In the post-pandemic world, the issue of retaining employees has become all too common for many small-business owners. Although you are working hard and taking all essential measures to ensure your small business’s continued success, you may be experiencing employee turnover at an all-time high.
It is more important than ever to focus on your small business’s recruitment efforts. Do not worry if you cannot offer expensive benefits or incentives to further interest in positions; you can employ these simple recruitment efforts to help attract and retain well-qualified employees.
Here are eight ways you can jumpstart your small business’s employee recruitment:
1. Publicize your job positions.
One of the best ways to boost your small business’s recruitment efforts is by practicing good public relations. While this may sound intimidating, it is quite simple. Consider incorporating your job openings into the content of your organization’s social media posts. Also, consider posting your job openings on hiring websites like Indeed or networking websites like LinkedIn. Furthermore, if your business has a newsletter or blog, you can include the job positions in them or provide links to the listings in your closing remarks.
2. Utilize referrals.
Researchers commonly employ the snowball technique to recruit participants. This technique involves asking the first round of participants to refer others they believe would be a good fit for the study. You can utilize a similar approach to find potential candidates for your open job positions. Ask your current employees if any of their friends or family are looking for work and would be a good fit for your small business. When conducting interviews, you can also invite all interviewees to encourage their peers to apply for a job at your company. Asking for referrals is an easy and efficient way to recruit potential employees.
3. Provide detailed job descriptions.
Another easy way to further recruitment is through providing detailed descriptions of the positions open at your small business. Workers want to know as much as possible about a job before they apply for it. Therefore, it is essential to write out exactly what the person in this position will achieve and an example of what they may do on an average day. When people are more easily able to anticipate what they will be responsible for completing, they feel more comfortable applying for a position and stepping into a new situation.
4. Emphasize the work environment.
Within the detailed job description, you create for each position, it is also good to include details about the environment where the potential employees will be working. The job atmosphere is a significant factor that may encourage or deter individuals from applying and eventually working for a business. Therefore, you should provide a thorough description of the working environment at your small business to decrease employee turnover later. You can do this by highlighting a few keywords to describe the work setting. For example, is it collaborative, individualistic, formal, or casual?
5. Focus on the qualities of a good candidate for each position.
When promoting recruitment, it is also critical to reflect on the particular types of employees you are looking to hire. Understanding who your ideal candidate is will help you narrow down which candidates are the best fit to fill the open positions at your small business. You should include the specific qualities, certifications, and experiences that a well-qualified candidate for each position will have and retain this information within the job description. Including as many details as possible will help job hunters determine if they will be a good fit for the position and your company. Furthermore, if individuals know they are qualified for a position, they will be more likely to apply because they will feel better at securing the job.
6. Create a work environment that allows workers to separate their work from their personal life.
Gone are the days when workers would brag about how much time they spent completing work after they went home from the office. Today, workers are searching for jobs that understand the value of their personal lives. Therefore, another way to boost recruitment is by demonstrating that your small business respects its employees’ time outside of work. When creating job listings, ensure that your company’s views on work-life balance are included. People will be more willing to work for a business that they believe values the work they complete and their well-being.
7. Increase awareness about your small business’s morale-boosting events.
Individuals want to work for a business that they know will appreciate them and all the work they do. Showing appreciation for your employees by hosting events or outings is another way to attract new workers. Posting about these events or outings on social media or writing about them in a newsletter or blog will increase awareness not only about your small business but also about the supportive atmosphere it provides for its employees.
8. Give workers the flexibility to work online and in person.
The pandemic has given individuals the chance to work remotely for the first time in their lives. Many people, especially parents of young children, greatly appreciate and enjoy the flexibility that working remotely gives them. Therefore, if your small business has the ability, a great way to increase people’s interest in working for you is by offering them the opportunity to conduct work remotely. You could also allow employees to participate in a hybrid schedule in which they work from home, for example, two days a week. Lastly, you could give employees the option to join meetings virtually, for instance, via Zoom, saving them time. Individuals are eager to work in areas they can mold to seamlessly fit into their daily lives.
It may feel impossible to find and retain well-qualified employees now more than ever.
However, it is essential to remember you are not alone. Businesses across the country are struggling to attract and retain workers. Although change may be slow at first, your small business will reach success if you remain persistent in your efforts. Utilize these recruitment techniques to continue moving forward toward a better future.
PaySmart is a payroll provider located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, supporting small businesses in the Central PA region. We are dedicated to helping small businesses take care of their payroll needs. To learn more information about how PaySmart may provide payroll solutions, please get in touch with us at 717-766-1777. Our New Client Concierge is waiting for you!