Here’s why you’re losing talent from your business

Finding, gaining and retaining talent is key for businesses to succeed, particularly in today’s world. We share our top HR advice and insight into why you might be losing yours.

Your recruitment process…

A recruitment process that makes applicants want to work with you will not only attract the right candidate, it will also attract someone looking to develop, grow and stay with you. Make your organisation THE place to work by starting off, even before day one, in the right way.

• Your advert must reflect your culture.
• Think about how the applicant is responded to – do you respond to each and every application? Do you use an auto-response and if so, how is that worded – is it welcoming, personal and upbeat, or formal and robotic?
• Your recruitment process needs to reflect that you value and appreciate your talent.

Who you hire…

• Is there a mismatch between your recruits and your organisation?
• Can you provide the stimulus, development and scope your recruit is seeking?

If you recruit for a reality that doesn’t exist, talent will not hang around.

How you welcome them…

• Do you invest time, effort and money into your induction process?
• Are you confident that talent is feeling embedded into a nurturing yet challenging environment, which will give them the opportunity to grow and shine? Or are they given a quick walk around the fire exits, toilets and coffee machine by Moaning-Maureen in the first 15 minutes of the day and shown their desk?

It is easy to lose talent very quickly if they feel they have made a mistake with their acceptance of the role. Your induction process should be relevant and specific to the role in both content and duration.

How you work…

It is commonplace now to have flexible working arrangements in place, whether ad-hoc to deal with emergencies and short-term situations, or on a regular basis. This may be term time only, annualised hours, monthly hours or the odd day with home working. If you insist on a traditional 5 day week of 9.00am – 5.30pm in the office with lunch only taken between 12 – 1 pm, you may lose talent to somewhere that will give them the flexibility they need. This is not to say that the needs of the business should not come first, and with the correct HR support and advice, you can usually find a compromise to improve staff welfare whilst meeting the needs of the business.

How you use your two ears and one mouth…

Which, according to Epictetus (Greek philosopher) we have for a reason. Are you making the best use of them?  Are you listening to your talent? Taking on board their ideas, their concerns, their initiatives? And are you communicating back, keeping them in the loop and up to date with developments and business strategy?

Talent needs to be appreciated if it is going to stay, and listening and communicating can encourage that retention. Think about having formal and informal communication routes to improve communication and nurture the talent that you have.

How you engage…

An engaged workforce will not only improve productivity, it will also ensure that talent remains and develops in your team and organisation. Read more about the benefits of employee engagement and how it encourages talent retention.

How you treat a challenge…

If you have a culture that rewards followers and yes-men, whilst labelling those who challenge as trouble makers and mavericks, you will have talent leaving before they have set up their workstation.

You need to develop a culture that encourages idea generation, and in which people feel comfortable and safe in challenging systems and processes to improve productivity. Embrace the talent that you have.

How you train and develop….

Investing in your team’s learning and development not only shows you appreciate their talent and aspirations but that you value them enough to invest in them and that you view them as an integral part of your organisation.  Employees appreciate opportunities to develop their skills, therefore, training should be the last budget to be reduced even in tough times – losing the talent in your business will cost you more. Those who feel valued will stay.

The value in recruiting the right people, in the right way, and then retaining that talent is invaluable to any organisation. The cost of recruiting is not just about the advert. It is the time, money and productivity impact during the process, during induction, training and getting up to speed. Successful organisations must create a retention strategy.

If you would like help and support in developing a retention strategy, reviewing your recruitment and induction processes, or with any of the issues raised in this article, we would love to hear from you. We provide outsourced HR expert advice and training, either online or face-to-face.  We’re a friendly bunch and are driven by having a positive impact on your business by finding a solution that works for you, so call us on 01473 360160 or arrange a free one-hour consultation.