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42| Hays
Put talent retention at the heart of
your recruitment strategy: Hays
At the time of writing
(prior to the EU
referendum vote), it
is clear to see that
increasing positivity
and increased tender
opportunities means that
attracting quality staff is
on everyone’s agenda
right now.
For Northern Ireland in general,
the most recent Labour Force
survey contained extremely
positive news for Northern
Ireland, including a record rate of
employment.
TALENT
RETENTION
But before
a company
considers
attracting new
talent, it should
consider what
plans it has in
place to retain the
talent already in
situ.
A good retention
strategy for any
staff member
begins in how they
are recruited in
the first place.
For the construction sector more
specifically, we’re seeing local
investment supporting greater
numbers of jobs within the
industry.
For example in the higher
education sector, Queen’s
University has unveiled a £39
million development plan for its
biological sciences school that will
support around 550 construction
jobs.
The residential sector too is
stabilising and positivity is starting
to reemerge once more. In June,
two housing associations secured
£280 million to build hundreds
of homes in the North West and
Fold Housing followed this up by
announcing plans to commit £40
million in create 400 new units.
With better news now emerging
organisations would be wise to
take a strategic view on their
recruitment planning in the
months ahead.
For our part, Hays is moving
to address anticipated demand
through our global network of
offices. We are actively working to
return skills to the local market
and to showcase the wide range
of opportunities emerging among
Northern Ireland employers.
We are also working with the
institutes and federations to
engage with school leavers and
reinstill confidence in construction
from entry level onwards.
That means
placing retention
at the beginning
of the recruitment
process so as
to provide the
best approach to
addressing this
issue in the longer
term.
For example,
during the
interview process
take time to
show what your
business stands for
and illustrate the
positive employee
experience.
Employers should highlight a
clearly defined career path and
illustrate the dynamic working
culture on offer. And there is
clear evidence which shows that
flexible working policies can
improve productivity and workbalance,
as well as entice new
talent into a business.
In this way an employer will
identify like-minded candidates
who are a natural fit with the
company and the way it does
business.
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Effective employee engagement
involves creating an ongoing
dialogue across all sections of the
company. Many organisations are
seeing the benefits of creating
‘good news’ streams through
things like ebulletins, talkback
forums and appraisals to ensure
employees see the overall picture.
At present we are working with
management teams that are
employing ever-more sophisticated
internal communications processes
in order to listen to their workers,
provide feedback and ensure
personnel are fully engaged and
their needs addressed.
Aside from the means of
communication, it is vitally
important too to maintain the
skills of those who are leading
internal communications. This
includes focusing on improving the
people management skills of line
managers. They are at the front
line and are the first port of call
for an employee with concerns.
RECRUITMENT STRATEGY
At Hays we believe that retention
doesn’t just become important
when a new employee walks
in the door, but an employer
should start thinking about
retention while they are attracting
candidates.
Because retention is so integral
to talent management and
acquisition, we are holding
a dedicated HR seminar for
organisations to come share
ideas, best practice and network.
We look forward to sharing
the findings of this seminar with
partners in the weeks ahead.
To find out more about
how to build retention
into your recruitment
strategy, log on to http://
www.hays.co.uk/northernireland/
or call Hays on
028 9044 6900.