Does Your Business Stand Out From The Crowd?

​It’s no secret that the job market is ‘hot’ right now – that is to say, there are lots of jobs up for grabs and lots of businesses competing for the best candidates.

And a competition it is; with platforms out there now specifically made for candidates to compare the many benefits each different employer has to offer, and more bells and whistles being added to a job offer than you can shake a stick at, businesses are having to go to the next level to secure the hires they’re after.

But, at the end of the day, an employee’s happiness depends on more than how many social events you hit up together, the new fandangled ‘break out area’, and whether they’re allowed to work from home once a week.

What should you be considering as an employer to stay competitive, beyond token perks and those seemingly all-important benefits?

Progression – real, proven progression.

Your uncapped commission structure, pool table and monthly lunch clubs are only going to keep someone interested for so long.

Let’s be frank – in today’s world, more and more people are chopping and changing jobs like it’s fashionable. And why?

Because they see other people in a different company gaining more recognition, promotion or otherwise, and think that the grass is greener.

By being able to demonstrate true progression – by way of staff who’ve actually achieved it, logically structured org charts or otherwise – and putting in place real, achievable targets, you give your new employee something to focus on and aim toward. Just saying, “You’ll progress if you do well,” is no longer enough; you need to show them it’s a real thing.

Culture – and I don’t just mean beers on a Friday.

Yeah, you might have a beer fridge to rival all others – not to mention the all-important dress-down Friday.

But what else is there to say about your culture?

Culture within a company is about the ethos each of your employees embodies, the way they interact with each other, relationships which go beyond company dos and nights spent down the pub. That’s important, sure – celebrating the wins is a sure-fire way to build team morale. But it should be so much more than that.

Build a culture which people want to be a part of, and they’ll stay with the business for longer. Build a respectful culture, where each employee understands the value their colleagues add, making for a collaborative workplace and happy team.

And THEN go out for beers on a Friday.

Open door policies matter.

Simply put, in this day and age, people do not want to work in an environment where they feel as though they don’t have a voice.

Say you have an open door policy and, more importantly, mean it – you can implement this in so many ways but as a hiring body, you need to be willing to take on board what might come about as a result of such a policy. It could be as simple as cultivating a true non-hierarchical environment, where your employees can speak to you like an old friend (within reason), or you could bring in some kind of anonymous feedback system where your staff are able to have their say without fear of backlash.

Remember, we’re not just talking about employees having a good old moan here and there; you’ve hired this person because you saw potential in them, so it stands to reason that they’d have suggestions and ideas for improvements which could be made. Having a true open door policy gives employees something to consider outside of just coming to work, completing their own tasks, and leaving each day. It makes them a part of something bigger than their own responsibilities, and they’ll feel more involved as such. More involved = more longevity.

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Safe to say, hiring in 2019 is a two-way street. Whilst, of course, the interviewing candidate needs to prove their potential and worth to the business, it’s by no means a reason to sit back and relax. Go beyond the bells and whistles to secure the top level candidates, and moreover, keep them – beanbags and beer fridges only count for so much.

To talk about strategizing your hiring in the ever-changing and fast-moving employment market of today, get in touch. We’re proud to call ourselves experts across the board.