The hiring process can be not only difficult and tiring, but it is also expensive. Hiring an employee costs more than just paying their wages, and hiring talent can cost more than twice as much as paying a salary. When you hire mediocre talent, you’re more likely to experience turnover and have to go through the hiring process, and cost, all over again.
Some companies don’t care if they have mediocre workers. All they care about is that the work gets done. Several store fronts and corporate retailers will hire less skilled or motivated workers because they don’t have as much at stake. Most of the people they hire can learn to do the job in no time at all.
However, in more skilled jobs, hiring the right worker can make or break a company. Especially when your company is on the smaller side, each worker has to pull their weight. Long term business owners know that having the right people in your company helps you save money in the long run and reduce turnover rate. Having top workers might cost more upfront, but the value they will bring to your company with their skilled work will help your business grow and help you bring in more income.
But this model isn’t right for everyone. If you don’t care about success and increased profit, you don’t have to worry about attracting and retaining top talent. After all, a job is a job and one worker is pretty much like the next, right?
Tips to Ignore if You’re Willing to Settle for Mediocre Talent
While it’s possible your company may stumble upon skilled and valuable workers, if you don’t work hard to keep them happy, they will leave as soon as they can find a company that recognizes and appreciates the hard work they do.
However, if you don’t want to lose workers that bring value to your company, consider implementing the following measures in your company’s HR practices.
Create and Maintain a Company Culture
With the growing number of businesses popping up, candidates have dozens of choices for companies to work for. Most job seekers do not want to work for a soulless corporation with no personality or differentiating features. Those companies who take the time to differentiate themselves from the competition are more likely to stand out and appeal to talented job-seekers.
Figure out what your company values. Is your company family friendly? Do you seek out personal relationships with your clients? Do you value loyalty above other employee attributes? Find out what characteristics set your company apart from your competition and emphasize them during the hiring process and in your company culture in general. Your current employees who share those values will feel more at home, and potential employees who value those things will want to work with your company.
Support a Healthy Work/Life Balance
Workaholic sounds a lot like being an alcoholic. While our society puts an obsession with one’s work up on a pedestal, it’s actually just as unhealthy as being addicted to drugs or drink.
As much as your employees and potential candidates might love working for you, they have a life outside of work. They can’t slave away working for you all day every day. Our brains are not equipped to handle constant levels of stress, and try as we might, we can’t keep working through it. Along with giving your employees time off as necessary, make sure you build downtime into their day. A stress free employee is a productive employee.
Reward Top Achievements
When workers feel appreciated, they’re more likely to be engaged in their job. Employees who feel like their managers and supervisors care about their well-being are some of the most engaged workers at a company, according to the Harvard Business Review.
Workers who feel appreciated at their job are also less likely to leave or be looking for a better opportunity. Feeling like you matter is a fundamental human need, and since we spend so much time at our jobs, it’s only natural to need that fulfilled at work.
Employee appreciation doesn’t always have to come in the form of a bonus or a salary raise. Sometimes just giving an employee an award or sending out a memo publicly recognizing what they have done for the company will help them feel like you notice the hard work they’re doing. If your employee is prone to stage fright or embarrassment, sometimes just taking the time to tell them how much you appreciate what they do will help them feel like their work is important.
Make it Easy for Potential Candidates to See How You Reward Top Talent
Nearly 60% of workers have two or more job offers to pick between. While working to make your current employees feel happy and appreciated will help you retain great talent, it doesn’t automatically translate to hiring more skilled workers.
If you’re currently courting a potential candidate, there are several things you can do to help them see what you do for your employees. Consider taking them on a tour of your facilities so they can see what working for you might be like. Encourage them to talk to a current employee to get a feel for what it would be like to work for you. Emphasize the company culture you created and have worked towards maintaining. Do whatever it takes to help them see how they will be treated when they come to work for you, and they might pick you over other offers.
Hiring great talent to add to your company’s value can be one of the most important things you do for your business. If you’re ready to leave behind mediocre and unmotivated workers, contact us today.
