6 Practical Tips to Attract and Retain Competent Employees
Article Title: 6 Practical Tips to Attract and Retain Competent Employees
Author Byline: Nor is a freelance HRM and Management Systems Consultant and is currently a full-time professional blogger.
Author Website: HRMBusiness
Hiring people used to be an easy task. Some managers and business owners that I have worked with thought that it is easier these days to recruit employees because of the rising unemployment rate. They further assert that we have a lot of surplus talents waiting to be tapped. Incidentally, that is partly true. However, while there is indeed a huge potential number of candidate employees, small businesses are still confronted with a shortage of qualified and competent employees.
But that doesn’t mean that you should just give up on hiring new employee because of the seemingly small odd of getting qualified and competent employees versus fortune 500 companies. IMO, all things being equal, there are many people who would prefer to work for a small business. Here are 6 practical tips to help you attract and retain competent employees for your business:
1. Salary matching. Do not attempt to hire an employee based on your budget. You need to define the scope of the job and compare your salary offering with other jobs in the market, especially those from your industry.
2. Employee Benefits. If you cannot match the salary asked by a prospective candidate or the above industry rate, offer a benefit package that will outweigh the difference.
3. Opportunity to socialize. This is where some small business failed to consider. Employees are social beings. You have to establish a regular social programs for your employees like quarterly dinner, or party, yearly retreats, recognition day or family day, etc., that will foster a camaraderie among them.
4. Opportunity to develop new skills and competencies. Online training and continuing education is now easily accessible. Give your employees the chance to enroll on any of these to enhance their job knowledge and skills, or even learn new competencies. This is a worthy investment. Additional knowledge and skills would mean lesser people for you because if they can multi-task, you don’t need to hire additional helps.
5. Opportunity to move upwards. However small is your business, find creative ways how your employee can move upwards form their current position. As your business grows so should your employees grow with you. If they feel that there is room for them to move upward, they will not attempt to look for greener pastures elsewhere.
6. Reward System. Reward employees for job/s well done. Reward them too when your company is doing well. This will keep them motivated. Besides, the rewards do not have to be monetized always. There are a lot of creative ways to reward employees. Look how fortune 500 companies reward theirs. Learn from them.
Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Good article. Another thing that helps retain employees is if you actually take an interest in thei job and what they do. Not to the point where you are micro - maanagin them, but where they feel that wha tthey are doing really bring value to the organization.
Don’t forget to thank them for a job well done! Literaly, a simple “thank you” can mean the difference between retaining somone and losing them.
September 29th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Agree! Sometimes, managers and bosses tend to overlook that. A sincere, yet simple thank you can actually do wonders in an employee’s morale.
Thanks for accommodating!
Kudos on your blog!