It’s very important for employers to keep their ears to the ground and understand what their own talent and talent in the market are looking for. Often, the difference between keeping your employees and being able to hire on new talent versus losing your employees and not attracting any new talent is only a matter of knowing what today’s talent want. And in many cases, what employers think they know compared to the actual is very different.
Below are some insights into what talent is looking for to stay with their current employers or when it comes to finding a new employer.
1) Workplace Transparency
Transparency in the workplace takes many forms and it’s important the employers do not withhold anything from their teams because people become insecure when they are left in the dark and the trickle-down effect can hinder the organization’s overall performance. Transparency means being authentic, open, honest, following through with promises made, sharing ideas and decisions from top down and bottom up, admitting to mistakes and failures, recognizing achievements, and more.
2) Having a Voice and Being Heard
Employees not only want to be heard, but also have their ideas and feedback taken seriously. The top-down approach and not listening to those in the front-line and in the trenches is causing talent to become disengaged with their work. More regular two-way communication between management / leadership and the employees must happen than just in a quarterly, semi-annually, or annual basis. Following through after discussions, acting, and feedback is important to make your talent feel valued.
3) Culture of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has gained more and more traction in recent years as people are looking for employers who aren’t just saying it but is fostering a culture that embodies it all. With Canada being one of the more diverse countries in the world, talent everywhere is searching for an organization where they feel like they belong.
4)Fair and equal wages
Nobody wants to be taken advantage of and are looking to be treated fairly and equally. By offering fair and equal wages, looking at what the market is offering will highly reduce the need for employees to keep seeking higher compensation, when the compensation they’re getting is already inline with what other organizations may offer as well.
5) Employee Empowerment
Employees are at their best when they feel like they are trusted by management / leadership, and they have the support when making decisions. When employees work in fear of making decisions on their own, it is because there is no support and often there are consequences if certain decisions end up with bad results. Prioritizing trust and removing the fear of failure are the first steps of empowering your employees.
6) Flexibility
Flexibility takes many forms and it’s the notion that there is flexibility is what employees are looking for. This could include a hybrid work model, flexible work hours, compressed work week, paid and unpaid time off, job sharing, accommodating to everyone’s needs and work styles, different methods of communication, different work schedules, and more.
7) Great Leadership
Every successful team has strong leadership to guide them. With strong leadership at the helm of an organization, they can tap into the talent of their team and bring out the best in every member. Great leaders will ensure that no one is left behind and every voice has been heard. They are also able to take the collective talent and makes the best out of it to achieve the greater goal as a group.
8) Career Development
Employees are not just living in the present, but they are also on a constant lookout for their future. If they cannot see a future with their employer, or the future that is waiting for them is nothing more than what they see today, there is nothing that motivates them to keep going. It is important to keep in mind career growth paths and succession planning and to include your talent in these talks so that they know what the future has in store for them with the organization.
9) Benefits and Wellness Support
Benefits and support of their well-being has become much more important than ever before. When the pandemic turned the world upside instantly overnight, employees’ stress levels from their personal and work life skyrocketed and it has taken organizations a long time to react and address those issues. Nowadays, employees need their employers’ support not only in a professional and work environment, but also an organization that cares about their personal well-being and their personal lives.
10) Employer Branding
Employees want to be proud of the company that they work for such that they would be open and willing to share their experience with their peers and bring enthusiasm to the workplace each day. Their employer is apart of their own personal branding and those who can align with their employers will often be a walking advertisement for the organization as they tend to be more loyal and prouder to opening speak positively about them. The opposite will also occur if the employee is not proud about the organization that they’re with.
Nowadays, not losing talent from your team and bringing onboard new talent is just as important to stay on the winning side on the war for talent. By understanding what talent is looking for and addressing some or all the above will surely put any organization in a better position to win more talent for their teams.
Contact Us today to speak with one of our Recruitment Specialists and let us help you build your team with stronger talent!
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