March 30, 2020 By SmartBiz Team

A business that doesn’t have quality, driven employees will never be as successful as one that does. One of the best ways to ensure that your business has a competitive edge is to develop a solid plan to attract and retain the best possible talent in the field. However, this is easier said than done, though if you go in armed with the right knowledge, you’ll have much better chances of attracting and retaining good employees to your business.

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Attracting The Right Talent

One of the biggest obstacles a business can face, whether just starting up a small business or having been established for years, is attracting the right talent for the job. It can be downright impossible to know whether or not a potential hire will eventually display indifference or unprofessionalism in the workplace, but if you are highly selective in how you go about acquiring talent, the risk can be significantly mitigated. The best employees will want to join you in building your business into something better, but finding them is the first step in doing that.

First and foremost, if you want your business to attract a certain type of person that holds the same values and drives as you do, then it is important to exemplify those ideals in how you run your business. The employees you want working for you will be naturally attracted to your business if you show that you care about the same things that they do. This also plays into managing your business’s internal reputation, because the way that you treat your current employees does not exist in a vacuum and other potential hires will certainly be more willing to join in if they know that your employees are treated well.

Additionally, consider what channels are appropriate for the level of employee you’re looking for. LinkedIn is great for finding professional talent with a solid foundation, but setting up booths at a job fair can attract fresh, young talent just out of college who are hungry for success. In the hiring process, it is important that you highlight exactly what it is about your company that sets it apart from the competition, whether that is excellent teamwork, a great company culture, competitive pay, or any number of other things that make your business unique.

Increasing Retention

You obviously want your employees to work hard, just as you do, to get your business to the next level. However, it is important to watch for signs of overworked employees as it can quickly lead to burnout and might begin to foster negative opinions and poor morale among the workforce. If these things go unchecked for long enough, employees are bound to leave for greener pastures. Acquiring the best talent only gets you so far — the real challenge comes in keeping them on board and using them to the best of their abilities.

The retention of employees is almost always better than replacing them. Replacing employees you’ve failed to retain means going to the entire hiring and training process all over again, requiring time and resources that wouldn’t have been needed if employees were kept happy in the company. Excellent employee retention starts with having employees feel comfortable in their position with the knowledge that they can ask questions and get answers without an issue being raised.

 
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This means playing a supportive role as a leader which will give you insights into how your employees are feeling and what you can do to address their concerns. Listening closely will also help you to create a great company culture where employees will actually enjoy going to in and out of office events. Attractive benefits packages go a long way when it comes to employee retention, but employees that feel as though they are heard by the company when they make comments or suggestions are far more likely to stick around than those who feel like they are just a cog in the machine.

Opportunities For Advancement

One of the greatest benefits of acquiring the best talent and retaining them is that you are then able to hire from within the company and have people in leadership positions that really understand every facet of the business. If you intend on helping your employees advance in their careers at your company, there are several things you should do. The first is to assist them in accomplishing their work goals, big or small, to show them that you are invested in their success.

It can also be beneficial to uptrain your employees by helping them obtain different certifications or skillsets that your business can use. This not only helps your business by making your employees more capable in various job roles but also works to groom them to eventually become excellent leaders themselves. Your employees are an investment, and it is a wise move to try and make them the best that they can be as it will only help your business in the long run if you do the work to retain them as employees.

Other ways that you can support career advancement for your employees are to encourage mentoring programs within the company, focus on continued training in different roles in the business itself, and take a personal interest in their successes. The idea that a business is like a family is tossed around regularly, but when you take a vested interest in helping your employees achieve higher goals that becomes less of a buzz phrase and more the reality of the situation.

If you want your business to rise to the top, your employees are the ones who will take it there. Making sure you invest in the best employees, work hard to retain them, and ensure that they have the ability to advance within your company are solid ways to make sure that your business succeeds.

 

About the Author

Jori Hamilton is an experienced freelance writer from the Northwestern U.S. She covers a wide range of subjects but takes a particular interest in covering topics related to Marketing, Business Practices, Productivity, and Management. You can follow Jori on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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