Meeting Topic
How to Position Yourself As An ‘Employer of Choice’ By Carole Bates
INTRODUCTION TO MEETING TOPIC:
As you prepare for your upcoming meeting, consider how YOU can become an ‘employer of choice’ in your marketplace. You may think this article isn’t relevant for you, however, when it comes time to hire your next employee or contractor OR as you seek out productive strategic alliances with companies who may wish to use YOU as an outsourcer or contractor, making your business one that stands out will benefit everyone involved!
Consider address the following concepts in your 60-second introduction:
- Are you clear on what someone would WANT if they came to work for you?
- Are you sharing relevant stories about your values and culture on your social channels?
How to Position Yourself As An ‘Employer of Choice’ By Carole Bates
My first experience of recruiting in an extremely competitive recruitment environment was as an HR Manager in a mid-sized chartered accounting practice in the 1990’s. We had to work very hard to compete with large multi-national firms to attract the top accounting graduates each year. I still use the lessons I learned in those days in my consulting work with small businesses and I’ve learned a few more tricks along the way. I’d like to share my experience, but first let’s look at why it’s important for you to consider becoming an employer of choice.
Competing for talent
I’ve been told that around 75% of Venus members are solopreneurs or micro-business owners (myself included), so you may think this article isn’t relevant for you. However, making your business one that people choose to work for will benefit all companies that rely on others to provide labour, whether that’s through collaborations, outsourcing, contracting or employment. We all know that New Zealand is experiencing a tight labour market. According to MBIE, the unemployment rate for the June quarter 2022 was 3.3%, “a near record low”, so competition for labour is fierce. Even if that situation changes, being an employer of choice puts you in a position to attract the best people. So, how do you get started?
The journey for small businesses
It’s easy to research “employer of choice” and learn about large organisations with deep pockets that can provide an array of benefits to keep people happy. For example, Google has a strong reputation for being a great place to work, with benefits including free food, transport to work, wellbeing programmes, fitness centres, etc. You may think that there’s no way a small business can compete but being an employer of choice is more than just providing perks and it doesn’t have to be expensive. For a small business, I would recommend working through three key steps:
- Understand what your workers want
Who is providing labour for your business and what do they want in return for their work? It’s important to be clear about this so you can prioritise the time and money you invest in becoming an employer of choice. If you’re not sure, ask your current team or find out what your competitors are doing. A good source of information online is the SEEK database for employers.
In the current recruitment market in New Zealand, the number one priority for candidates I talk to is flexibility. People also want job security, competitive remuneration, opportunities to learn and a good company culture. Your company culture is connected to your vision and values and the leadership you provide for the business. Here are a couple of examples of the attributes of a “good” culture:
- A “culture of care” is defined by com as one where:
- leaders show employees they’re valued
- employees care for each other and for clients
- the entire organization cares that their shared vision is realized
According to the Barrett Values Centre, the values of a strong, cohesive culture are:
- building internal community
- shared vision and values
- honesty, fairness and trust
- leading by example
- openness and clarity
- meaning and purpose
- humour and fun
- Create a great place to work
Once you’re clear about what a “great place to work” would look like for your current and prospective workers, think about what needs to change in your business to deliver an experience that meets or exceeds their expectations and is in line with your vision and values. If you can’t meet all the expectations on your workers’ wish-list, focus on maximising the benefits that your business can offer. For example, a not-for-profit may not be able to afford a top salary but if the work is really meaningful and gives people a sense of purpose, remuneration may be less of a priority. Think about creating an environment that gives your people authentic, positive work stories to tell.
- Get the word out
The final step in becoming an employer of choice is promoting your business as a great place to work (your employment brand). Put yourself in the shoes of a prospective worker who sees your ad on SEEK. If they research your business, will they find out what it’s like to work for you? What kind of marketing will appeal to the people you want to attract? Are you posting relevant content on the social media platforms they look at? What does your website tell people about the employee experience? It’s important to proactively market your employment brand to enable the people you want to attract to get a feel for whether they would be a good fit for your team. If you engage your existing team to share appropriate content with their social media networks, it helps to support the authenticity of your message.
After you’ve worked through this process, you should be well on the way to your business becoming a talent magnet and research shows that this creates financial benefits.
Tangible benefits
Employers of choice spend less on recruiting. Studies show that the time and costs spent on hiring drop when you have a great reputation as an employer, not only because people are aware of your employment brand, but also because your existing team becomes a powerful referral network. In addition, your focus on creating a great place to work is likely to result in a happier, more motivated workforce which in turn will lead to reduced staff turnover and improved productivity.
Summing up
In today’s competitive recruitment environment being an employer of choice is more of a necessity than a “nice to have” if you don’t want to face ongoing labour shortages. Your efforts in making your business more attractive will pay off in more ways than one, with multiple benefits resulting from a company culture that provides a great employee experience.
If you’d like to find out more about how Carole helps her clients, visit her website: https://www.peoplekind.co.nz/
Next Meeting Topic
INTRODUCTION for meeting topic:
When we hire people, whether they are contractors or employees, how we show up, communicate and operate is crucial, and what we focus on, needs to change. Remember that your every word and action is analysed as people look to you for the standard of what ‘good’ looks like. It is up to you then to role model the behaviours you would like to see in your team.
As a business leader you interact with suppliers, partners, contractors, employees and clients on a daily basis. How you show up, how you behave and the impact you have is what determines the culture you have within your business.
As you prepare for your meeting, read the article below and consider addressing one of the following in your 60-second introduction:
- How do you make every interaction count?
- Do you feel you ‘walk your talk’ every day?
- How do you ‘own your quirk and make it work?
Create a Great Work Culture by Starting With YOU By Lauren Pearson
When we hire people, whether they are contractors or employees, how we show up, communicate and operate is crucial, and what we focus on, needs to change. Remember that your every word and action is analysed as people look to you for the standard of what ‘good’ looks like. It is up to you then to role model the behaviours you would like to see in your team.
As Idowu Koyenikan said, “The type of person you are is usually reflected in your business. To improve your business, first improve yourself!’
Whether you lead 0 people or an organisation of 10,000, your role as the founder/leader of the business determines the culture of the organisation. It is not the number of benefits available – don’t get me wrong, having massages at work and table tennis set up is great, but that is not what builds a culture. What builds a culture are the micro moments (meetings, conversations, phone calls) that you have in your eco-system, and how these leave the other person feeling. These micro moments are all about your values in action. This is truly not about what you are saying but how you behave and the impact on other people.
As a business leader, you interact with suppliers, partners, contractors, employees, and clients on a daily basis. How you show up, how you behave, and the impact you have is what determines the culture you have within your business.
Here are 5 areas of focus for founders/owners and business leaders, with the common theme being about how you lead yourself and how you decide to ‘show up’ in every interaction and in every decision. You can’t grow your business and deliver true value without building deep relationships and showing people that you care about them and what is important to them. Critically, understanding the other person’s motivations, interests, and needs starts to build authentic and trusting business relationships.
Build Trust and Establish Credibility
Treating every project or engagement as your own will help you to establish trust and credibility. This is down to the language you use, and it is down to being able to introduce clients to another supplier if they are a better fit. The client must feel that they can trust you to do what is best for them. This means putting the client first. Even though it might cost you in the short term, this will pay dividends in the long run.
Make Every Interaction Count
Every interaction is an opportunity to create a fan of your business. Word of mouth referrals are a powerful source of leads, and if you have a positive impact on every person who interacts with your business, they join your informal marketing team.
Relationship First, Transaction Last
When you meet a warm lead, approach that conversation with the consideration of what your business can do to serve that person or how can you help solve a problem builds deeper, more lasting relationships instead of ‘what’s in it for me’? This requires you to get to know them, find out what is important to them, ask about what they do outside of work, what interests they have and what problems they are grappling with. This takes time to build authentically, so be patient.
Walk your Talk
Staying true to your values as a business owner (both personal and professional values), means that you need to make the right decisions for the right reasons. This may mean choosing to no longer work with a client if there is a misalignment of values. It may mean being willing to hire different people into your business and to farewell people who are not aligned to your business any longer. This can be costly both in terms of money and in terms of time and personal stress. The right decision for the business remains the right decision.
Own your Quirk and Make it Work
People buy from people they like. We are not everyone’s cup of tea, and that is ok. We cannot be who we are not. There is no choice but to show up as the best of who we are. This means owning your quirk and making it work for you. Successful people are often those who embrace that part of themselves that makes them unique – think Jermain Clement, Taika Waititi, Dame Denise L’Estrange-Corbet and Francis Hooper, for example
Having an abundance mindset, where you know that there is enough work for us all – that we will find our tribe and serve the clients we need to serve – will ensure that our approach is built on generosity of spirit and strong partnerships. If you are a real estate agent, promote painters and builders. If you run a wine shop, promote the deli down the road. Find businesses you love, get to know them and figure out how to promote each other’s products or services. This is a win/win and leads to multiple successes.
Lastly, when entering into a conversation with a new connection, find common ground first. Determine which connections, knowledge, or skills will serve the person in-front of you. Approaching these conversations with generosity leaves a lasting impression and says a lot about the culture you have within your business. Then, follow through with your commitments to build trust, which is the foundation for all great interactions.
If you’d like to know more about how Lauren helps her clients, check out her website: https://www.cultofmonday.com
