Social and review-driven media have given job seekers a wealth of new resources when it comes to finding the “right fit”. In fact, according to Glassdoor, 86% of job seekers research a company’s reviews and ratings before deciding where to apply for a job. With a growing culture of transparency around workplace experiences, it’s more important than ever to treat your company culture as a key aspect of your brand.
Gone are the days of company culture meaning beanbags and a pool table. It’s time to examine every interaction between your business and its employees. This includes everything from their physical work environment to conversations with teammates and managers, as well as your company’s approach to wellness and personal development.
Employees who have a more positive workplace experience are likely to be more engaged – and companies with high employee engagement make 2.5 times more revenue than companies with less engagement.
With 68% of Millennials and 54% of Gen Xers claiming to visit potential employers’ social media properties to evaluate their brands, it’s important to have a cohesive company culture on display, with employee experience as the most crucial indicator.
Read on to discover how revisiting your employees’ interactions at every level can boost recruitment marketing and attract top talent.
Thorough Onboarding
First impressions go a long way, and never so much as when you’re starting a new job. According to Bamboo HR, a strong onboarding experience is critical to overall employee satisfaction, with those who felt their orientation was effective being over 29 times more likely to feel job satisfaction.
Ensure your orientation program includes a business overview, a review of procedures and policies, and an introduction to benefits as well as a tour of the physical workplace. Encourage interpersonal connection with a human touch such as a welcome breakfast, where new teammates can break the ice.
Onboarding goes beyond day one, however. Consider assigning your new hires a “buddy” for their first week, to help them adjust to new processes, or even giving them some time each day to get to know a different team, encouraging cross functional collaboration from the ground up. A company culture rooted in the working relationships between individuals is one that will thrive in the long term.
Make sure to boast about your new hire via social media and your company blog. This will not only signify their value to your team but also give prospective employees a glimpse of your onboarding and interpersonal culture.
Checking In
Why is it that employers only ask tough questions about employee experience during the exit interview? Increase retention by getting ahead of the game and creating an open dialogue. Create avenues for your employees to let you know what’s working, what’s not, and offer suggestions for improvement.
Regular anonymous surveys are a simple way to gather feedback without employees feeling anxious for speaking their minds. Ask questions about the physical workplace, working relationships, benefits, and progression opportunities. Let your employees know what action you’re taking in response to their feedback.
A more hands-on way to keep the conversation open could be a regular social meeting. Order pizza or coffee and let your teammates collaboratively map the direction they’d like to see the culture grow in. Revisit these goals regularly, and help your employees to see the real change that they are helping to implement.
Regular Affirmation
According to Perkbox, 37% of employees consider recognition most important for feeling engaged at work. Make sure your employees feel appreciated by creating avenues for regular affirmation.
In many workplaces, some of the most crucial team players in creating customer satisfaction are the most distanced from the result. Ensure that customer feedback is shared with each individual who has worked on a project. This will keep employees connected with the results of their work, and increase their sense of purpose and fulfillment.
Make sure that this recognition is broadcast throughout the organization and beyond, via newsletters, employee of the month awards, or end-of-week meetings. Use your employees’ achievements as case studies for your recruitment marketing, showing potential new hires how far they can go within the company.
Authentic Wellness
According to the American Psychological Association, 89% of workers at companies that support wellness initiatives are more likely to recommend their company as a good place to work – but the truth is, wellness goes a lot further than lunchtime yoga and monthly massages.
Your wellness program needs to encourage mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing; helping your employees to be more rested and less anxious. This ethos needs to inform everything from sick time, parental leave, and paid vacation to gym memberships and health benefits.
If you wish to add some perks on top of this strong foundation, consider implementing a meaningful program such as the Startup Stack, which includes tools to assist your employees in their everyday lives at work.
Personal Development
Space and support for career development is a significant draw for potential employees, with 88% looking for opportunities for agile learning when searching for a new position. Put your pathways for professional training front and center when posting jobs, and you’ll attract loyal employees who believe in your investment in them.
Ensure that managers have personalized plans in place for the development of each team member and that they update these regularly in line with one-to-one conversations. Supplement this with a mentoring program, where teammates who have mastered certain skills can coach newer employees in their journeys. This will not only boost internal talent but increase employee engagement.
Job seekers want to see their future role as dynamic and rapidly developing, so consider the benefits of hyperautomation, automating repetitive daily tasks so that your talent is free to move their role in new directions. By being bold and discussing the benefits of automation on employee experience, you can find forward-thinking workers who don’t expect any two days to be the same.
Rewrite Your Culture
Employee expectations are constantly changing and developing – and your company culture should be too. By reinventing employee experience from the inside out, you can create an authentic and connected employer brand that workers love to talk about. By looking beyond the surface and instating real workplace change, you can organically attract like-minded employees who are bound to be “the right fit”.