ to capitalize on differentiators.

When a company’s EVP highlights the company’s unique qualities, it can set the business apart, win the attention of desirable applicants and promote the company’s brand.

The company discovered that candidates who were more likely to have successful careers after they were hired were the ones most excited during their interviews about future-oriented aspects of the job, such as opportunities to learn and grow and to advance in their careers.

Even though the company pays very well, its job ads don’t mention compensation because it would attract the wrong kind of applicant.

Companies spend a lot of time and money on marketing campaigns to attract loyal customers.

Studying top performers is a necessary first step; leaders then need to craft an EVP that accurately reflects their company’s culture and sets it apart from the competition.

With the right type of applicant knocking at a company’s door, leaders can be more selective about whom they hire, and they can fill every position with someone who is the right fit. When leaders focus on attracting a large quantity of applicants rather than on attracting high-quality applicants, however, they miss the mark significantly.

With the right type of applicant knocking at a company’s door, leaders can be more selective about whom they hire, and they can fill every position with someone who is the right fit. ~full article

For case-studies, please call or email me today

TO TELECOMMUTE OR NOT TO TELECOMMUTE?

by Anne Caldwell | February 2016

Working at Monster, we are blessed to work from home (~85% of us).  We are more accessible to our clients, flexible to internal meetings and much more productive as an organization. The amount of money saved by organizations by not having to pay high priced office space is huge.  One of the benefits to our clients is we don’t pass office expenses on to our you, therefore you know you are getting great pricing on our solutions.

A great benefit to my employer is they are getting much more efficiencies, less stress from undue commuting, and most likely more hours of production (i.e. me writing this newsletter on a Saturday). ~The Organic Recruiter

More than 80 percent of employees consider telecommuting a job perk, and 36 percent would sacrifice salary for the option of telecommuting at work, according to a survey conducted by Global Workplace Analytics.

This begs the question: Should employers provide telecommuting options? The increased demand and employee popularity of telecommuting in the workplace has resulted in the upward trend of more than 37 percent of U.S. workers currently telecommuting, according to Gallup’s 2015 annual Work and Education Poll, but the debate on the benefits of telecommuting rages on.

Technology has made working remotely, “Telecommuting,” easier and ideal for employees, but is it beneficial to employers, too? Many business owners are hesitant to implement telecommuting options for employees because they are afraid that telecommuting reduces employee productivity, quality of work and team collaboration – but studies show that when implemented properly, telecommuting is a win-win for both employees and employers.

Even more eye opening is that today’s employees are increasingly willing to sacrifice other perks to be able to telecommute, including sacrificing a portion of their salary for the increased flexibility that working from home offers.

Cost Effective: When implemented correctly, telecommuting increases business profit margins and streamlines business operations – and is cost effective for both employees and employers.

Employees who are given the option to telecommute are reportedly much happier with their employers and their ability to telecommute than traditional office workers, says a study conducted by OnlineMBA.com.

Many employers are also embracing telecommuting as a way to show their commitment to the environment, incorporating telecommuting options into their social and corporate responsibility initiatives.

Today’s employees, especially millennials, place more value on “Life perks,” such as corporate culture, social responsibility and telecommuting options, than salary.

One critical aspect of implementing a telecommuting policy is to be clear about which positions qualify for telecommuting, that is, which are capable of being done remotely.

Business owners should develop an employee benefits package that includes telecommuting eligibility and options, telecommuting policies, and company tools and processes for success, too.

Telecommuting in public relations Scottsdale-based The Knight Agency, a boutique public relations, marketing and event agency, launched telecommuting options as a part of its company culture and employee perks, which produced the following results: Efficiency: Each employee has a different working style, and telecommuting lets employees create their best work, says Erica Knight, president of The Knight Agency.

Empowerment: Working in an environment with telecommuting perks empowers employees and gives them control over their schedule and work efforts – making them feel valued.

~ for complete article: http://bit.ly/telecommute-cw

YOU CAN’T KEEP FAKING IT! 3 WAYS TO FULLY COMMIT TO MAKING SUCCESSFUL CHANGE

By Scott Span | February 5, 2016

Often, we talk to customers about their EVP (Employment Value Proposition) or rather why does someone want to work for you and they say…well we are working on that.  I find that when I hear that, they really aren’t working on that and telling stakeholders they’re getting to it. I believe its more paralysis by analysis, therefore perpetuating the problem of why it’s so hard to retain or recruit great talent.  If we keep faking it, we’ll only be fake and employees and job seekers can smell it a mile away ~The Organic Recruiter

Stop faking change! Stop paying it lip service and not taking supporting actions. Commit to change or don’t even bother. Change is hard. I write about it a lot because how you navigate change impacts whether you will succeed or fail.

It doesn’t need to be costly or painful

Because change is hard, all too often organizations fake change. That means this: They expect change to happen in an environment where they are unwilling to commit to the support needed to make the change a success – unwilling to change processes, culture, strategy and the way they work.

Sounds counter-intuitive, right?

It is. And it’s costing your organization productivity, performance and profit.

Organizational problems are linked together, and change in one area often impacts other areas. New business initiatives, new technology, new processes and procedures, leadership changes – all require new behaviors and ways of doing things.

Organizational change is inevitable, but that doesn’t mean it has to be painful or costly. So how do you stop faking change?  First you need to acknowledge how you’re faking change before you can fix it.

You really gotta walk the walk

Communication is a key part of managing change. Are you really providing supporting processes, structures, and culture for open and honest communication? Are you sending the right messages to the right audiences at the right time?

And is everyone inside the organization – from the executives down to the interns – aware of the changes, how it will impact them, and can contribute towards making the change a success?

If not, then you’re faking change. Stakeholders can tell when they’re getting lip service and it does have a negative impact on commitment. Walk the walk and lead the change effort by example.

But, it’s how we’ve always done it

Culture is the way work gets done around here.  One of the hardest parts about causing positive change is changing the status quo – how things have always been done. But you have to change if you want to be successful. You’ve got to commit to the new way – fully.

If the leaders aren’t willing to change their behaviors, or work to change the behaviors of others to support the change, then how do you expect the change effort to be successful? Your job as the leader is to lead.

You MUST make the time to be the face of the change and prioritize engaging with stakeholders. That includes leading in changing the culture if needed to support a new way of doing things.

Fix broken processes

Change in one area often impacts other areas. This requires revamping or doing away with old processes or creating new processes to support the change. You can’t keep trying to use old processes designed to support the old way of doing things and expect a new result. You should do a detailed process inventory and analysis so you have an accounting of your processes, identify which processes need attention, which may need to be created, and then communicate the changes to the team – and train them how to follow them.

The moral of the story is this: You can fake change all you want, but if you really want positive change to be a success, lip service won’t cut it. You must commit to a new way of doing things.