Employee Recruitment and Retention Strategies

Do you have trouble getting the right people? Do you have trouble keeping your good people? Why is it so hard and a constant battle?

It is no secret that Australia is in the middle of a skills shortage and that economic uncertainty is making recruiting the ‘right’ people very difficult.  It is almost unbelievable that in this environment, some businesses are also struggling to retain their good employees. In this article we explore some key recruitment and retention strategies that employers should consider when managing their workforce.

If your business could benefit from professional assistance in developing robust employee recruitment and retention strategies, get in touch with Brisbane’s leading HR Consultants; Bramwell Partners today.

Retention Strategies

What Motivates Your Employees?

How do you know what motivates your staff?  You might believe it is money or flexibility.  What about bonuses, cars and other rewards?  All of these things are attractive to employees and can assist in motivation, but how do you actually know?

How can you be sure that what you are offering is what is valuable to the individual employee?  The answer is simple – ask them.

This can be done via a survey, one on one discussions or basic communication.  It is often beneficial to have a person external to the business conduct these investigations as employees may perceive that they will be treated differently if they provide an honest opinion.  Bramwell Partners can conduct confidential and unbiased surveys, interviews and other techniques to gather information on what is important to your employees.

It Is More Cost Effective to Retain Your Good Employees

Recruitment can be expensive.  While it may only cost a few hundred dollars to place an ad on Seek, the underlying cost of replacing a good employee can be very expensive.  Some of the hidden costs include:

• Time to retrain a new employee;
• Lost productivity while the new employee learns the role and other employees are training the new person;
• Time spent by management and other staff advertising, interviewing and selecting a new person;
• Loss of skills and experience of a good employee;
• Potential damage to workplace team culture of a good person leaving;
• Potential damage to service and reputation in the eyes of customers;
• And if you use a recruiter to replace your experienced employee, this can cost up to 20% of the employee’s total salary package.

An in-depth analysis of an employer with 1100 employees across Australia showed the average cost to recruit was $3,500 per event (excluding the time spent on recruitment internally).  This adds up quickly if staff turnover is quite high.

Professional and Personal Development

As noted, different things motivate different people. Key areas that hold a lot of weight for employees during both the recruitment and retention stages of their employment are training and professional development. Employers should be investing in training their employees to ensure relevant qualifications and accreditations are up to date.  Further, training assists in ensuring quality and consistency of work is at an expected level.

However, on top of this, employers should consider assisting employees on their study or training journey. This could mean assistance with tuition fees, time off to attend study or exams, subscriptions to professional associations or publications.  It is encouraged that employers seriously consider supporting employees in their study even if the study is not related to their work.

Why would you do that if the qualification isn’t related to work and the person is just going to leave at the end?

If an employer is supporting a good employee’s future ambitions, even if it is in an unrelated industry or field, that employee is more likely to remain with the employer and give positive feedback to customers and potential clients.  If you weigh this up against the cost to recruit, retention is the better option. You can also enter into a contract where an employee provides return of service where assistance is provided.  Bramwell Partners can assist in drafting this type of contract.

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

The last thing an employer wants is to find out their best employee is leaving when the person hands in their resignation. By this time, it is usually too late to keep the employee as the decision is already made.

Managers and supervisors should be in constant communication with staff and when an employee chooses to resign, this should not be a surprise.  If a manager encourages open communication, they will get a good idea if someone is contented in the workplace.  This allows an organisation to manage and keep their good employees. Conversely, if an organisation does not want to invest anymore time in an underperforming employee, communication will provide the employer advanced warning that they may be an employee short in the imminent future and can plan accordingly.

Recruitment Strategies

Where an employee does leave the organisation and a recruitment process is required, it is recommended employers take into consideration the factors below when looking for a replacement.

Is The Role Actually Required?

It is not uncommon for employers to replace a role simply because someone has resigned.  When someone leaves it is a good time to reassess the role and its place in the organisation.  Employers should look at things such as:

• What does the person actually do? Can some or all of the duties be redistributed to other roles.  Is the role actually needed or could the business save the cost of the additional overhead.
• Is the role still relevant in the organisational structure? If so, are the duties required reflected in the role’s position description?
• Is there someone internally that could fill the role? Maybe with some training a high potential employee internally could be promoted?

Consider The Role Requirements Before Advertising

It might sound obvious, but ensure you know what you expect the role to deliver. The position description should outline the knowledge, skills and abilities that are required, but also consider the personal attributes you are seeking.  This can include things such as being able to work autonomously, punctuality, attention to detail, exceptional presentation skills etc.

It is worth spending the time considering what the perfect candidate may look like and try to reflect that in the advertisement.

Consider the WIIFM?

Employers should think of what candidates may look for.  What’s In It For Me (WIIFM) is something employers should think of when drafting an advertisement.  Not only outline the benefits of the role, but demonstrate the Employee Value Proposition (EVP).

This can include benefits to the ideal candidate such as professional development, flexible working arrangements, memberships etc.  Further, don’t be afraid to ask a candidate what they are looking for in an interview.

Look to Bramwell Partners for Recruitment and Retention Support

Bramwell Partners can assist employers with developing and implementing a recruitment and retention program.  Further, we can assist in developing a positive EVP and positive working culture that sets your organisation apart as an employer of choice.

Organise a free consultation with an employee training and development expert from Bramwell Partners by calling 07 3630 5695 or by getting in touch online.