3 Ways to Attract Top Talent to Your Team

If you’ve talked with anyone who’s in the business of hiring top talent, you’ve heard that “it’s just hard to find good team members these days!” It is. In a recent survey of senior executives conducted by Gartner, 63% of respondents indicated that a talent shortage was a key concern for their organization.

While finding good talent is a hurdle, retaining your top performers is even more difficult. Follow the three Bs in this article to keep your top team members engaged and enthusiastic about their work for years to come!

Before You Can Hire, You Need to Pique Desire

While improved interviewing systems and HR processes can streamline your hiring, they can’t guarantee that you’ll get the best candidates for your team. That’s why you need a healthy workplace culture that converts your existing employees into brand ambassadors.

You also need to celebrate your amazing team and culture on your website, social media, and in real life.

• Make sure that at least one-third of your social media posts are about your team; candid photos are better than posed.
• Dedicate a page on your website to your organization’s culture.
• Photos, photos, photos! Words are lovely, but pictures speak volumes.
• Don’t forget about video. Seeing the way your team interacts with each other is such a valuable resource for recruiting.
• In your initial interviews, talk about your workplace culture and what makes your organization stand out.
• Do things that give your employees something to brag about on social media: volunteer together, share meals, and bring your dogs to work.
• Use language on your website and in your communications that reflects your culture.

These steps will help attract employees that embrace your values and work ethic. They should also be simple to implement if you’re being honest in your communications and are really dedicated to your workplace culture.

Practice What You Preach

Everyone, not just your leadership team, should buy into and support your culture. That means setting clear expectations, consistently enforcing your rules, and carefully considering culture fit for every new hire. One bad apple can impact an entire department, so it’s something you must take seriously.

However, if everyone in your organization knows your expectations for living out your cultural mission, it will be simple to enforce standards and uphold them in your daily work.

The First B: Balance

Many workplaces shout “flexible schedules” from the rooftops. But giving your team flex time to go to an occasional doctor’s appointment or work from home one day a month isn’t the kind of balance we’re talking about here. Work-life balance comes in different shapes and sizes for every employee, and you can’t put it into a nice, little rule box.

That’s the point of offering true balance, which only comes with hard work and dedication. At LaFleur, we offer flexible schedules, work-from-anywhere options, and unlimited vacation time. These foundational benefits aren’t earned; they vest the minute you become a team member here.

We’ve found that people who feel respected and are treated as adults who can manage their workload and personal schedule will work harder for your organization.

When I tell other business leaders that we offer unlimited vacation time at LaFleur, I almost always get this response, “Must be nice! So, you can take a whole month off if you want to?” Sure, I could. But our average team member takes about 14 vacation days per year.

It works because we have a communicated expectation that time off is taken when you are caught up and covered. Our team consists of people who respect one another so much that they wouldn’t set sail for the islands and leave their team members with a steaming pile of hot garbage. Our approach to balance works because our hard-working team members take pride in their work and respect one another’s time and talents enough to work together.

The Second B: Belonging

Since we spend so much time with our coworkers, it’s important that we feel a sense of belonging at work. It’s great to have a friend at work, but it’s more valuable to have a tribe.

Introvert, extrovert, or intextrovert, everyone wants to find a place to truly belong. When you work hard to develop a workplace culture where individuals are valued for their unique gifts and talents, you will innately create a place where your team members genuinely like each other.

A top performing team member who feels connected to their coworkers will stay with your organization longer than one who feels isolated.

Encourage your team to spend time together both inside and outside of the office. Give them a chance to talk about their hobbies, their weekend plans, and their families. Throw pity parties for team members going through a tough time. Celebrate new milestones together. These are the things your team will talk to their friends and family about when they go home at night, and it’s what will keep them coming back, ready to work hard for your organization every day.

The Final B: Breakfast

Any daily meal, really. It’s amazing what covering your team members’ essential needs can do for your productivity and culture. By supplying healthy snacks, simple-to-prepare lunch items, and bringing in the occasional box of donuts, you’re letting your team know you care about them.

You care so much that you don’t want them to have the stress of packing a lunch before they head out the door. Or even the stress of having to buy a box of granola bars to cover their breakfast needs for the week. It’s small, but the impact is big. When I surveyed our team last year for an article on work-life balance, “the food” made it into the top 10 list of things our crew loves about LaFleur.

A team that eats together completes together. Through our bellies, we find wellbeing and energy to take on client work, conjure up new ideas, and focus on the next big thing!  So, give your team the comfort of knowing that you’ve got their back when their stomach starts rumbling.

Related Articles: Building a Better Workplace: LaFleur Takes Work-Life Balance Seriously Serious

Top Talent is Yours to Lose

If your organization is dedicated to making your place the place to work, you need to take your workplace culture seriously. Each hire should believe in your cultural mission and live it out every day. Through a carefully curated team of stellar individuals, your organization will soar to new heights together!

LaFleur: Creating a Better Workplace (and Brilliant Digital Marketing)

To learn more about our approach to workplace culture, or to speak with us about digital marketing, contact LaFleur today. Call us at (888) 222-1512 or complete our online form. We’re passionate about the work we do and the people we work with and for. We look forward to starting the conversation.

References

Gartner survey shows global talent shortage is now the top emerging risk facing organizations (2019, January 17). Gartner. Retrieved from https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2019-01-17-gartner-survey-shows-global-talent-shortage-is-now-the-top-emerging-risk-facing-organizations