10 Ways to Get an Edge in the “War for Talent” – Pt 2
Employee Wellness Programs
All that said about remote work, you don’t actually have to give up on in-office employees. Fifty percent of the young workforce does still prefer a more stable and traditional working life but they still wield the power to choose their employer just as boldly as their freelancing colleagues. If you want to lure a rare and valuable professional who is happy to be at the office every day, the key is to make them feel welcome, appreciated, and healthy.
Today’s workforce is much more aware of the risks of office-related health problems than previous generations and they have no intention of developing heart diseases from unhealthy food and a sedentary lifestyle. There are literally hundreds of different ways to implement employee wellness programs but the key elements should include healthy catered food, a positive company culture attitude toward health, access to fitness resources, and consideration for morale and stress. (Read part 1)
Spruce Up the Workplace
The trend of completely remodeling your office in concrete, glass, and modern art has not proven to be the ultimate hiring trick that businesses once thought it would be, but a little redecorating can definitely help. If your office hasn’t been visually renovated since the turn of the millennium or even earlier than that, seriously consider hiring an interior decorator and becoming at least a little more modern. Current actually popular trends include open floor plans, welcoming collaboration areas, sound-absorbing decor, and sustainability. As it turns out, green policies are actually more beneficial to morale and candidate motivation than glass walls.
Offer Travel Opportunities
One of the many mistakes businesses make when assessing the ‘missing half’ of the millennial tech workforce is assuming that they are all home in their pajamas playing video games. In reality, many freelancers today are on infinite “Working vacations”. What this usually means is traveling from Airbnb to Airbnb or even camping comfortably in a caravan, settling down for a week to work and spending the weekend seeing the sights. Then they pick up roots to go somewhere else interesting to work and explore.
Well if your business has multiple locations in a few iconic places or cities then you can offer similar opportunities to travel and see the world. Have a London office? Or even just an office somewhere in California? When attracting travel-happy candidates, try thinking a little more like a travel agent and consider things like on-boarding training somewhere exotic or even a constantly traveling position, something that may be more appealing today than it was 20 years ago.
Be Respectful in the Hiring Process
Another interesting change in the hiring environment is the difference between who is jumping through the hoops. Where once, even a skilled and highly experienced network admin would have to show up for three or more interviews and wait a few additional weeks to hear back about a job but today, spending more than two weeks hiring a candidate is likely to result in them taking a job with a company that hires faster. But the real risk is accidentally falling back on old hiring manager tactics like leaving the candidates hanging for days or weeks at a time, making them wait in a lobby for the interview, showing up late for the interview, or being visibly disrespectful during their interview.
Company reputation used to be unquestionable, now it is all over the internet. Treat one respected professional badly and they may write a vehement review warning other top talents not to go near your company. And that would be very bad news indeed.
Know the Job You’re Hiring For
One of the biggest struggles of the hiring industry has always been being able to hire good matches for highly specialized roles and as technology gets progressively more specialized, the issue has only gotten worse. Tech professionals today don’t trust an interview that comes from someone who doesn’t understand the tools they work with or the tasks they’ll be performing but, unfortunately, few HR managers are also skilled administrators, engineers, accountants, or specialists.
While bringing an expert along with you to the interview is an alright stop-gap measure, today many businesses are turning to specialist recruitment services who can bring them a short list of top candidates who are guaranteed to have the necessary skills. Then, it’s just up to the hiring managers to choose the right fit based on soft skills, personality, bargaining points, and company culture.
Always Part as Friends
Finally, the last thing that has overwhelmingly changed about hiring the new generation workforce is how you say goodbye to candidates who are not hired. Back in the day, it was acceptable (but not appreciated) to simply give them the boot. However, with the small pool of available professionals, there’s no knowing when you’ll be hiring again and someone you don’t hire this time may well be your best match next time. Never alienate a ‘no thank you’, part as friends and wish them luck on their journey just in case that journey leads them back to you.
For more tips on recruiting top talent, contact us today!
