We can’t all be Google, but as leaders of organizations we can put company culture in the forefront. In an age of job-hopping and new opportunities at our fingertips, it’s imperative to grow the best and brightest teams within. It starts with two simple things: how you recruit and retain your team.
Here are some tips on how to recruit and retain, all while creating top-notch company culture:
Recruit.
Money isn’t everything. Yep, you read that right. There are many factors that potential employees look at it when finding a company to work for, such as purpose, flexibility, transparency and opportunities for innovation.
When a company focuses on culture and their values are in line with their employees, everyone benefits. A recent study of 500,000 employees from 150 companies showed that companies with healthy cultures have lower misconduct and labor costs, and deliver long-term shareholder returns 5.8 percentage points higher than the average company.
Millennial employees are increasingly interested in how your company’s purpose drives community impact, whether you’re spending time volunteering the community or your company is driven by social enterprise. Make this a priority for all generations on your team and live your mission.
Look past the résumé. As an employer, you may be ignoring some key hiring factors. Emotional intelligence (EQ) can actually be more important than IQ—and a major indicator for success. Job descriptions and skills are always evolving, so finding someone who can adapt and collaborate creates a well-rounded team.
Retain.
Hear them out. Find what your employees care about and what makes them want to work for you. Knowing what drives their motivation can allow you to nurture their interests, which will drive their performance. In turn, your business metrics will move upward toward sustainable success. It’s important to understand what drives your company culture – that fuels a strong brand.
Be a leader. Company culture thrives best when top leadership mirrors it. Communicate and model a clear vision, mission and value every day to your employees. Train your staff to become brand ambassadors and encourage them to be a leader at any level.
Share and collaborate. Celebrate successes and failures, big and small. Boosting team morale and learning from mistakes encourages growth and leadership. Here at the Chamber, we award employees quarterly for showing initiative above and beyond as well as for teamwork and going the extra mile. (We even get a cool trophy for bragging rights to display at your desk.)
Nurture. Gain trust from your employees and nurture their interests. The climate should be positive, comfortable and encourage innovation. We spend roughly 90,000 hours of our life working. In a time where we can work from anywhere, it’s important to give employees a heightened experience of work, and an environment that will foster creativity. Check out Fortune’s 25 coolest offices of the 100 Best Companies.
What is important to you as an employee? What are you as an employer doing to invest in your company culture? Share with us!
Maggie McEntee is the communications and marketing specialist for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
[Photo by Richard Matthews]
