10 Ways to Become an Employer of Choice

By Monica Wheaton

CEO, Shinn Builder Partnerships

Have you ever noticed that some companies just never have job openings? They seem to attract the best people, and those people never leave. How do they do that? It is a critical question to answer in today’s job market because we are at effective full employment; talented people will have their choice of positions. 

Shinn Builder Partnerships founder Charles C. Shinn Jr., PhD, says that as a manager, your goal is to create and maintain an environment in which people can accomplish clear goals efficiently and effectively. “Employees need to feel like they are part of a larger organization and that their contributions matter,” he says.

The best way to keep other companies from poaching your staff is to become an Employer of Choice and give your employees reasons to stay instead of reasons to leave. Here are 10 ways to become an Employer of Choice:

1. Foster unity of purpose
Have a mission statement that clearly defines the values and goals of your company. Reinforce the intent with frequent communications to provide employees with a sense of identity and purpose. 

2. Eliminate obstacles, confusion, and uncertainty
Provide a clear organizational structure with job descriptions and position guides. Help employees understand their contribution to company goals. Develop standardized policies and procedures.

3. Provide a positive, motivational workplace 
Treat employees with fairness and respect. Frequent and open communications and messages that boost morale can promote loyalty and inspire your employee to do their best.

4. Uphold high standards of performance
People like to be challenged. Set high standards of performance for employees and encourage them to set realistic stretch goals. Give employees a complete job with measurable results.

5. Provide career development and training opportunities
Demonstrate your commitment to career development by offering employees training opportunities to enhance their skills and support their career goals.

6. Reward and recognize high performance
Rewarding high performance is more effective than punitive measures for poor performance. What you reward is what you are going to get.

7. Delegate appropriate authority and allow job ownership and autonomy
Provide employees with a sense of ownership and autonomy in their work. Promote self-management and hand over complete job control. Provide training to increase employee confidence and competence.

8. Implement effective systems and encourage employee initiative
Poor systems account for 85 percent of all underperformance. Encourage employees to talk about de-motivators and to make recommendations on how to improve operations. Create a no-blame culture. Provide clear feedback on performance

9. Routinely thank employees for jobs well done 

Review accomplishments and areas needing improvement with employees on a regular basis. Clarify expectations and provide clear objectives and directives.

10. Pay attention to the social needs of employees
Hold regular social and team-building events to foster positive relationships across the entire company.

To yield results, these 10 steps take time, money, and commitment from the top down. But if you abide by them, people with exceptional skills, work ethic, and character will want to work for you. For more information on how your company can become an Employer of Choice, click here.