Every HR pro will tell you that hiring the best and the brightest is more difficult today than it has been in decades, but the stress that this job seeker’s market is causing for HR isn’t just about hiring. It’s about retention, too.
The fact that people who have a bad day at the office can apply for a new job in five seconds on a smartphone isn’t lost on the top brass. According to a recent survey by the Conference Board, finding and keeping great people is the top concern for CEOs right now. It’s putting pressure on HR leaders, who need to get increasingly creative and inventive with their hiring and retention strategies.
Scoring great hires and keeping them isn’t just about salary; we’ve known that for awhile. Now more than ever before, the “employee experience” in the workplace is taking center stage in the competition to hire and retain top talent.
The employee experience is about your company’s culture and the perks. It’s the gravy. Free lunch? Gym memberships? Flexible hours? Generous PTO? The sky’s the limit. It’s even about how your company is seen and talked about on social media. Your company’s brand — not its products or service, but the zeitgeist of your company itself — is vital.
What can HR do to attract great people and make sure they stay awhile? Shift your focus from hiring strategies to the employee journey as a whole, from the moment a job seeker spots your job posting online to the last time they walk out of the office door. Give people opportunities for growth and learning, make sure they get a positive work/life balance, and have a little fun along the way, too.
Although this tight job market is a pressure point for HR, it’s also illustrating HR’s worth, its ROI, and its contributions to a company’s bottom line. Hiring and retaining great people is top of mind for the top brass, and that’s in HR’s wheelhouse.
