By Rhonda Werner, Recruiting Consultant – Partner
Talking with our clients here at Career 1 Source about becoming a Destination Employer is something we’ve done for years. With even more changes in the work force and how we work, it’s good to revisit what those key areas are to focus on that will have people knocking on your door to work for you and have top talent sticking around for the long-haul.
There have always been six areas that seem to make the biggest impact on the impression and reputation of your organization to those outside looking in. They are recruiting, hiring, onboarding, retention, communication, and engagement.
Really taking a deep look at each of those areas and making sound improvements to each of them has historically helped companies improve the talent they can recruit and keep that talent.
Now that our workplaces face even more challenges, how can we move forward and continue to build a desirable organization that people want to work for and can feel safe in? Here’s a few things to think about.
- Reevaluate your culture
Perhaps nothing has changed there, but with more and more people working remotely, it’s often hard to maintain that “fun, collaborative, team” approach. That pool table in the break room may have been a hit, but now that everyone is working from home, how can you strive to keep up that same culture? It’s probably going to take some thought and planning. - Employee well-being
It was probably much easier to get a feel for your employee’s mental health when most were in the office with you. If something was bothering someone, it was easier to step aside and have a conversation with them. In a remote work setting that is much harder to determine. Many of your employees are working through stress they’ve never had to deal with before. They are working from home and trying to school their children at the same time. Make time and effort to provide resources to care for your employees’ well-being and their families. - Re-onboard
We are all hopeful that eventually we will all “get back to normal” or at least better adjust to whatever our “new normal” is. Until then use this time to re-onboard employees. Help them understand what changes may have been made or how you’ve worked to maintain culture, or just to reemphasize your culture. - Focus on safety
Most didn’t have standard operating procedures for how to function during a pandemic. Although sometimes even the best laid plans get thrown out the window, having your employees know you have a plan and have thought through issues that could arise, puts people at ease.
Our workplaces may not ever look completely the same as they did in 2019. Embrace the changes and create opportunity to continue to be a leader in culture, engagement and focus on employees. If you take care of your people, they tend to take care of you. You may just have to reinvent how you take care of those employees.
For more ideas on becoming a Destination Employer, please visit with your contact at Career 1 Source or reach out here.
