Organizations seeking out healthcare and IT talent are contenders in a fierce contest. The average candidate is presented with a torrent of suitable job offers. Some organizations disqualify themselves with an average interview process that takes 23 days or more, but plenty of attractive businesses with excellent compensation, exciting challenges, and sterling reputations remain in the running.
With the array of options available to them, candidates need convincing that the company they choose will offer them the right environment. In an unexpected way, cultivating employee retention strategies has the potential to distinguish a company during the hiring process. Here’s why that matters to your business.
Workplace Dissatisfaction Goes Viral
Social media is one of the first impressions most businesses make with potential candidates. Yet unlike the controlled interaction at an industry conference or networking event, the narrative that candidates encounter on websites like Glassdoor and Facebook easily spirals out of control.
When employee retention strategies are weak, your brand gets diluted. Employees that leave on bad terms are more likely to lash out in social media reviews. Though a few negative or dissatisfied reviews might not impact everyone, a profusion of bad reviews of a company’s work environment and leadership will dissuade potential applicants.
On the other hand, strong employee retention diminishes the number of overt complaints. Lowered turnover means lowered social media reviews. Since 70 percent of job seekers look at Glassdoor for reviews, that exposes a good majority of potential employees to the more favorable reviews of employees who left on good terms or existing employees who just love your brand.
Engaged Employees Are Great for Recruiting
Your turnover rate has an indirect but strong influence on incoming prospects. Engaged employees are more willing to share job advertisements, recommend your business to professionals within their network, and help earn awards that attract prospects. Yet one of the most effective ways employee retention strategies influence the decision of prospects has to do with the type of atmosphere that comes with an engaged workforce.
Have you ever walked into an office where some or many of the employees were disengaged or disgruntled? That negative energy is almost palpable. Plus, it is definitely contagious to anyone who walks through the doors. A brief interaction between possible candidates and disengaged employees poisons perceptions in their fledging state, making your competitors all the more appealing.
A strong employee retention strategy fosters engagement, thus making employees another positive point of contact during the interview process. Allowing time during the interview for candidates and existing employees to interact engenders good relations early on. Because positive interactions with your employees seem unadulterated, since they have less of a stake in misrepresenting the real environment or culture of your business, engaged employees convey good vibes that a hiring manager could not achieve otherwise.
The Secret to Improving Employee Retention Strategies
There are a number of strategies for lowering attrition and increasing overall employee satisfaction. Determining current levels of engagement, providing growth opportunities, and building sturdier team dynamics all help to instill a work environment where people remain. However, one of the greatest employee retention strategies is filling your ranks with professionals who match your environment in the first place.
At w3r, our staffing solutions are dedicated to matching our clients with the type of healthcare and IT professionals who understand their values and thrive in their work environment. Our trained recruiting professionals know where to search and how to spot exceptional talent in a cost-effective timeframe for your business. Contact us today to get help finding employees that will perfectly fit your workplace.