The term ‘Employer of Choice’ seems to be associated these days with big businesses, who have access to huge hiring budgets, the best employee programs and seemingly endless resources to throw around, but it really doesn’t have to be that complex or challenging.
Being an ‘employer of choice’ simply means becoming an employer who potential and existing employees want to work for, over and above others in the same marketplace, industry or geographic region. It can be as simple or challenging in a small regional community as it can be in a major city, or within an online and global business community.
Positioning your business as an employer of choice is not necessarily easy, and it’s certainly not a quick fix. It is something that requires a consistent and concerted effort, and above all else follow through. The messages you send to your potential and existing employees MUST be followed through by appropriate action, otherwise you face being exposed as a ‘fake’ and as dishonest, which will purely damage any future attempts to attract great people.
To be an employer of choice, in my opinion, there are several key things that play a part in the employees’ minds:
- A recognisable brand – One which is linked to values which are shared by the employees in the marketplace. If a potential employee has never heard of you, they aren’t likely to consider you as their top preference for work. At the same time, if a potential employee knows your brand, but immediately associates it with values, behaviours or ethics that are dissimilar to their own, they again will not see you as an employer of choice. Of course you can’t please all people, but you want to attract employees with similar values and ethics to your own organisation for longer term success and better retention rates, so it’s imperative that the messages you send through the marketplace are truly reflective of your actual values and behaviours, to ensure you attract the right ‘fit’ of employee for your business.
- Honesty and integrity – Treat everyone with the appropriate respect and professionalism that you would expect in return. Particularly in smaller communities and niche job markets, applicants are often socially connected on or offline, and the rumour mills can be powerful. Most people will accept one negative comment before completely wiping your brand off as someone they wouldn’t want to work for, but if they have heard several, or consistent messages through their networks, you will lose your chances of attracting this pool of talent.
- Reward great things, but not mediocrity – Great staff want to work for the best, and if you are creating a culture of excellence in your field by rewarding great things, you will have a much higher chance of attracting top quality talent at all levels.
- Provide opportunities – This doesn’t have to mean ‘climbing a ladder’ but it can be opportunities to cross-skill, develop in new areas, have autonomy, be creative, learn new things, or step up to higher responsibility.
- Create a community – These days people invest a lot into their careers, spend more time than ever at work, and are passionate about what they do, how they do it, and who they are associated with. Creating a strong community in your workplace, which is inclusive, positive and supportive, will provide a sense of belonging that will attract and retain the right people long term.
Ultimately those of us in small business will never be an employer of choice for all people, but you must know your ‘target market’, what is important to them, and make sure you offer it and follow through on delivering it. If you don’t understand what sort of people you are trying to attract, it’s difficult to position yourselves as an employer of choice in their mind.
