Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent in the Post Pandemic Market

by Donna Burnett on April 3, 2023 in Hiring

We’ve all watched businesses change post-pandemic, leveraging everything from hybrid schedules to improved benefits to keep their employees engaged. Now, in today’s uncertain economy, you may feel the weight more than ever to distinguish your company to recruit and retain top talent.

We have five sure ways to set yourself apart from the competition.

1. Highlight Your Purpose

Job seekers have quite the array of career options currently. Many are searching for a business they can get behind, one that has a clear purpose. As stated in a Harvard Business Review, meaning is the new money. Ninety percent of employees are willing to earn less money to do work they believe has meaning. Additionally, workers with meaningful jobs are also 69% less likely to quit within the next six months and have longer job tenure.

What does all this mean for you as the employer? Showcase your company’s purpose; this creates a greater sense of belonging. Explain your accomplishments and use tangible examples. What’s sets your purpose apart from other businesses?

The economy has many people rethinking their priorities and what matters most. Companies with a clear purpose behind their work will better align with employees and create an inviting workplace.

2. Emphasize Your Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Candidates care about D&I and are evaluating companies based on their efforts in this area. They are not simply examining statements on a website but looking at the faces of the company, the community involvement, company process, and more. How does your business measure up? Here are a few questions to consider:

Is your organization diverse? How can outsiders tell?
Are all voices equally heard?
What steps has the company taken to evaluate and improve its D&I efforts?
How do you talk about this topic to prospective employees? What efforts have you made with current employees?
Do you have a D&I statement? What has been done to educate/inform your workforce?

These questions are a running start and set the foundation for your business. As we state in an earlier piece, creating a diverse and inclusive workforce won’t happen overnight. But as you provide trainings for your leaders and employees and assign ownership of initiatives across the organization, you will build a culture that values diversity and inclusion.

3. Offer Workplace Flexibility

Most professionals expect more flexibility. Whether your company is fully remote, in the office, or using a hybrid model, make sure to explain your expectations upfront and be as flexible as possible. Help your team see the benefits of your work model.

Hybrid or flex models are worth considering (if you haven’t implemented them already) because these options strike a nice balance; the options give flexibility by allowing remote work with some in-person interactions in the office.

Retaining employees in today’s market will likely require adapting policies to keep top talent engaged because if not, people will go elsewhere. However, if you give remote options, this opens new doors for your pool. Since 96% of professionals would like to have some level of remote work, you can gain new expertise and connect with professionals around the country.

4. Foster a Culture of Engagement & Recognition

What are your employees saying? Slowing down and making time for intentional conversations with employees can make all the difference. Ask about what is going well from their seat; stay in the loop of what projects and responsibilities are excelling and which ones are posing more of a challenge.

Take those questions one step further and inquire about their goals, especially in the arena of professional development. How can you support them? If you offer a growth trajectory inside your company, make sure they understand how they can make progress. Having big-picture goals will help employees engage more in their daily work. When they know the company’s purpose and how their role fits in the business model, they will be more likely to invest in their work, both now and in the future.

Knowing the answers to these questions can help immensely when it comes to recognition. If you know what their goals and aspirations are, you can affirm their specific accomplishments. In a recent study, 82% of employees stated they felt happier at work when recognized for their achievements.

Prioritize Communication

A key part of employee recognition is communication. Communication plays a critical role in hiring and retention efforts, along with the success and scalability of your business. Many companies may think they are communicating sufficiently, but employees around the country beg to differ. As we found in a recent McKinsey study, teams that feel well connected actually see productivity increase by 20-25%

Don’t skimp on the details. Make your team aware of the plans you have in place. Even if you don’t have all the details ironed out, communicate openly and honesty—this will put your team at ease. They understand there are factors (like a pandemic) that are outside your control, but as long as keep your employees in the loop, they won’t fill in the silence with negative worries.