I live near Nashville, Tennessee, which is quickly becoming one of the most desired destinations in the southeast to visit, live, and work in. Nashville is always gaining headway as a top location choice for corporate headquarters and large regional office locations for many companies. In the last several years, Nissan North America, Mitsubishi, Dell, Amazon, Pilot Corp and many others made the move to Nashville. Much of the influx came after Nashville became home to the Tennessee Titans and the Nashville Predators. Nashville is even getting a Major League Soccer team in 2020!
A recent article in the Recruiter mentions that the job market in Nashville is very hot, and that these companies and others have already announced more than 8,000 new jobs. In fact, Amazon just announced a job fair in Nashville to fill 30,000 jobs nationwide.
As laid out in an article in the Recruiter, there are three important questions executives, recruiters, and HR personnel face when considering their appeal to current employees and potential job applicants: what attracts people to a location and a job, why do people stay, and why do people leave? While some of the points are obvious, others may surprise you when you consider proactive measures you should take to retain your best employees, and attract new, talented employees. Mishires can cost companies four to eight times the employee’s salary to replace when adding up the cost of job ads, recruiting, interviewing, and training time. On the other hand, hiring talented individuals who fit your company’s culture and share in your goals offers a huge return on investment.
Attracting Top Talent
Employees are attracted to people and companies that do meaningful work that resonates with their personal mission. Is your company passionate about what you do? Is that passion clearly stated on your website, on your marketing materials, within your job application, and reinforced within the walls of your office? Communicating your company goals and the reason your company exists is key to finding employees who will find working for your company meaningful and fulfilling. Only 33 percent of new employees are considered fully engaged in new roles. So, even after receiving all your company swag, incredible welcome email, and welcome party, only one third of your new hires are engaged. So, it stands to reason that hiring talent is only one-third of the battle.
Retaining Your Top Employees
There is a difference between being “stuck” in a job and remaining at job you enjoy. Employees choose to stay when they know they are contributing to and sharing in your organization’s success and are acknowledged for their efforts. Employees want communication on how they are impacting the company’s bottom line, along with the supporting data and key performance indicators (KPIs) that prove their contributions are making a difference. Without feedback, employees may remain “stuck” or complacent instead of engaged.
Why Employees Are Leaving
It is not always higher salaries and better benefits that cause employees to leave. Oftentimes, employees feel underappreciated or that they are not contributing in a meaningful way. The culture that creates an environment like this starts at the top - and the key is communication. The buzz word these days is employee engagement – not employee satisfaction or happiness, but real engagement. Executive communication is a goal (and a struggle) for professionals in internal communications. The better the top-down communication is, the more engaged employees are. This engagement in turn impacts the company’s bottom line (productivity, retention, and more).
Communicate & Engage with Employees Using Digital Displays
At ImageNet Consulting, we help impact your company’s bottom line through technology solutions. We have helped many of our clients do this more effectively using our Digital Signage or Visual Productivity Solutions to communicate goals and objectives, as well as results. If communication and employee engagement is a hurdle you’re trying to overcome, it’s time to explore simple tools like digital displays. Highlight employee accomplishments and company milestones utilizing digital signage throughout your campus and satellite offices. Celebrate your employees’ contributions to the company’s success and build on the idea of teamwork.