Scott Klinger, Chief People Officer at EarthLink.
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We have been hearing a lot about the Great Resignation over the last year and even more about corporate America changing the way it approaches work—and treats its employees. But attracting extraordinary talent and retaining it are two entirely different things.
At EarthLink, we often say that an employee making it to the one-year mark is a good sign for both of us: It means that the company did an excellent job choosing the right candidate and that the candidate chose well for themselves. The proof is in the pudding. While you can make promises during the hiring process that are not going to materialize or represent your culture as something other than what it is, employees will see through that—and often leave when they do.
Creating an environment where employees are excited to stay—rather than making a counteroffer when they have one foot out the door—is the key to building a company culture that will last.
Be Proactive
Even if your company is not feeling the effects of the Great Resignation thus far, it does not mean you are immune. So, take the time to think about how you want to treat employees and if your current practices match.
Do not wait for employees to complain before you make those changes. Be proactive in doing right by people. What’s best for your employees is what’s best for your company, too. There are many ways to dig into what your employees need like support groups, focus groups or even surveys. Whatever you choose, build a schedule so employees do not get overwhelmed by the process. Sticking to one or two efforts a year from HR, whether that is something like a Great Places to Work survey or a similar option, is a better bet than monthly questionnaires. Their managers will be checking in with them much more often.
Find The Right Fit
Part of getting to know your employees includes understanding their professional goals. This gives your company the opportunity to further invest in employees: It's about restructuring responsibilities based on strengths or being a future source of referral and recommendation.
You may have employees who started in one department but, as their skills expanded, would do well in a completely new role. That is great for them and you, as it brings a new perspective (but from someone who already knows your company) to that position.
Offering employees room to grow—both moving up in positions, but also the chance to make lateral moves to new departments or focus areas—helps ensure they can find the right fit throughout their tenure and never feel stuck.
Building A Company Culture Of Life-Long Learning
One way you can help your employees get where they want to go is to build a culture around learning. Encouraging professional development opportunities is an area where many leaders stand the most room for improvement.
Historically, this was left up to each individual and their manager. But that sends the message that professional development is a terrific addition but not an essential part of someone’s work duties—which pushes it to the wayside.
To combat this oversight, we now require each employee to set an annual professional development goal. Find ways for employees to set themselves goals. The key is to be flexible about what this means—professional development is everything from pursuing an MBA to working through a self-paced class to attending a conference, and so many things in between.
Just make sure you can back that up with dollars (or time) to cover their learning. If your company is not prioritizing it in the budget, how can you expect your employees to buy in?
Understanding The Marketplace
As we have seen recently, the wages that workers may expect to earn in the current job market could be vastly different than the average earnings when they were hired several years ago. Keeping up with current trends and ensuring equitable pay is something HR should be paying attention to all the time.
This may include things like annual reviews of every position in the company. Review what the average market earnings are for that position in your industry and location and compare it to what your employees are earning. Are they compensated? If they are being underpaid, take action to rectify that without waiting for the employee to do their own research and come to you. Proactivity fosters trust but waiting for employees to realize it gives the impression that you were purposely underpaying them. That is a straightforward way to lose trust and employees.
Another piece of advice I would give HR professionals: If your employees negotiate when they are being promoted—or even, ask about practices like inflation raises—that is a compliment. I admire the people who have the courage to ask about difficult topics and who trust their leaders to hear them, consider their concerns and find a path forward.
Building a company culture that makes your employees excited to come to work—whether they are coming virtually or in person—takes time, and it is composed of so many small things. Things like having open, honest conversations between company leaders and every employee and offering effective benefits convey the quality of life your employees can expect at your company. There are healthcare and 401K plans, of course, but also things like cell phone or internet subsidies, gym memberships, free parking and snacks at the office.
It is also about hiring candidates with the right chemistry. Senior leaders can say all the right things, but company culture is more of a bottom-up endeavor than many people realize, which is why you cannot change it overnight. It only takes one person to damage that culture, but when everyone is on the same page, striving for the same goal? You will build a place people want to work instead of creating one that encourages them to secretly send out applications on their lunch break.
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