Member Article

Recruit and retain the right candidates

The recruitment process can be long and laborious, with companies sometimes compromising on who they hire due to the lack of choice.

When a job is advertised there isn’t always a flurry of intelligent and competent candidates banging down the door with a resume in hand. This can be for many reasons including location, lack of experience or skills not relevant to a role. However, what is becoming apparent is that employees are being more selective before applying as there is an expectation for superior company benefits.

Many will cite that what they want is to be appreciated, and ultimately wish for job satisfaction, but achieving this through salary and a work-based pension are actually no longer enough for many candidates.

So what should companies be doing to ensure they are attracting the best people to create the finest workforce?

Employers must understand that career advancement in a company might be desirable, however, they need to draw in and retain these staff in the first place.

If you are a business outside of a large city, pulling candidates away from their current companies can be tricky. Look at offices such as Google - they offer kooky and funky talking points in their facilities such as a slide that employees can opt to take instead of the stairs.

Although not every business is best suited for an installation of a helter-skelter, more companies are offering unusual methods to engage with and enrich the lives of staff. Understanding what employees want and then going above and beyond their expectations is the way forward.

In a world where people never seem to have enough time, many companies are offering more flexible working hours, but from forward thinking-businesses they are beginning to offer additional services to simplify the lives of their employees, to create a better work life balance.

This can be done in several ways. Some companies are beginning to bring in services and supply them free, or at a heavily subsidised rate, to their staff. Popular choices include wellness checks, massages, and yoga classes to assist with positive mental health and reduce sick leave. Other benefits have included free giveaways of goods, clothes alteration services, car valets and ordering services – so the weekends and evenings don’t have to be filled with mundane jobs.

Additionally, some businesses are hosting monthly staff discos, gift fairs and an array of unusual rewards to engage with their teams, help improve productivity and show that everyone is truly appreciated and compensated for their hard work and commitment.

So, if you are wanting to recruit the best, the key in today’s marketplace is to exceed the candidate’s expectations with enticing and extensive benefits that make you as an employer stand out from the crowd.

For example, Breakspear Park in Hertfordshire is an extensive complex of service offices that has attracted many companies thanks to its innovative approach to employees’ work-life balance. Workers based at Breakspear Park benefit from an imaginative programme of extras which were inspired by the members of staff themselves. From free health and wellbeing checks to free pumpkin giveaways at Halloween, Breakspear Park is truly leading the way.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anna Harris .