What does it mean to be the employer of choice? Is it about being the most sought-after company, or is there more to it? The capacity of a company to attract and retain the best personnel is, by definition, what makes it an employer of choice. To become a sought-after employer, HR must comprehend a variety of factors. It necessitates a positive organizational culture, effective leadership, and employee involvement.
Becoming the Employer of choice
As you look at how to become an employer of choice, you must keep in mind that this status is achieved by attracting the perfect employees and by retaining them. How can you get their attention? More importantly, how can you keep your present staff members on board? The following are the steps to take to achieve the employer of choice status.
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1. Define the ideal employee for you
Look into the sort of ideal employee you would want and what they may desire to get from you as an employer. Jodi Ordioni, also supports this notion as he asks, what kind of workers are you seeking? Go-getters, tech experts, people employed by the rival company? Create a vision for your staff and work to make it a reality, advises Ordioni.
Examine how individuals see, perceive, and speak about working at your company. Whether good or bad, these insights will also help to advise the vision you may wish to create. Aspire to hire and keep employees that share the culture of your company. After all, the success of your business depends on being able to find and retain exceptional employees.
In a study done at the Wharton School, they compared the performance of internally-hired employees against those hired from outside and the results are insightful. The results showed that it took the external hire a full two years to perform at the same level as the internal hires. From the results of this study, it is clear how important it is to define your ideal employee as a first step to becoming the employer of choice.
2. Create a road map for employee engagement at your firm
Organizations can take into account employee moments by using journey mapping. At certain junctures along the way, use employee surveys to gauge the engagement levels of your employees. Instead of the yearly company-wide surveys, they should be conducted based on where the person is in their path. According to research, motivated employees are more devoted to the success of their co-workers and the organization, and are more productive, customer-focused, satisfied, and loyal.
Conducting employee engagement surveys at specific junctures will enable you to see if your employees still have a positive attitude towards your organization and still view it as an employer of choice.
3. Consider benchmarked Qualities of an Employer of choice
- Fair Compensation
Consider compensation which may comprise salary and benefits at par with or greater than market norms. A complete employee benefits package may include paid time off, paid holidays, paid vacation, health insurance, accident insurance, life insurance, gym allowances, fuel allowances, and other incentives. Employee appreciation through benefits and compensation should be benchmarked regularly (like half-yearly or annually).
- Job Security
Employees want to work for companies where they are confident they will have a job during good and hard times. Employees who feel secure in their employment are more inclined to take chances for their company. Consequently, if you're a manager (or an employer), you must ensure that workers feel comfortable in their roles. They won't be able to concentrate and produce their best job if they are worried about their place in the company.
When deciding whether or not to remain with a given employer, employees regard job security as the second most significant criterion, according to the recently released IPC Zimbabwe National Employee Engagement Benchmarking Report.
Only 62% of respondents, even though 97% said it was important for their jobs, could confirm having job security in their current position. It is clear from this research that giving your employees job security is essential for an organization to become the employer of choice.
- Career Growth
People want to advance in their careers, whether it means accepting a position with more responsibility or one that requires a new set of talents. A lack of this progression means employees will leave the organization. To prevent this, design multiple career paths that allow advancement within the organization, hold frequent career planning meetings with your staff and offer the assistance required to decide on their next career moves.
- Empowerment and Feedback
Employees want to be trusted to take responsibility for how they accomplish their work. They want to feel they are making a difference... They also want to be involved in decision-making. People feel stuck at work with no room to develop themselves because of bureaucracy and micromanagement. Regularly, look for opportunities to involve people in essential decisions.
Give employees plenty of feedback and encouragement to help them comprehend their roles and how they fit into the big picture. Accept mistakes as learning experiences with plenty of chances for reflection and discussion when things go wrong. Promote innovation and simplify the suggestion process to help individuals understand how valuable and wanted their ideas are.
- Work-life balance
A healthy work-life balance lightens the load on employees. They can work uninterrupted while dealing with demands from their personal lives. Work-life balance is becoming more and more of a concern for employees. Thus, programs like flexible work schedules and leave policies are essential.
People are most effective when they are refreshed and less stressed. The most desirable workplaces provide a wide range of programs and practices that support their employees' needs because professional and personal aspirations are not mutually exclusive.
Organizations are working harder to understand the needs of their employees' families and personal lives. Some methods that may be used include flexible work schedules, working from home, paid vacation, and additional paid leave.
- Appreciation and Recognition
Building a positive workplace culture and morale requires rewarding your staff for their devotion and hard work. In a Bonusly study, 82% of participants said receiving praise for their achievements was a key factor in their job satisfaction. Furthermore, 63% of respondents said they were less inclined to hunt for a new job in the coming three to six months if they felt acknowledged at work.
Also, look into how the employees would like to be recognized and praised. In the same study above, 57% of respondents preferred cash bonuses while visibility to senior leaders (20%) and prizes (17%) also sparked considerable interest.
- Fun!
People want to enjoy their jobs more than just fit in. They frequently spend upwards of eight hours a day with their co-workers, therefore, the culture and environment must allow for happiness and celebration. The workplace is much more enjoyable and stress-free when you feel like you work with friends daily, allowing for fantastic dialogue, problem-solving, and synergy. Promote laughing via entertaining competitions, planned activities, and contests. Share breaks and meals with co-workers and encourage them to join sports teams and start clubs.
Giving employees a new entertaining environment is another great way to help them have fun. Planning fun, exciting activities can help employees take a break from work, allowing them to refresh and come back energized. Team building retreats are also a pretty good way to achieve this.
Conclusion
Being an employer of choice requires some preparation and a calculated strategy. Both these two all boiled down to your company culture. Are you fair, transparent, and empowering? Do your people trust you to make wise choices and look out for their interests? Are you consistent and value-driven? Employees search for these kinds of procedures while selecting a place of employment. And every one of these supports excellent workplaces and robust cultures.
To be the employer of choice, you must have a credible employee value proposition supported by a good organizational culture.
Natasha Chimphondah is an organizational development consultant at Industrial Psychology Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, a business management and human resources consulting firm.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-chikondi-chimphondah-9b62a9159/
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