This is a guest post written by Derin Clark, a writer, editor and blogger.
Have you ever wondered how some businesses seem to attract talented employees, while others are made up of merely competent ones? A talented employee can be what gives a business the x-factor and the reason clients keep coming back.
This is because talented employees are the ones who are prepared to put in the extra effort to ensure the company meets its targets. They are the ones who will know what current trends are affecting the industry and where the industry is heading the future. They are the ones who come in the morning full of enthusiasm, who ask thoughtful questions, and have good ideas during meetings. It the talented employees who help to drive the business to greater success and who inspire their colleagues to achieve better results.
So how do you ensure your business attracts the most talented employees? The simple answer is to offer them a company they want to work for. Fortunately, there are some simple ways to do this and it doesn’t involve offering sky-high salaries.
Talent attracts talent
Potential talented employees are more likely to accept a job offer if they feel they will be joining a company that already has a number of talented employees. This is because these employees want to know they will be working with like-minded people who they can bounce ideas off and who they know will be pulling their weight, rather than slacking off and letting someone else do the majority of the work.
So it makes business sense to have a talent management programme in place to help nurture and retain your company’s talented employees, as well as helping them to reach their full potential and specific career goals. If you are unable to do this internally, there are many companies that offer comprehensive talent management programmes to help business retain their best workers.
Great managers
Talented employees need great managers. If you find your talent starting to leave the company, especially if many are leaving from one team, look at who the manager is. This does not necessarily mean that they are a bad manager, but it could mean they would benefit from more training and support to improve their managerial skills. Alternatively they could be very good managers but just don’t have the right personality and approach for that team.
Chemistry between team members as well as with their manager cannot be underestimated. In the same way sports teams are often more successful the closer team members are, business teams usually thrive when colleagues get along well together. It creates a sense of not wanting to let team members down, as well as a more relaxed and productive working environment.
Training
Although a decent wage will always help to secure the best talent available, offering ongoing training opportunities will also attract top job candidates. Ambitious workers want to know that they can grow within the company and build on their existing skills. To do this, companies need to offer bespoke training programmes that are tailored to individual worker’s skills, talents and ambition. Managers should hold one-to-one meetings with employees so that they can discuss in confidence their career direction and the courses that will help them to achieve their goals, as well as areas they need to improve on.
Support
Along with training, offering a supportive working environment is vital to attracting talented employees. If workers are coming into the office in the morning knowing they are entering into a hostile and negative environment that is full of conflict and has a bullying culture they are highly likely to spend the day counting down the hours until they finish, while also spending working time looking for another job. On the other hand those who know their work place is relaxed, friendly and supportive will be happier, more productive and want to be in the office.
Nearly all offices have conflict between workers and include stressful periods, however if these are common within your business you will be likely to see an exodus of talented, skilled and experienced employees.
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