Employee Retention Strategies To Help Businesses Build A Stable Workforce

Employee retention is a major challenge faced by organizations today. The loss of a well-performing employee not only creates instability in a team but also causes financial loss amounting to around 33% of the annual salary of the outgoing employees. Moreover, the struggle to find a suitable replacement can be an extremely time-consuming process which further hinders a smooth workflow. That is why the experts from a recruitment company Germany advice their clients to work towards maximizing employee retention rates. However, there are various reasons that might prompt an employee to give up their current role and organization. Since it is impossible for employers to control all these factors the next best thing they can do to build a stable workforce is to implement various strategies that are likely to improve employee retention. The most effective of these strategies are discussed as follows.

Make The Employees Aware Of Their Worth

In most business organizations, managers are quick to point out the mistakes and failures of employees while they do not show similar eagerness in appreciating their efforts and achievements. This tends to demotivate the employees and reduce their engagement levels. They then seek employment opportunities with other organizations with the hope of being better appreciated for their hard work and contribution. Hence it is important for an organization to ensure that the employees are constantly made aware of their value and worth by their superiors through the provision of positive feedback on a regular basis.

Provide A More Flexible Work Environment

A large percentage of the workforce today comprises of young professionals seeking flexible work environments. This flexibility might be in the form of different work hours, freedom to work from home or other remote location or even the choice of workspace within the office. By providing this freedom to the employees, an organization assures them of being considerate of their needs. It also reflects a sense of trust in their work ethics and ability to perform even without any supervision. This goes a long way in motivating the employees and enhancing their sense of loyalty and commitment towards the organization.

Encourage Managers To Have Difficult Conversations With Employees

One of the key reasons for low retention rates is the lack of effective communication between the employees and their managers. That is why the consultants from a top headhunting company in Germany, stress on the need to encourage the managers to hold difficult conversations with their team members. Such conversations can help the employees to share any work-related issues and stresses with someone capable of resolving these problems. In addition to helping them find an effective solution for their problems, such conversations can help in restoring the trust of the employees in their organization.

Help Employees Develop A Clear Career Path

Professional growth and stability form an important aspect of enhancing employee retention rates. That is why organizations that help the employees to develop a clear career path and provide them with the right opportunities to follow the same, enjoy a high retention rate. Being assured of having enough growth opportunities within their current organization minimizes the chances of employees seeking better employment options with other organizations.

Understanding The Problem Of Skill Shortage And The Best Ways To Overcome The Same

The term skill shortage has become extremely common in the recent years and has even become the most important topic of discussion within the recruitment industry. However, only a small percentage of people understand the true concept of skill shortage and its impact on hiring process within different business organizations. According to the experts from the top recruitment company Germany, skill shortage is not actually an issue of a decline in the number of suitably qualified professionals. Rather it needs to be viewed as the problem of constantly widening gap between specialists and skilled workers within a specific nice. Discussed below are some key reasons that have been deemed responsible for this ever widening gap and the best ways to resolve the same.

Large Scale Migration Of Skilled Workers

Extensive globalization has opened up countless new avenues of employment for skilled professionals. This has resulted in mass migration of such professionals seeking better growth opportunities and the promise of a healthier lifestyle. The migrating workers leave a significant gap in the talent pools of their native countries and this, in turn, translates into a major skill shortage. In this  respect, companies from across the globe have much to learn from German business organizations, which have already taken the necessary steps to minimize migration of skilled workers by providing them the desired perks and benefits along with a great work-life balance within the country itself.

A Considerable Generation Gap Between Old And New Workers

There is a huge gap between the older and younger generation of skilled professionals across the country. This is a matter of serious concern as soon the country is likely to reach a stage where it would no longer have any appropriately experienced professionals to replace the retiring leaders of the old cadre. Most of the professionals available at the time would have just started their careers and would be too inexperienced to take up senior leadership roles. In order to overcome this problem, the experts from the best executive search agency Germany advice their clients to hire overseas professionals with the right knowledge and experience for their middle management positions. In addition, they are also considering the fast tracking the training and development of younger professionals having leadership potential to prepare them for such roles in the near future.

Lack Of Appropriate And Affordable Training Programs

Despite the rapid advances in technology, the cost of professional education and training has been on the rise. This prevents many candidates with the right attitude and the potential to gain the skills and the knowledge desired by business organizations for various executive roles. While the demand for such professionals continues to grow, only a small number of them are actually available since high education and training costs make it out of reach of a majority of candidates. In this context, it is important for business organizations to take the initiative of providing appropriate financial help and support to candidates having the competence to learn new skills. Such initiatives provide the organizations with a diverse talent pool of professionals, who are likely to remain committed and loyal to the company for a long time.

Three Key Factors That Recruiters Need To Consider While Writing Compelling Job Descriptions

Writing good job descriptions is the key to attracting the right candidates for a specific position. This is true irrespective of the medium being used for posting job ads and reaching out to potential candidates both locally and internationally. In fact, the kind and quality of response received by a recruitment agency Germany for a job ad depend largely on the job description content. That is why most top recruiters lay much stress on creating highly impressive job descriptions. The task is not as simple as it may seem as creating such job descriptions requires an in-depth understanding of the role and responsibilities as well as an ability to accurately describe the same in just a few sentences.

Why Good Job Descriptions Matter So Much?

A job description introduces the potential candidates to the available positions within an organization. It informs them about the key skills and qualities a hiring organization is seeking in the most suitable candidates for the role. However, a compelling job description is not just restricted to this aspect but rather acts as a powerful communication tool by offering critical information about the job position that is likely to influence candidate decisions. If a job description is not engaging and inclusive enough, it is likely to drive off potential candidates even before their first interaction with the recruiters. To avoid this eventuality, it is important for the recruiters to consider the below discussed three key factors while creating job descriptions.

Choose A Catchy Yet Clear Job Title

It is essential to ensure that the job title provides the candidates a clear perception of what the hiring organizations are looking for. However, the title should not be too mundane to make it indistinguishable for countless other similar job positions posted out there. At the same time, it should not contain any unrealistic terms that are too vague or are likely to attract the wrong candidates. In order to capture the attention of the most suitable candidates, it is advisable for the recruiters to keep the job title as specific and direct as possible and include the industry and preferred language of the candidates to attract the right talent.

Avoid A Long List Of Essential Criteria

Every hiring organization has a extensive list of essential qualities and traits that define a perfect candidate for a specific job position. However, posting this entire list in the job description is not the right decision. According to the experts from the recruitment agencies in Germany, including a maximum of must-meet criteria should be the rule of thumb followed to gain the attention of the best candidates. It is better still to highlight only two or three key skills that are essential for the success of a candidate in said role.

Turn The Job Description Into A Sales Pitch

A compelling job description should have a strong and action-oriented vocabulary that motivates the candidates to take the next step. It should also reflect the company culture, values and growth opportunities for deserving candidates. The recruiters need to remember that they will be selling a job position to potential candidates and hence the job description should be designed accordingly.

Five Traits Of Leadership Candidates Capable Of Getting Things Done

When it comes to hiring leadership candidates, most business organizations seek candidates with a specific skill set and impressive accomplishments listed on their resume. However, only a handful of professionals with seemingly strong leadership potential possess the ability to actually bring about a quantum change. This exceptional gift is found in candidates irrespective of the context and phase of their career and is referred to as Result Intelligence (RI) by recruitment companies in Germany and those across the globe. In general, candidates with a high RI are known to possess the following five traits making it possible for them to get things done.

Always Focused On The Objectives : Leadership candidates capable of getting things done are constantly focused on the objectives of their team and their organization. In addition to having an absolutely clear understanding of these objectives, every decision of these professionals is taken in the direction of achieving these objectives. For this, they break down the final objectives into simpler components and processes and then work towards achieving the same in an organized manner. Most such professionals tend to have exceptional planning skills and have a practical approach towards getting tasks done and ensuring accountability.

Aggressively Seek The Right Resources : People with a high RI understand the significance of having the right resources at their disposal to get the desired results. Hence, they work aggressively to ensure that these resources are provided to them at all costs. Whether they require more people, more money or any other type of resource, these professionals make sure that they are provided with the same and in a timely manner, no matter how assertively they need to demand the same.

Know The Rules And Bend Them When Necessary : Leadership candidates are well aware of the rules and processes that govern the functioning of an organization. While they ensure that these rules are adhered to by the members of the workforce, they also show a willingness to bend these rules if it ensures better efficiency and performance. According to the experts from the companies offering executive search Germany, such rule breaking reflects the commitment of the potential leaders to get the desired results even at the cost of risking their own professional integrity. However, it is important for these leaders to have a proper understanding of which rules can be broken and which cannot be tampered with.

Do Not Let Criticism Affect Them : Professionals committed to getting the desired results are used to being criticized by their peers and in some cases even their seniors. However, they do not let such criticism affect their decisions and working. They do not believe in appeasing people simply because they are well placed and connected within the organization. Rather they seek and ensure the participation of only the most efficient and competent professionals in the projects being handled by them.

Do Not Accept Any Excuses : The go-getters o not accept any excuses for failure, even from themselves. When faced with a roadblock, they seek alternate means to get a task done. These professionals generally set high expectations and standards for themselves as well as others to get the best results.

How German Recruitment Agencies Reduce Personal Bias During Hiring Process?

It is a fact that when it comes to hiring candidates from diverse backgrounds, an unconscious bias is always at play, which leads to weeding out of qualified candidates for less deserving ones. Thus, hiring managers are required to address this issue of bias which leads to discrepancies during selection process.

To overcome this pre-loaded bias, German recruitment agencies play a key role as they do not work on the belief that people who are like us are worth it and others should be rejected just on the basis of the personal judgement. They are open to diverse teams and growth of the business organization by hiring the right talent at the right position.

Here are some of the strategies being adopted by headhunters Germany to overcome personal bias in the hiring process:

Acceptance On Affinity Bias

The recruitment firms know well that each and every individual has a bias which impacts the professional decisions. Affinity bias is nothing but developing a liking for someone who is like us. So, hiring candidates belonging to the same race, gender, location, language, etc. are always seen. To address this issue, during the hiring process, the recruitment companies seek out, look and then act during the hiring by judging the candidates on the basis of their qualification and work experience.

 

Ascertain The Areas Where Bias Can Pop Up

When the managers are involved in the hiring process, they will have a bias and will judge the candidates on the parameters which include their own comfort when it comes to working with them. For instance, some would judge if having a beer with the candidate after working hours would be fine or if the candidate is accustomed to one’s own language. These are the instances of unconditional and unconscious bias. The recruitment agencies, on the other hand have no such personal biases as they are just recruiting the candidates for their client organization and are possibly not going to work with those candidates. So, the number of candidates they select are not judged on the basis of any personal bias.

Influence Of Peer Opinions

The hiring managers may see the feedback given by each other about the candidate because going for a personal interview with the candidate. This will indeed influence the decision to hire or reject a candidate. But, when a company hires the services of a staffing agency, the hiring managers are not allowed to take feedback from any fellow panelist or even any member of the selection committee. They are given freedom to form their own opinions free from any prejudices for making final selection of the candidates.

It is a fact that diversity in workplace is essential in order to make us smarter in terms of innovative and critical thinking. By having people from diverse background, the organization benefits in a lot of ways. Hence, one should focus on reducing the bias and increasing the ROI for the organization.