The Edge for Sepember 2023
Small businesses trying to keep their star employees these days are dealing with a “war on talent.” So the N.J. Chamber recently brought together four New Jersey job recruiters to talk about how small business can retain talent, and keep team members from moving to competitors. Read some of what they said below.
Pay Your Team Competitively
The most common reasons people leave or stay at companies, as you would guess, are salary, benefits, corporate culture and opportunity to advance. All of these come in to play and it’s important for employers to learn what they can do to keep people. Some small employers may not have a human resources department, but it is important that they pay their employees competitively. Listen to the candidates that you're interviewing. If they are all asking for $20,000 more than you are offering, it could be time to raise your salary level for the position.
– Nick Malefyt, President, Master Search Solutions
Recruit Candidates that Match Your Organization’s Culture
It’s surprising to me that employers – from small businesses to large corporations – don't invest the time, money and energy into identifying what their culture is. Once you identify who you are and what your organization is, you can start aligning all of your recruitment strategies to find a person that fits in to your culture. Otherwise, you're often going to be recruiting people that don't meet the same cultural goals that your organization has.
– Rachel Anevski, Founder and CEO, Matters of Management, LLC
Treat Employees with Dignity and Respect
Ask (employees) what their favorite food is, so they can get comfortable with you. Ask them if the job is what they expected it to be. It's about building one-on-one relationships so (employees) can get comfortable with you and you can be comfortable with them. And it’s about making sure that both of you understand that you're a team working together. They are working professionals and they’re human beings, and relationships are part of their overall wellness. You have to put yourself in the shoes of the employees and treat them how you would want to be treated – with dignity and respect.
– Pia Walker, Senior Vice President | Chief Human Resources & Diversity Officer, St. Joseph's Health
Recognize and Reward Good Work
Create employee recognition programs that can range from financial incentives to handwritten cards recognizing a job well done. It shows that the manager and ultimately the company cares. There are a lot of rewards to offer: Schedule flexibility, summer hours and even a parking spot for employee of the month. Employees will feel good about these things.
– Chris Schubert, Manager of Talent & Retention, J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, Inc.
