Blog

This is Part VI in a new series launched through Morrison's People Solutions Monthly, a regular email providing valuable insight into human resources and other related topics. Click here if you'd like to sign up to receive Morrison's People Solutions Monthly email.

Strategies to Attracting and Retaining Talent

In this seventh and final article in the Recruitment Simplified series we continue to look at Internal Branding, which involves the discipline of retaining talent by becoming an organization people are attracted to and want to stay with. In Part VI we looked at the reasons why people want to work for an organization; Part VII will explore strategies to become an employer of choice:   

• Integrity and trust. Organizations must have integrity to stay true to themselves, and employees must be able to trust those values permeate every level of leadership.
• Consistent and truthful communication. Truthful communication does not mean full transparency in everything – it simply means that what is communicated is true. An employer of choice is by definition a no spin zone.
• Good leadership is taught, encouraged, and practiced.
• Everyone is treated with respect and dignity in all circumstances.

• Opportunities for Growth. Help employees move up in the organization. This may mean trying your best to promote internally whenever possible or other such goals to encourage your staff.
• Personal and Professional Development. Another way to invest in your staff is to provide educational opportunities to help them achieve their goals. This can include sponsored seminars, tuition reimbursement, or even a skilled trade’s apprenticeship program.

• Create a vision of something bigger. If we are being honest, we must admit that at a foundational level, we work for money. If we didn’t need money, we would probably find a meaningful hobby or volunteer opportunities. However, the choice we make on where we work and how satisfied we are in our work is often because we experience satisfaction beyond our basic compensation. We want to be part of something with meaning. Meaning in our work can come from many sources – it may be the relationships we develop, the vision the company has for growth, a new technology that enhances people’s lives, working toward greater levels of efficiency which raised the overall standard of living, or in the case of Agriculture, feeding the world.   

Becoming an employer of choice is an achievable goal for most organizations, but it requires strategy and effort. It won’t happen overnight; in fact, it will likely require years of effort, but it will reap benefits well beyond the effort and the time dedicated to its achievement.