How are some companies able to land high-caliber talent at lower than industry-leading salaries? Think Google. Or Zappos. They’re not famous for paying people a lot of money. They’re famous for having great company cultures.
So how can you make your company more appealing to desirable employees? Start by asking yourself the following questions:
1. Do we have a great corporate culture?
Look around at your employees. Do you think they look forward to coming to work? Do you often hear that employees have a hard time quitting because they enjoy the challenges, their co-workers, and the environment? No matter how hard the work is, jobs shouldn’t create stress in employees. And it won’t if your culture is supportive and designed to alleviate work-related stress. Figure out if your employees are happy or satisfied, because happiness and satisfaction mean more productivity. Also, a company culture that facilitates employee happiness means lower turnover and better company performance. Employees are loyal and companies perform better. It’s a win-win!
2. Do you know what your employees really want?
Often what employers think is most important to employees is not what they’re feeling. Employers think employees want a good salary most of all, followed by job security, promotion/growth opportunities, good working conditions and interesting work. Sounds about right, doesn’t it? But actually employees say they want appreciation or recognition for work done, a feeling of being “in” on things, an acknowledgement of personal commitments outside the office, job security and a good salary.
In short, employees value the emotional aspects of their workplaces as much as their financial compensation.
3. Do you make staff recognition a priority?
Whether you manage a team of five people or a company of 500, you need to spend some time thanking your employees for their good work. It’s a simple way to retain top performers without resorting to financial incentives, and it can be as easy as:
- Getting involved: Don’t stay in your office. Get out on the floor, interact with your employees and look for opportunities to praise them for jobs well done.
- Establishing recognition systems: Make acknowledgement a regular event, not a one-time or occasional thing.
- Involving others. Ask your fellow managers or employees to notify you whenever something worthy of recognition occurs so that you can send a personal “thank you” to the staff member in question.
4. Do you include your employees in business decisions?
Employees don’t like working for companies where all decisions occur behind closed doors. Remember, your employees commit a huge amount of their time to your organization. If you neglect to keep them in the loop about new policies or upcoming changes, you minimize both their contributions and their sense of commitment to your company. You don’t need to involve your employees in every decision, but you can explain the reasoning behind any changes and ask for input when appropriate.
At Staffers, we know about great company cultures, because we have one! If you want to work with a leading force in the Jackson staffing industry, give us a call!