Low unemployment and increasing wages make attracting and retaining talent more difficult than ever. Employees have more options when choosing where they want to work. A recent hire told me they chose our office between six different offers that they got in their first two weeks of looking for a new job!
With all that competition for employees, it is more important than ever that agencies work to distinguish themselves as a great place to work. Not only will this help them in obtaining new talent, but it will also allow them to hang on to the talent they already have in their agencies.
Four factors that employees view as important when it comes to job satisfaction include the following:
Learning and Development:
According to a recent LinkedIn Workforce Learning Report, 93% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their careers. This is one of the easiest ways to differentiate your agency from others. Encourage your employees to attend educational seminars. Working with them to attain professional designations (CISR and CIC for example) can help to establish goals that will keep your employees focused and growing. Take time to check in with your employees about topics in which they would like to expand their knowledge. Investing in their knowledge will not only help to increase your employee’s happiness, but it will also greatly increase their productivity.
Work-Life Balance:
One of the common traits of successful entrepreneurs is that they have a strong work ethic. Agency owners work long hours and often make personal sacrifices to sustain and grow their business. However, we can’t expect that same dedication from all our employees. Employees value freedom to enjoy their personal lives, even if it sometimes happens during work hours. Consider having flexible hours, giving remote work options, focusing more on productivity than hours, and giving staff paid time off for volunteer opportunities.
Growth and Advancement:
Promoting growth and advancement for an employee starts with developing a plan. Talk to your employee about their goals, understand where you can support them, and work with them to develop a path to get there. Set aside time to help provide feedback to help keep the employee engaged and continually working towards their goal. In doing so, make sure to clarify what opportunities are available and help set realistic expectations.
Positive Work Environment:
Employees that dread coming to work will not find it difficult to find a job elsewhere they will enjoy more! One of the most common reasons that employees are unhappy with their work environment is because of the attitude of their coworkers. As an employer, you have two responsibilities. First, make sure you are not the one contributing to the negative work environment. Second, make sure that you are dealing with any employees that are causing problems. If you avoid the tough conversations and decisions that come with a toxic employee, you can lose the respect and loyalty of the rest of your staff. Sometimes the best addition you can make to your staff is accomplished by removing the negativity.
Improving how your agency is perceived in these four areas will improve your agency’s ability to attract and retain great employees. Being known as a great place to work is a worthwhile pursuit for agency owners.