5 Ways to Attract and Retain Talent During the Pandemic

5 Ways to Attract and Retain Talent During the Pandemic

I spend way more time thinking about how companies operate and take care of their employees, especially during COVID. It’s been fascinating to me to see how my employer has treated us and to learn how colleagues have fared as well. I think you learn a lot about a companies values and true nature during difficult times, namely this global pandemic.

Almost overnight, workers at many firms began working from home. Some were unfortunate, as their company announced furloughs and layoffs. What’s more, businesses had to quickly create and implement COVID-fighting protocols in the workplace, establish new ways of conducting business with customers and roll out online collaboration tools and other technologies.

Despite there being some worries around the future and the economy, many businesses are still hiring, and many employees are still changing jobs. Here are a few of my thoughts on what I’ve seen working and what I would do if I was running my own small to medium business.

Do 1-on-1 Discussions and Check-ins with Your Employees

Check in with their direct reports regularly. My employer as always done a good job of this, and my manager carves out 45 mins – 1 hr weekly to check in. Make sure your employees, including your rank-and-file workers, are feeling OK and that they’re making progress with whatever tasks are assigned to them. Sometimes, asking a simple “How are you doing today?” is enough to show just how much you care. It’s also an effective way to let employees know that they have a support system.

When doing your one-on-one discussions, listen to the needs of your employees, acknowledge their situation with empathy and give them the resources they need to feel secure and safe in their job. It’s also important to come prepared and not distracted to these 1 on 1s; both as an employee and a manager. This is your time as an employee to vocalize concerns, give updates, and essentially, one meeting at a time, build your career.

Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash

Introduce Learning and Development Programs for Your Workers

A report from LinkedIn revealed that 59 percent of workers have joined new firms for better career opportunities or paths. What’s more, 45 percent of employees who left their company mentioned lack of advancement opportunities as a concern. I’m super thankful for all the professional developments offered at my place or work, and the opportunities given by my manager for ‘stretch assignments’.

Some employees aren’t interested in sticking with the same position for years or decades. They naturally want to move their careers forward to better opportunities in the organization. If your business does not provide career advancement, your people will become restless and begin looking for new work.

So, help your workers reach their career goals by offering learning and development programs. These programs will help your employees acquire the knowledge, experience and skills necessary to fulfill their dreams in life.

Take note, though, that the term “learning and development” is different from training. The latter focuses on getting workers ready to do something related to their current job responsibilities. When you introduce learning and development programs, they need to be flexible. This involves giving your workers plenty of options. You could, for instance, roll out an optional development program that can hone a person’s conceptual skills.

The great thing about learning and development is that they’re perfect for all employees, including remote workers. You can upload and deliver classes through on-demand videos, which employees can view anytime.

Adjust Your Management Style

Giving office workers the flexibility to work at home or remotely means that managers have no instant access to their staff or the ability to check how their direct reports are spending their time while on their shift. Instead of micromanaging people, the emphasis should shift to productivity and quality of output.

You can accomplish this goal by building your management strategy around employee empowerment and trust. Doing so boosts the likelihood of talent retention and results in better work. When performance issues arise, however, address them as swiftly as possible. Manage remote employees using your organization’s documented policies and procedures.

I love this quote that Mrs. Money shared with me this past week – “when I check-in with a manager, I feel that they are important, but when I check-in with a leader, I feel as if I’m important”. I love that – be supportive, be empowering to employees.

Offer Non-Traditional Incentives and Benefits

You have to go beyond offering cash incentives, raises and promotions. Employees may choose to position their company as a desirable workplace when they’re getting incentives and perks that fall outside what they consider as traditional benefits. Honestly I know that just offering more money can be difficult for employers, and I’m a huge believer that little things, that might not cost employers much money can and will go a long way for employee satisfaction and morale.

Not sure what to provide your employees? Here are a few examples you could consider:

  • An increase in the number of paid time off or vacation leave they can take
  • Allocation of a professional development budget, which employees can use to buy books or subscribe to online training programs
  • Employee appreciation gifts
  • Tuition assistance for workers who want to enroll in graduate school
  • Gift cards that employees can use in restaurants and events
Photo by Damir Kopezhanov on Unsplash

Develop a Purpose-Driven Culture

The employees in your company shouldn’t be working for work’s sake. They need to have a clear sense of purpose in their job. When your workers feel that their purpose aligns with your organization’s activities, strategies and overall mission, they’re likely to feel increased satisfaction with their efforts and contributions.

So take the time to create a purpose-driven culture. This means focusing less on counting the number of hours worked and more on celebrating and rewarding positive outcomes and outputs. If everyone knows where the north star lies for your company, it’s easy and more motivating for everyone to work towards it!

Summary

Don’t let the global pandemic affect employee retention and talent acquisition. Now more than ever it’s important to support and lift up your employees, and it’s not necessarily a hard or expensive thing to do!

Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links that earn me a commission.

One Response

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.