Become a Great Place to Work: The Best Talent Attraction Strategy

Company culture has become a focal point for companies and employees. With an ultra-competitive job market that makes holding onto top talent difficult at the best of times, senior leadership is starting to place more of an emphasis on culture. In a 2021 PWC study, 67% of senior leadership reported that culture is more important than strategy or operations – that’s a significant increase from the 53% who said so just 8 years prior.

Becoming a Great Place to Work

When it comes to talent attraction and retention, fair compensation has always been a big factor, but we know now it isn’t the only one. People are looking for alignment with the company mission and values, a deeper connection to their work, work-life balance, and opportunities for development. These factors combined are what make a great place to work.

 

Invest in Professional Development

Encouraging a culture of continuous learning and development is a great way to increase motivation and productivity among your employees. It feels good to have someone invest in your future. Not only that, a well-trained and motivated workforce leads to increased adaptability, competitiveness and innovation.

There are a number of ways to provide this professional development, but usually it involves a multi-pronged approach including training, mentoring, workshops, and assigning new responsibilities. But it all starts with encouraging your team asses their skills and helping them identify room for growth.

For some organizations, investing in professional development will mean bringing in external voices for training sessions and workshops. For others, it will start from within with one-on-one coaching, attending conferences and trade shows, or management training. You could also offer employees time off or money to pursue career advancement, or a membership in some external organization.

 

Provide Flexibility & Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance has become an increasingly pressing issue in a post-pandemic world, where employees are often working from home, during evenings or on weekends. Work-life balance is defined as the intersection of work and personal life.

As an employer, you can help your team manage that balance and create some separation. Work-life balance will mean something different to each of your team members, so a good strategy would be to make an effort to decrease work-related stress while doing whatever you can to make people happy and healthy while they’re at work. Flexibility is a big piece.

During the pandemic, we saw companies scramble to provide flexible solutions. But now, flexibility has become something that people look for in a great place to work. Flexibility could mean offering the option to work remotely. But on a deeper level, a flexible workplace allows people the freedom to prioritize their personal needs and responsibilities. That could look like flexible start and end times, compressing work weeks, and allowing for childcare responsibilities, pet emergencies, and other realities of life.

 

Ensure Competitive Compensation

One undeniable aspect of attracting skilled people and retaining them in the long-term is fair compensation. Money isn’t the only driving factor, but it’s an important part of becoming a great place to work.

The wages you provide your employees should allow them to live comfortably in whichever city they reside in. This will vary greatly, but if you aren’t keeping up with the cost of living, you’re giving people a reason to leave.

Wages or salary is just one piece of the puzzle. There are other ways to incorporate benefits and incentive-based compensation for employees. Health insurance is a big one, and consider benefits like profit-sharing, performance bonuses, and stock options. Get creative with it too – some of today’s greatest places to work offer meals, gym memberships, fitness classes, and counselling services.

 

Hold Events & Uphold Traditions

One of the most tangible methods of creating a strong workplace culture and becoming a great place to work is by regularly hosting events and upholding traditions that your people can participate in. Not only will these events give people something to look forward to, but they’ll encourage an environment where people can connect on a deeper level than just work. This approach will become even more necessary when you have people working on a remote or hybrid basis.

It could be something small, like celebrating birthdays or company milestones. It could be treats at the office. But to take your community building to the next level, think about team outings and activities like bowling, scavenger hunts, volunteering, art or cooking classes, barbeques, beach days, or sporting events.

 

Be There for Your People

Showing people that you care and being there for them is a central theme in any strong workplace culture. And there are a number of ways to do so.

It all starts with making everyone feel included. The best workplaces accept people with a range of experience and skill levels, backgrounds, and beliefs. An organization that prioritizes a inclusive work environment and makes an effort to encourage diversity is a strong one. That’s where creativity thrives.

Helping your people prioritize their physical and mental health is one way to show up for them. Not only does overall health impact their happiness and well-being, but it also affects performance. Employers can make healthy food and snacks available to people, and introduce healthy activities like yoga, fitness classes, and nutrition coaching.

Mental health is another important aspect that shouldn’t be ignored. Stress and burnout is real, and as an employer, you bear some responsibility in helping your people with those challenges. Many people would benefit from mental health resources like counselling, stress management, and meditation.

 

Great Place to Work® Certification

Any company can claim they’re a great place to work with an enviable workplace culture, but how can you prove it to job candidates and potential hires? That’s where the Great Place To Work® Certification™ comes into play. The certification represents a comprehensive independent review process that stamps on the best of the best as a Great Place To Work®.

Over 30 years of research has culminated into a time-tested, scientific approach known as the Great Place To Work Model™, for determining which companies are great to work at. But at the end of the day, the input comes from real employees at your company. In a survey format, they’ll be asked a number of questions focused on trust, respect, and real-life experiences at work. As a result, you’ll get real-time feedback on your company culture.

STRIVE Recruitment has been honoured to receive the Great Place To Work® Certification™ 2 years in a row now. We’ve tried hard to create a workplace culture that’s positive, inclusive, and values everyone, and our commitment is paying off.

If you’re looking for help hiring top talent in your industry, reach out to STRIVE Recruitment. We offer permanent, executive, and contract recruitment services with a specialty in Accounting & Finance, Corporate Administration, and Manufacturing & Operations. Discover the STRIVE difference and contact us today to get started.