QUALITY staff – an acknowledged key ingredient of any organisation’s success. But, with widespread reports that a current skills gap is impeding growth for many, how does your organisation attract and then retain quality staff?
Historically, recruitment and retention models have been heavily reliant on the remuneration and benefits package on offer.
QUALITY staff – an acknowledged key ingredient of any organisation’s success. But, with widespread reports that a current skills gap is impeding growth for many, how does your organisation attract and then retain quality staff?
Historically, recruitment and retention models have been heavily reliant on the remuneration and benefits package on offer. Enter though, the Millennials – those born between 1980 and 2000 – the current juniors within the world of employment; it is this new wave of recruits who are responsible for the goal posts shifting.
Technically savvy, for Millennials, achieving a work-life balance can be as important a factor as pay and benefits. In this buoyant job market, Millennials are also quick to vote with their feet – if they don’t like their job, or even their profession, leaving and doing something new is much less of an issue for them than for previous generations.
So, how can organisations respond and make the goalpost shift work for them?
Generally, flexible working arrangements are acknowledged as the key to providing a work-life balance. Flexible working arrangements can take on many forms such as part-time working, remote or home working (for all or part of the week) and flexi-time working – this latter arrangement, if angled correctly, can also reduce an organisation’s overtime requirements and thus positively impact on its figures. A further positive is the general recognition that the work life balance optimises staff performance levels. Happy days indeed!
So, now you know where the goalposts have shifted to, what’s your game plan for ensuring your aim is on target?
Ultimately your game plan should be enshrined in a policy. However, the initial planning should include the following strategy considerations:
* Positive Consideration of Applications – is the organisation prepared to always positively consider applications provided always that they meet the needs of the business?
* Consistent Consideration of Applications – what safeguards can be put into place to guarantee consistency?
* Consultation Obligations – are there any and, if so, with whom does your organisation need to consult?
* Communications Plan – as this is intended as a tool to aid and improve recruitment and retention, you need to get the message right.
* Timeline – this will need defining to minimise disruption to the organisation and ensure that the appropriate HR support is in place.
So armed with your game plan, a team of quality staff and knowing where those posts are, your organisation’s goal potential should be limitless.
