It's not the job market; it's you. Here's how to find (and keep) talent the right way.
Employee turnover is arguably the most damaging challenge that business owners face, especially when you’re caught in an endless cycle of hiring and firing. This becomes even more difficult when you’re already overwhelmed, making it tempting to onboard the first person you interview. But – this is exactly why you’re stuck in this cycle.
So, how can you make the necessary changes to attract talent that stays when you’re already strapped for resources? Here’s 3 key steps to take that will help you optimize your business for long-term employee retention and growth:
Step 1: Identify resource and communication gaps
When I was running our family insurance agency, we lost both of our employees within the same week that I purchased my new home. Unfortunately, we made the mistake of hiring the first person we interviewed (who we fired two weeks later). Not only did we waste time and resources onboarding her, but it set us back even further and made it more challenging to perform an "audit” or assessment of our current operations that we so desperately needed. It took us two months to hire our next employee, and within that time, my mom and I humbled ourselves by taking over and meticulously performing every single task we had previously delegated to our staff.
What we discovered was that we had effectively become the bottleneck within our business. Almost every task that was previously assigned to our employees wasn’t backed up by a clear, documented process, which would explain their frustration and lack of motivation. This translated into a poor communication protocol where we were constantly going back and forth with our staff because nobody was clear about what, when, and how they should be performing tasks. Once we outlined exactly how every vertical within our business should operate (and how questions, assignments, and results should be communicated), it became far easier for us to create new roles and attract the right talent.
Step 2: Redefine the role(s) you’re hiring for
Now that your business’ overall processes have been outlined and you’ve established expectations around reporting and performance, you can develop a role that is directly aligned with these goals and standards.
If you’re hiring for a traditional role (such as an account manager, sales producer, or a customer service representative), it may be tempting to just copy and paste a standard job definition. While most of the items will be applicable to your business, it’s critical to also consider the following questions when outlining the title and description for the role:
- What results or impact will this person’s efforts contribute to?
- What are the “soft skills” required to perform this role well?
- What type of environment will the person hired for this role be working in?
- What standards will their performance be measured against and what opportunities for career advancement are available to them if they exceed the expectations outlined for the role?
These questions (and more that you can find in my Hiring 101 webinar) aim to get to an answer that is even more important than finding someone who is technically qualified for the role: whether or not they can meet the cultural and communication expectations within your business.
Step 3: Outline your unique differentiator as a small business employer
If you want to attract top talent, then you must first acknowledge that you’re going to be competing with larger, more established companies. It’s no longer enough to offer competitive compensation, perks, and benefits – you must clearly define what working for your small business will offer a potential hire that they wouldn’t be able to get at a larger organization. Depending on the nature of your business, this may include:
- Flexibility & Autonomy: Offering flexible hours or even a remote work setup, where employees can choose how and when to get their tasks done in a way that works best for them allows you to cater to your staff’s needs and lifestyles and keep employee turnover low.
- Inclusivity & Culture: As a smaller organization, you have far more control over the type of culture you can create within your company, which is a plus when trying to attract talent that wants to feel included. Smaller teams often collaborate better and allow space for everyone to have a say, making your business stand out even more among applicants.
- Career Advancement & Impact: You have a unique advantage over larger corporations in that you can offer potential hires the opportunity to make greater contributions within a shorter amount of time. More and more employees are prioritizing the impact they can have within an organization when job-hunting, and because your business is smaller, it’s easier for you to provide them the option to grow quickly and add more value within your company.
Conclusion: Employee turnover only gets better when you first address what your business needs
It’s your responsibility as a small business owner to have the humility to acknowledge and address the gaps within your existing roles and operations so that neither you nor your employees have any excuse when it comes to performance. The process of assessing, correcting, and then marketing your business to attract the right talent is challenging, but it will provide you with the foundation you need to grow your business for years to come.
Check out the full blog article on my website below:
Things I found helpful this week:
- This LinkedIn post by Joe Gannon that highlights the difference between being a "window-opener" and a "door-knocker" when it comes to seeking opportunities.
- This podcast episode from "The One You Feed" podcast where author Jon Acuff provides some actionable practices to help overcome overthinking.
- This quote: "It's not who you are that holds you back; it's who you think you're not." - Denis Waitley
I hope you found something helpful or insightful here - please reply back and let me know what topics you’d like me to cover in future issues. See you in two weeks!
-Anais
P.S. If you enjoyed reading this, please send it to someone who might find it helpful as well. If you were forwarded this email, please consider subscribing to receive future issues and follow me on LinkedIn and Instagram for more business and leadership content.
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