Becoming an employer of choice in a complex and competitive environment

In the recent 50 best places to work Australian report almost 80% of organisations in the study considered employee retention as their biggest challenge.

Unemployment rates are on the decline, turnover is increasing, and both existing and potential employees are looking for new opportunities in an environment of stagnating wages. The latter not only exacerbates a challenging recruiting environment but also signifies a likely increase in companies’ cost to both recruit and retain top-tier employees.

So, in a competitive and complex healthcare environment, how do you attract, hire and retain good people?

Set a goal to be an Employer of Choice

Your workplace must have a positive reputation in the marketplace of being an excellent place to work. The work environment and the culture of your organisation are essential in creating a positive reputation that attracts a high standard of employees. Talented individuals usually have other job choices. Your work environemt sets the tone for their decision to join or not.

The Employer of Choice RepTrak Model

Willingness to work for a company is predominantly driven by three different dimensions:

• Responsible Behaviour – positive influence on society, concern for employee wellbeing, ethical behaviour, environmentally conscious
• Sustainable Growth – strong prospects for growth, strong leadership, innovative
• Products/Services (to a lesser degree) – high quality products/services, stands behind its products/services, good value products/services

Enhance Employer Branding

To enhance your company’s reputation, focus internally on existing employees and their needs as they become your advocacy team. To supplement this, Human Resources professionals need a communication strategy to increase awareness of the company’s activities externally through trusted third-party sources (for example, health news media, social media) to boost employer branding.

1. Focus on showcasing examples of responsible behaviour and highlighting the promising future of your company.
2. Communicate a compelling story to both existing and potential employees — create a competitive advantage by fostering frequent and personally relevant messaging
3. Improve perceptions of responsible behaviour – this is a significant content opportunity to drive traction.
4. Be perceived as progressive which is critical in making your company a more attractive employer — but it needs to be aligned with a straightforward and caring workplace culture.

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