How To Keep Hold Of Your Top Performers

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article|Top Performers |How To Keep Hold Of Your Top PerformersIf you want your business to grow and compete with the bigger names in your industry, then it is vital that you are able to keep hold of your top performers. It can be frustrating when you have talented, hard-working, and passionate staff but lose them to another company as this can have such an enormous impact on many areas of the company. It is hard to retain your top performers particularly if you cannot match the wages that they could command elsewhere, but there are a few effective strategies to try which can encourage staff loyalty – here are a few ideas:

Create An Enjoyable Working Environment

Although it is a major influencer, money is not everything when it comes to working. People spend so much of their time at work, which means that this needs to be somewhere that they feel happy and content. You can do this by creating an enjoyable working environment in the office so that people enjoy working together and come to work each morning feeling happy and content.

Provide Progression Opportunities

The top performers are also the ones that are the most driven, so you need to make sure that you are providing them space to grow and progress within the company. Otherwise, they could have their head turned when they have gone as far as they can within the business. Look to promote from within and offer higher salaries to keep hold of your top performers.

Work Perks

You might not be able to match the wages that the command elsewhere but you can offer a range of benefits to staying with your company. This might include flexible working, employee discounts, benefits, gym membership, and various other perks.

Employee Awards

Nobody wants to stay in a job where they do not feel valued, especially if they are a top performer. It is for this reason why you must recognize and celebrate their hard work, and one excellent way to do this is with employee awards ceremonies. You can have engraved/glass awards produced and hand these out in a fun social event which can recognize hard work as well as bring the team closer together.

Challenge Them

Those that perform best in the workplace are the ones that are smart, driven, and ambitious. This means that you need to keep them challenged so that they do not get bored with their role. In addition to progression opportunities, you can also do this with new projects, setting them targets, giving them under-performers to mentor and any new task to keep them engaged. In addition to keeping them motivated and interested, this can lighten your own workload and help the company to succeed.

Keeping hold of your top performers is something that most business owners have to worry about particular if they are a smaller company that cannot offer huge salaries. Although it is hard to compete with larger salaries, there are strategies that you can use to retain your top performers with the above being a few of the more effective methods to try.

Ensure Your Team Works Well Together

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Working as a Team|Ensure Your Team Works Well TogetherIf you are leading any kind of business, you need to be fully aware of the ways in which teams work, and make sure that those you are looking after are working together as best as they can. There are a lot of issues that might get in the way of a team working harmoniously, and it’s something that you are going to need to be aware of if you want your business to succeed in general. As long as the team is working as a unit, the work will be done much more effectively, and your business will benefit greatly from that. Let’s take a look at some of the things you might want to do to ensure that your teams are all working as well as they could be.

Lead Them Strongly

A good team requires a strong leader, so this is the first thing to make sure of if you are looking for your teams to work as well as possible together. If you feel that you have what it takes to be a strong leader, then you just need to work on the specific skills that will make you one. That will mean that you need to develop a general sense of confidence and magnetism, so that people will tend to follow you and appreciate what you say. You also have to have the required knowledge for the kind of work that you are expecting your team to carry out, so you can actually help them to do so with a great deal of understanding. A good leader is not afraid to get down and dirty in the work, but also knows how and when to delegate. It’s also vital that you can approach a basic reward and punishment scheme so that your employees know what you expect of them. As long as you can lead your teams strongly, you will know that you are probably getting the most out of them.

Share The Work

Nobody should feel as though they are carrying the weight of the team on their own shoulders. If anyone does feel this way, it certainly means that something has gone wrong somewhere, and as such you will need to find a way to make it fairer again. You need to make sure that you are sharing the work out amongst the people in the team as fairly as possible, paying special attention to anyone who might have particular skills and so on along the way. By sharing the work in this way, everyone will feel that they are treated equally, and you will be able to ensure that your team is working as well as it should. But how can you make sure that you are actually getting this right?

StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Working as a Team|Ensure Your Team Works Well TogetherTo begin with, you should look into finding a way to plan shifts out easily and fairly. If you are struggling to plan out shifts, then it can easily mean that you are going to struggle to keep it fair, as it is hard to keep track of what is going on. That’s why something like Deputy’s shift planning app can be a great boost to a team, because it means that you can easily allocate shifts in a way which is fair and open to all, and that you can even allow team members to simply switch shifts amongst themselves if they need to. Not only does that make life easier for them in general, but it ensures that the work is being shared.

It’s not just about shifts, of course. You also need to make sure that the actual workload is being shared equally. The only way to really make sure of that is to find some way to quantify the work, and then you can just look at the basic arithmetic of it. Then if anyone has a complaint, you can go through it together mathematically and see what is going on with the workload. This is important for people to feel that they are being treated fairly.

Be Personable

Teams always work together much better if they are actually friends with each other, or at least can be civil in a basic way that you would expect in an adult workplace. For this reason, it’s good for you to set the example by always be sociable and personable with the people in your teams. That will set the trend, and hopefully people will get to know each other and then be able to work together much better for it. You might even help this process along by trying to organize a few social events with your work colleagues. That can make a huge difference to how well the teams work together.

8 Reasons Why You Should Recruit Recent College Graduates

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |College Graduates|8 Reasons Why You Should Recruit Recent College GraduatesMost companies wrongly believe that they should recruit experienced candidates only. But the truth is that a talented college graduate can become a better employee, than an applicant with ten years’ experience.

If you doubt whether recent graduate can benefit your company, read this article. Here are eight reasons, which prove that if you hire a young, ambitious candidate, you will make the right choice.

Cheap labor force

Let’s be frank. A recent college graduate doesn’t expect to get as high salary as a professional with 20 years of experience under its belt. So if your company operate on a tight budget, don’t hesitate to hire a graduate. It will save you lots of money.

The truth is that new graduates deal with a Catch-22 situation. To get a job, they need experience. And to gain at least some experience, they need to land a job. And it’s very challenging for an inexperienced applicant to break this circle.

So it’s not a surprise that some recent college graduates are ready to work almost for free. They are interested in gaining experience more than earning money. Why don’t you take advantage of it?

Benefits and perks

If you run a small business, it’s highly likely that you can’t offer such benefits as health insurance and retirement plan to your employees. But it’s not a big deal when it comes to recruiting recent graduates. Graduates will not decline your offer just because you can’t pay for dental insurance and vision care.

The trick is that most young professionals have no concerns regarding their health and retirement. If you want to win their attention, you can offer such small bonuses such as free coffee and cookies.

But keep in mind that you should always be open and honest with the applicants. Don’t try to trick the naïve college graduates. If you don’t provide insurance or other perks, just state it clearly.

Ambitious

Recent graduates are ambitious and dedicated to work. And they tend to set high career goals. They are ready to work really hard to get promoted.

As a rule, young people don’t mind to stay at the office after 6 p.m. or work on weekends. They clearly understand that their theoretical knowledge is not enough to build an outstanding career.

So they work as hard as they can to gain more experience and to present their talents in the most favorable light. They dream of being noticed.

So if you are looking for a dedicated, hardworking employee, you know what to do. Hire a recent college graduate and provide him with opportunities to gain more experience.

Learn fast

Naturally, young graduates are the most effective learners. They are able to absorb new knowledge and master new skills much faster than others.

So if you are going to implement a new training program, or incorporate new sophisticated software, you need graduates in your team. They will learn everything fast and then will pass knowledge to other team members.

Does your company operate in the industry, where it’s crucial to apply innovative solutions as soon as they appear in the market? If yes, then it’s crucially important to invite new graduates to your team. They will help your current employees to adapt to a new system.

Business trips

Are you looking for an employee, who will be able to travel a lot? You can look no further than recent graduates. As a rule, they have no kids and no family. So they are not attached to the place.

If you need someone who will never complain about having ten business trips a month, hire a graduate. You can be sure that it will be the right choice.

As you know, most young people like to travel, so they will be happy to accept your job offer. However, you should never hide information about the frequency of business trips. Also, you should be ready to answer all the questions related to travel expenses.

Educate new leaders

Most corporations like to hire recent college graduates. They also offer plenty of internship programs. Do you know why?
Big companies don’t want to attract leaders from the outside. They prefer to grow their own leaders who know the company from the inside. They need someone who will not break the existing corporate culture but keep developing it.

If you want to achieve success in the long run, you should also try to grow leadership from within your company. To hit this goal, you should recruit recent college graduates and do the following:

  • Empower new employees through mentorship
  • Delegate as many tasks as possible
  • Be patient and don’t set too high expectations. A new employee will not turn to be a perfect leader overnight
    Grab the talents

A successful company is always about the right set of employees. The more talents you have in your team, the more likely your business will be profitable in the long run.

An effective talent acquisition strategy is a must in the following situations:

  • Your company operates in the following sectors: technologies, medicine, or financial management
  • Your company faces intense competition
  • Your company is growing fast

It’s important to understand that an applicant shouldn’t be experienced to be talented. If you believe that a young graduate has great potential, recruit him without having any doubts. Otherwise, your competitors will do it instead of you.
As you know, there is always a lack of true talents. So if you miss an opportunity to hire a brilliant college student today, you will regret that later.

Creativity

College graduates are able to take a new look at old problems, which exist in your company. They can help you to find a brand new solution and optimize major business processes.

The point is that inexperienced employees tend to see everything from another angle. They are curious about everything that is happening in the company.

Graduates are like superheroes. They have a super ability to spot the issues, which you haven’t been noticing for years.

Life experience

Also, you shouldn’t forget one important thing. If a college graduate doesn’t have work experience, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have experience at all.

Let’s say your company is looking for a content marketer. One of the applicants is 23 years old girl Jessica. She has just graduated from college. Consequently, she has no working experience.

However, it’s known that she was a volunteer at found raising organization where she was responsible for managing social media accounts. Also, she had a freelance job – she was a moderator at college essay editing service reviews website.

Well, these skills and experience are not enough for taking a management job. But if you want to add “new blood” to your marketing team, Jessica will be a perfect fit.

Wrapping it up

As you can see, it’s not a bad idea to recruit college graduates. If you choose the right candidates, they will help you to take your company to the next level.

Don’t hesitate to invite young professionals to your team. Provide them with the opportunity of career growth and they will move your business up.

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor | Daniela McVickerDaniela McVicker is a freelance writer, blogger, and a contributor to RatedByStudents. She graduated from Durham University and has an MA in psychological science. Her passion is traveling and finding ways to enrich students’ learning experience.

Why You Need to Boost Productivity in Your Office

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Productivity|Why You Need to Boost Productivity in Your OfficeWhen you run a business, there’s a lot that you need to think about. You might start your day with a massive to-do list, that only seems to get longer as the day goes on and more problems are brought to your attention. Every time you cross one thing off the list, two more jobs might get added. You might have to spend time dealing with customers and suppliers, as well as keeping your team members happy and coming up with new ideas. Your days are busy, and it can feel as though there is no time to take anything else on.

On these occasions, finding ways to boost productivity might not seem like a priority. But it’s usually one of the very best things that you do. Believe it or not, increasing your own productivity, as well as the productivity of your team on the whole, using an online data room and other tools, can help you to deal with all of those other issues, and simplify your days. Let’s take a look at just some of the reasons why you should commit to boosting productivity.

To Get More Done in Less Time

Getting more done in less time is something that many of us dream about. It would both give us more free time, letting us take more time off to do the things that we love, and allow us to spend our time on more creative enterprises and finding ways to improve and grow our business. If you had to spend less time on menial tasks, you would be free to spend more time doing the things that you enjoy, or more creative pursuits that only you can do.

Being more productive is the answer. If your whole office were more productive, everyone would get more done, with less time wasted and spent unfocused. Everyone could work shorter days, take longer breaks and spend more time doing the things that push your business forward. Get more done in less time, and you’ll also have the chance to earn more money.

To Keep Your Staff Happy

Staff morale and productivity go hand in hand. If morale is low, and your staff are unhappy, they won’t be able to work productively. They’ll be unfocused, they’ll waste time and procrastinate, and their work will be poor. Each task will take longer than it should.

But, equally, a team that works productively will be happier. If they’ve got more time, and they feel as though they are working well, getting a lot done and making the most of their time, their mood will be improved. This can rub off on the rest of the team.

StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Productivity|Why You Need to Boost Productivity in Your OfficeTo Reduce Mistakes

Working more productively can also mean that fewer mistakes are made, which again, will increase productivity further as less time is spent redoing things and correcting errors.

A productive team that is happy, motivated and focused will make fewer mistakes. They won’t be flustered or confused. They’ll feel positive and confident. They won’t doubt themselves, and they’ll be happy to ask for help or guidance if they need it.

To Streamline Processes

These are another two that work hand in hand. If your office systems are streamlined and easy, your staff will be able to follow them easily, making fewer mistakes and working well. Thus, boosting productivity.

But, a productive office that makes fewer mistakes and is less flustered will be able to streamline their own work. They’ll be able to find better ways to do things, to cut unnecessary tasks and to find their own ways to work, which suit their style. Give your staff the freedom to work their way and productivity will be boosted.

To Improve Quality

A productive workforce that makes fewer mistakes and is confident in their own abilities will do quality work. The standard of work will improve, and your customers will be able to tell the difference.

So, we can see that boosting productivity is a must, but how are you going to do it? Well, a few techniques that you could try include letting your staff take regular breaks and allowing them to work more flexible hours. Keeping your workspace bright and open and operating an open door policy. Being an understanding boss, who your staff are happy to come to and confide in, will also be a big help. Other things that you could do include removing negativity from the office, increasing natural light, adding plants and other colors and simplifying systems, so that peoples jobs are as easy as possible. Really, you need to try things out, to see what productivity-boosting ideas work best for your company and your team.

How to hire the best talent

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Recruiting Talent|How to hire the best talentMost business leaders understand they need great people working for them to make their business a success. People are an organisations most valuable asset. Build a workplace where people are valued and you have a much greater chance of attracting talent.

In the current economic climate, if you want to hire the best talent you also have to understand these four things.

  • It’s an employees’ market
  • Salary isn’t the only thing employees care about
  • It’s hard to hire great people
  • The B word (Brexit)

So why do these things matter in the world of recruitment? Let’s take a closer look.

It’s an employees’ market

Unemployment is at an all-time low, which means today’s job market is tough …. for employers! Successful recruitment isn’t easy at the best of times, but with record levels of employment, the search for talent and retention are a huge challenge for businesses large and small.

So, what can businesses do to entice people who are already settled in another job? Well “If the mountain will not come to Muhammed, then Muhammad must go to the mountain”!

Businesses looking for talent can no longer rely on job boards to attract people (these forums only reach those actively seeking jobs). Businesses must understand they need to connect with passive job-seekers. Businesses need to begin by broadening their search. Using social media marketing and LinkedIn to publicise opportunities is a good place to start.

Ultimately, it’s about improving online branding to publicise the fact that you are a great employer (Glassdoor reviews matter). Old-school recruitment methods just don’t work in the current business climate.

It’s now critical that businesses adopt more modern recruitment strategies. Study your competitors so you can figure out what makes you different. You want to be able to tell prospective employees why they should work for you.

Salary isn’t everything

A report by The Psychology of Business on what people really want from their job says that culture is the new salary. While the report refers to American businesses, this shift in company culture appeal also applies to the UK. Business culture in the UK is an important currency for prospective recruits.

According to the Government’s business statistics there were 5.7 million SMEs in the UK in 2018, which accounted for over 99 per cent of all businesses. This is an important fact to consider when it comes to recruitment because most organisations competing for talent are small businesses that don’t have big budgets for large salaries. It’s where culture comes in.

For start-ups and small businesses, talent is an incredibly important asset. Culture is the answer as to how smaller businesses can compete for top talent. A report on workplace culture by LinkedIn says 71 per cent of individuals would consider taking a pay cut to work at a company whose mission and values align with their own. Professionals today just won’t work for leading companies if they have a bad workplace culture.

But what is a good culture? It certainly isn’t bean bags and bowls of fruit. Positive culture is all about giving employees a sense of purpose, providing opportunities for growth, supporting people but holding them accountable, offering flexibility, fostering trust, acknowledging achievements, showing appreciation and more. It takes effort and investment.

However, culture alone won’t cut it. People need to be able to live with financial security. Poor pay is a problem and a fair salary is still important. Small business expert Gene Marks reflects on why SMEs are struggling to find good people. The solution he says is simple – “we just aren’t paying enough.

“Some say that small businesses can’t afford to pay their employees more. I’m not so sure about that. I have clients that insist on paying low hourly wages to warehouse workers and below-market salaries to administrative and support professionals because that’s what they’ve been used to doing for the past decade. These clients are profitable and have the money to pay more. But they don’t.”
Salary isn’t everything, but it needs to be competitive and fair.

Talent scarcity

A recent survey by global business consultancy PwC, found that 72 per cent of CEOs are worried about the availability of key skills, stating that it’s not a lack of people that is the problem, but a lack of people with the RIGHT skills and abilities.

Millennials will soon make up over 50 per cent of the global workforce. They put training at the top of their list when starting a new job or evaluating an existing employer. SMEs have to acknowledge this fact. For the SME, training staff is critical. Millennials want to be in learning cultures. The SMEs grasping this fact will ultimately gain from growing their talent from within.

Brexit and recruitment

Brexit uncertainty has, according to James Stewart of KPMG, “been sapping business confidence for months, and now it is causing the jobs market to grind to a halt. With unclear trading conditions ahead, many companies have decided to hit the pause button on new hires.”

As a result, there has been a sharp increase in the use of temps and contract workers, with businesses choosing temporary recruitment solutions rather than taking on permanent employees until the Brexit dust has settled.

There is a fear amongst businesses around recruitment, particularly in sectors where there is a reliance on EU workers. When (if?) we eventually leave the EU, skill scarcity could potentially be exacerbated once free movement comes to an end.

So how can businesses mitigate against the effects of Brexit?

Aviation recruitment specialist, Ryan Abbott, advises on the UK skills shortage “In a globally connected world where students are bombarded with choices, we need to shout louder to reach potential talent who are unaware of what our industries can offer. Business leaders and recruiters can partner with colleges and schools to directly engage with students and show them the variety of successful careers open to them across UK industries.”

UK businesses need to widen their search and open their eyes to new ways of attracting talent into their organisations, as well as invest more in training from within.