The Hiring Site

Innovative Companies Bring Out the Hacker in Every Employee

2012-02-09T21:42:26Z

Whether the term ‘hacker’ brings to mind images of someone stealing your credit card information or of Angelina Jolie unleashing computer viruses on the federal government, chances are the last thing you want to associate with the term is your own staff.

And yet, several companies today are doing just that, launching what have become known as ‘hack days’ at their organizations. While the specifics differ for every company, generally, a hack day is one day set aside to let employees (primarily engineers and information technology workers) work on anything they want outside of the scope of their regular responsibilities and everyday tasks.

For companies like Yahoo!, Twitter, Facebook and the Federal Communications Commission, hack days not only successfully generate new business ideas, but also (and perhaps more importantly) boost employee morale, promote collaboration across teams and departments, and enhance the customer experience.

CareerBuilder can certainly attest to the benefits of hack days. CareerBuilder launched its first Hack Day in August of last year, followed by another one in November, and kicks off its third Hack Day today, taking place in offices across the world.

“You’re starting to see companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon, where they utilize technology to drive innovation, and that sparked conversation about, ‘What can we be doing?’” says Roger Fugett, Senior Vice President of Information Technology at CareerBuilder, about what inspired the idea.

With the company’s long history of using technology and innovation to help companies source and retain employees – as well as a desire to “give people an entire day where they can explore their passion”- hosting a hack day at CareerBuilder just seemed to make sense.

Encouraging employees to pursue their passions is part of the culture at CareerBuilder. Every year, every employee has the opportunity to pitch a new business venture for the Ideas from Everywhere contest, and compete to receive the financial backing and resources to run the new business line. The addition of Hack Day, Fugett says, offers employees “just another–slightly less formal – path to innovation.” And just like with Ideas from Everywhere, participants can enter the projects generated from Hack Day into a contest for the chance to see their idea fully realized.

CareerBuilder’s Hack Day isn’t exclusive to its technology workers, either. Every employee in the company is invited to participate as a business partner in the process if he or she has an idea or simply wants to get involved. The business partner is then paired up with a member of the technology team prior to Hack Day to create a plan of action. Not only does this exercise generate a broader range of ideas, but it also promotes collaboration among teams that might not normally work together.

Going into Hack Day, Fugett explains, the goals were simple: “It was really to spark creativity and get people thinking about bringing new ideas to the table – whether that meant addressing market needs or what they’ve talked to sales reps about.” So it was a pleasant surprise to see just how passionately employees took to Hack Day. Over 300 employees actively participated in the first two Hack Days, resulting in a total of 75 new business ideas.

“The volume of participants exceeded our expectations, as did the ideas that generated from it. We started out thinking we’d probably pick just one idea from the first set of submissions, but we ended up picking fourteen – the quality of ideas was just that good,” says Fugett.

As for advice he would offer other companies that want to implement their own hack day, Fugett says, “You have to have a tolerance for failure. If you project manage stuff to death and need everything to have an ROI, pulling this off is going to be tough. If you’re going to be innovative, you have to anticipate some failures.”

He also adds that communicating the idea that failure is okay is crucial when encouraging employees to participate. “You want the ideas. You don’t want people to keep ideas to themselves in fear of being chastised for failing.”

Recruiters, Have You Called a Candidate Today?

2012-02-09T15:57:59Z

Want to build a better relationship with job candidates? All it takes is one thing.

For the New York Giants, it’s Eli Manning. For Rachel Ray, it’s EVOO. And for recruiting and staffing industry professionals, your most valuable resource is your talent pool.

And much the way Ray devotees (yes, we exist) rely on the Food Network star to provide fresh, quality(ish) 30-minute meals on a regular basis, your clients consistently rely on you to provide quality candidates to fill positions.

The problem is, those qualified candidates aren’t always so easy to come by if you haven’t worked to build relationships with them through effective and frequent communication – even during those times your clients don’t have any openings for which they would be a match.

Communication: The Ultimate Candidate Relationship Builder
All you have to do is browse the self-help section of any Barnes & Noble for five minutes to understand that communication is key to building and sustaining long-term romantic relationships. The same is true of professional relationships – particularly those between you and your candidates. Consider the following (relatively painless) ways maintain frequent, effective communication with your candidate pool.

Newsletters: Simple, easy and effective, weekly or monthly email newsletters help keep you on your candidates’ radar without dumping too much information on them. Keep the content brief, but informative and relevant to their needs, such as information about upcoming training or certifications, candidate success stories (to keep them motivated), industry employment breakdowns and trends (to keep them informed), resume tips and career or job search advice. Over time, they will come to rely on these newsletters (and you) as a valuable source of information.

Contact people: Another popular method for communicating with candidates is assigning a “buddy” or contact person to a number of candidates in your pool. The role of the contact person is to call or email their assigned candidates – even the ones already placed by your firm – on a weekly or monthly basis. Not only will you maintain open communication with your candidates, but you will also be able to gauge your candidates’ needs and current career situation.

Emailed job recommendations: In addition to – or as part of – regular newsletters, send out daily or weekly (depending on their preferences) emails containing job opportunities that are relevant to candidates’ industries, experience, skill levels and interests. Segment candidates in a database by these qualifiers beforehand so you can quickly email those groups when new job opportunities become available.

Mobile devices: As an alternative to emails, let candidates opt-in to receive custom job opportunities via text message as well. Inavero research found that over 50 percent of smartphone users are interacting with staffing firms via text and email, as well as reviewing job opportunities – all from their mobile devices. The increased mobile activity underscores the opportunity for recruiters to connect with candidates anywhere, at any time.

Social media: It’s impossible to overemphasize the opportunities social media provides to keep candidates informed and engaged. There are a number of ways to utilize social media as a recruiting tool. For example, you could invite them to follow you on Twitter, become a fan of your Facebook page or connect with you on LinkedIn. Then use these platforms to do everything from push out helpful career information and advice to simply converse with candidates in real-time.

Yes, building relationships with candidates through consistent communication takes work, but working to foster loyalty with candidates will pay off in both the long-term (nearly 40 percent of staffing firm clients say they worked with a staffing firm before as part of their job search, according to CareerBuilder and Inavero’s Opportunities in Staffing guide) and in the short term (the same survey found that, on average, candidates tell eight people about their experiences – both good and bad – with their staffing firms).

When it comes to successful recruiting, what goes around comes around: take care of your candidates, and they’ll take care of you.

Helicopter Parents: Are They Chopping Their Children’s Careers Short?

2012-02-08T21:20:48Z

You know them (or you may even be one yourself): The parents who “pop in” at company brainstorming meetings, or call the Dean of Students at her house just as she’s digging into her mashed potatoes, or hand-deliver their son or daughter’s resume to the hiring manager, singing-telegram style. There have been adult books written about them–and even cautionary children’s tales. I was leaving work last night when I heard a man refer to his mother as one. That’s right–I’m talking about helicopter parents. They’re everywhere–and the conversation about them isn’t going away.

What is a helicopter parent?
According to Wikipedia, a helicopter parent is a “colloquial, early 21st-century term for a parent who pays extremely close attention to his or her child’s or children’s experiences and problems, particularly at educational institutions.” The term was originally coined in Foster W. Cline, M.D. and Jim Fay’s 1990 book “Parenting with Love and Logic: Teaching Children Responsibility.”

How it all started
The idea of “helicopter parents” really gained traction several years ago, when people started to notice baby boomer parents “hovering” over their Millennial high school or college kids and becoming much more participatory in their educational lives, doing everything from scheduling their courses to angrily calling teachers about a bad grade. This was something we hadn’t really been seeing in generations past–generations in which parents were much more hands-off (and, some would add, respectful of their children’s ability to function as adults). As Nancy Gibbs wrote about the mentality of baby boomer parents in an article for Time magazine, “We were so obsessed with our kids’ success that parenting turned into a form of product development.” She added that this type of parenting is largely driven by memory and demography–parents born after 1964 waited longer to marry, and their families are among the smallest in history, leading them to guard their children more closely.

From classrooms to boardrooms
Those Millennial students became Millennial workers whose parents hadn’t stopped working on their behalf, and the problem seeped into the workplace like a leaking My Little Pony lunch thermos. Embarrassing stories abound of parents calling HR to advocate for offering Gary more money for a job, give Lewis that promotion he’s been asking for, or demand to know why they didn’t hire Betsy on the spot. “Submitting resumes without informing my child” has become the new “scheduling all the classes for Bob I wish I would have taken myself.”

How should companies react?
The big question now is, as a recent NPR article points out, should companies push back against the mighty force of helicopter parents in the workplace, or accept–and even embrace–it? Some experts of generational trends stand by the idea that it’s futile to fight this generation of workers’ level of closeness to their parents, and that rather than fight it, businesses should use it to their advantage and get parents on their side. And some businesses are in fact embracing it, even going so far as to initiate “Take Your Parent to Work Day” with the intention of showing parents a glimpse into their child’s work environment (and smoothing over relations with the often irate person on the other end of the phone line). Even mobile applications are acknowledging that parents are an integral part of younger generations’ every move: A new Foursquare app enables users to add the hashtag #mom to a check-in to let mom know they’ve arrived safely at their destination.

Taking flight or running out of fuel?
Are helicopter parents helping their kids further their careers and start building toward their future–or are they sabotaging the very thing they’re trying to protect and nurture? Encouraging parents to be involved in a school setting, when their children still have the promise of a safety net and aren’t completely “free” yet, is much different than when they’re in their early 20s. At that latter point, they’re in the working world and, at least in theory, are living as independent adults whose goal is to grow without that safety net–to show the world who they are and who they’re capable of becoming.

As an employer, what’s your take on helicopter parents? Do you view them as a way to positively influence a candidate or employee–or nuisances who are hindering their son or daughter’s ability to make independent decisions, branch out, learn and grow? Do you look at a candidate or employee more favorably, as they have a caring and supportive background, or negatively, as that influence weighs them down and shows a lack of leadership and problem-solving skills?

What do you think about helicopter parents in the workplace–does your business reject or encourage the practice, and why? Have helicopter parents influenced your hiring decisions?

6 Don’ts to Avoid for Employee Engagement

2012-02-07T16:37:13Z

Employee engagement is a crucial part of any successful workplace.

True engagement goes beyond job satisfaction and loyalty — instead, it delves into an individual’s personal satisfaction. From a company’s perspective, true engagement ultimately contributes to the organization’s bottom line.

What makes engagement work for employees? The equation is simpler than you’d think. For workplace engagement (or happiness), a job needs to provide meaning, enjoyment, and not surprisingly, a paycheck.

At WorkSimple, we love offering tips and trick to encourage employee engagement. However, there are only so many ways we can share the dos. What about the don’ts? After all, it’s just as important to know what to avoid (not mention, it’s kind of fun).

Here are six don’ts every manager (and executive) should keep in mind when working on employee engagement:

Don’t limit feedback
Limiting feedback to annual (or even more sporadic) performance reviews is harmful to employee engagement. It catches employees off-guard and usually pulls from specific instances instead of providing an overall picture. Ultimately, limited feedback keeps workers on their toes (in a bad way).

Engaged employees love frequent feedback. It gives them confidence and helps them move forward. More importantly, feedback helps them understand how their work fits into the team and the bigger company picture.

Don’t stick to long-term objectives
Picking one massive project for everyone to work on is not good for employee engagement. After a long day’s work, only a fraction of the project will be accomplished, leaving employees stressed and feeling unimportant.

Engaged employees prefer a combination of long-term and short-term goals. In reality, short-term goals reflect what is going on in the workplace today. It helps workers deal with shifting priorities.

Short-term goals can, however, contribute to a long-term direction. This leaves employees feeling more accomplished and less stressed.

Don’t go all-for-one
When management forces their employees to work separately, engagement goes out the window. Competition outweighs collaboration, leaving employees to feel like it’s them against the world.

Engaged employees prefer to work together in a group for most goals and projects. That way everyone’s best skills are used appropriately and a team dynamic is inspired.

Don’t stay by the book
Religiously following an original business plan can work against employee engagement. It allows no room for new ideas and your employees will feel like they’re a cog in the machine.

Successful companies that have existed for 10, 20, or even 50 years learn early on that change does happen from time to time. An engaged workforce will shift goals and techniques instead of remaining stagnant. Flexibility encourages innovation and the company as a whole will thrive.

Don’t criticize
A manager or executive who consistently focuses on where employees fall short is working against employee engagement. Constant micromanaging and layering on work without praise keeps employees tense and powerless.

In an engaged workplace, employees hear praise and constructive criticism often. This instills a sense of trust that they are improving and that they matter to the company.

Don’t keep management and workers separate
If there is a rift between management and staff, engagement won’t be able to thrive. Employees will have the distinct feeling that management is “above” them and management will lord over employees. In this scenario, employees feel condescended to and disengaged.

To increase employee engagement, turn managers in coaches. This encouraged the overall “team” feel throughout the company. Employees feel more comfortable working with management and vice versa.

What do you think? What other don’ts would you add to this post? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Morgan Norman is the Founder and CEO of WorkSimple, putting an end to performance reviews by providing a better way for coworkers and teams to share goals, work together, get and give feedback, and make each other shine. Connect with him and WorkSimple on Facebook and Twitter.

Avoid Culture Shock at Your Growing Organization

2012-02-07T15:14:23Z

As your company grows, make sure it doesn’t leave behind the culture that makes it so great.

Organizational culture is one of those things that you don’t really notice – or appreciate – until it’s gone. Unfortunately, losing sight of one’s organizational culture is a common side effect of growth: You get so busy growing your business, you tend to forget about working to maintain the unique workplace culture you established as a smaller business.

Maintaining culture through growth is a difficult – but necessary – effort. Recognizing this, CareerBuilder and Inc. recently created “Geared to Growth: Building an Infrastructure for the Long Haul,” a new report designed to help companies deal with the common challenges that accompany organizational growth.

The following excerpt from “Geared to Growth” offers three tips to ensure that as your business grows, your culture doesn’t get left behind.

Dealing with the Cultural Issues Growth Brings
Although it’s nearly every company’s goal, growth doesn’t always bring with it positive change. Unless your company is prepared for the accompanying cultural shifts, growth can spark serious disruptions in your organization. Here are some tips for dealing with the changes growth can bring:

Account for emotion. Businesses often encounter particular emotional resistance to changes in the decision-making process, not only in the C-suite but throughout the organization. “In my experience, it hasn’t been as hard for the CEOs as it has been for the next level down,” says Barbara L. Davidson, Ph.D., a change management consultant and faculty member at Villanova University.

Prepare the entire organization for change. For that reason, it’s essential to prepare everyone in the organization for change and solicit staff input on growth plans before they’re put in motion. “It doesn’t guarantee failure, but it’s a set-up for failure if you don’t involve representatives from all functional areas and all levels of the organization in actually helping to design the change as well as execute it,” Davidson says.

Communicate the vision. Communicate the company’s organizational objectives and the impact those goals will have on employees’ responsibilities, job performance expectations, and prospects for advancement or new opportunities. Make sure they understand their roles in upcoming changes and are motivated to meet the challenges growth brings. That’s a critical strategy for maintaining their sense of investment in the company’s growth.

What does your organization do to foster culture?

Want to know more? View previous excerpts from “Geared to Growth” here, here and here, or simply download the entire report here.

What Do Workers Really Think About Your Health Care Staffing Firm?

2012-02-06T23:31:43Z

If you were on CareerBuilder’s recent webinar (you can still listen here) about 2011′s Opportunities in Staffing report findings, you’re already privy to many interesting details about the state of the staffing industry today, what your candidates, employees and clients think of your firm, and how you can make a bigger impact in your recruitment efforts.

If you’re in a staffing firm placing candidates in the health care sector, however, you have unique challenges that may not have been specifically addressed in the main report — which is why we’ve broken down the key findings from this particular sector for you below. Use Opportunities in Staffing’s findings to help grow your health care staffing firm and gain an edge in the recruitment space. This report is designed to help you explore new opportunities and improve your interactions with candidates, employees and clients (many of whom have belonged to more than one of those categories at some point). Did you know that 36 percent of active clients of health care staffing firms have also used a staffing firm as part of their personal job search at some point in their career? It’s true–and there’s more.

What do Opportunities in Staffing’s results say about perceptions of your clients, employees and candidates?

CLIENTS

Clients are increasingly mobile: Seventy percent of health care staffing clients have data-enabled smartphones, up compared to a year ago.
There’s a lack of recognition of staffing firms: The average health care sector staffing client can name their primary firm and just 1 or 2 others from memory.
The average health care client uses between 1 and 2 staffing services, with 80 percent indicating they’ve used their firm to fill a temporary position.
Many health care clients were once your candidates: More than a third of health care sector clients have worked with a staffing firm as part of their personal job search at some point in their career.

EMPLOYEES

Most employees feel positive about their firm’s future:The majority of healthcare staffing firm employees are positive about the improvements their staffing firm has made in the past year (55 percent strongly agree their firm has improved), and 57 percent strongly agree they expect their firm will change for the better in the next year.
Significant generational satisfaction differences exist: Those 31 years old or younger give their staffing firm an Net Promoter Score of 24 percent, nearly 3 times lower than the average score (61 percent) given by Baby Boomers who work for health care staffing firms.
Employees want more training opportunities: More than a third of health care staffing employees reported feeling they did not have the training opportunities they needed and 44 percent said they didn’t feel they had opportunities for advancement within their firm, higher than staffing employees working in other sectors.
Work camaraderie is extremely important: When it comes to satisfaction drivers, internal staff rate the enjoyment of working with their colleagues highest.
Workers expect higher pay this year: Seventy percent of internal staff in the health care sector expect an increase in total compensation in 2012.

CANDIDATES

Health care staffing firms have huge challenges–and opportunities–in front of them: Only 13 percent of job seekers in the health care sector use a staffing firm as part of their job search, and just 1 percent start their search there.
Older generations dominate the market: Nearly 50 percent of health care sector job seekers are 50 years old or older and only 19 percent fall into Generation Y.
There’s a significant lack of awareness of firms: Thirty-seven percent of health care sector job seekers can’t name a single staffing or recruiting firm from memory, and even when shown a list of some of the largest brands in the sector, half recognized 3 or fewer firms within the space
Job seekers are looking for jobs on mobile devices: 37 percent review job opportunities on a mobile device.
Lack of communication is their biggest complaint: A lack of communication and responsiveness remain the top issues brought up by job seekers dissatisfied with health care staffing firms.

How your firm can use these findings in 2012:

Optimize health care staffing employees’ overall satisfaction and engagement with staffing firms by reinforcing your mission to help place people in meaningful jobs and careers.
Don’t overlook your current clients. In many cases, health care staffing clients only use a single staffing service. Educate them on other ways you can help their organization manage growth with flexible talent.
Identify key relationships with your top talent early in the process and find ways to stand out with them. Their experience with your firm has a significant impact on their current assignment with your firm and any future assignments.
Take advantage of the significant opportunity to reach new clients and job seekers through mobile devices. Health care clients and talent are slower to adopt social media, but are quickly embracing interaction through mobile technology.

These findings only cover a fraction of Opportunities in Staffing’s health care findings–download the report here to read up on all the findings or share with your colleagues.

Which results surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments below.

Employee Feedback: Are You Really Listening?

2012-02-06T17:11:24Z

Unless you’re Angela Martin from “The Office”, opening yourself up to criticism about your shortcomings probably falls somewhere between picking up your dry cleaning and getting a colonoscopy on your list of favorite things to do.

While administering employee feedback surveys can feel like you’re putting both your company and your performance as a leader and manager in front of the firing squad, it also happens to be one of the most efficient and effective ways to understand the internal workings of your organization. Consider the following benefits to employee surveys (and take the ‘evil’ out of ‘necessary evil’).

Five Benefits of Employee Feedback

Turning lemons into lemonade (or lemonade vodkas, if you prefer). Yes, the chances you’ll receive some negative feedback are about as good as the chances E! will soon create yet another Kardashian-focused reality show, but negative feedback provides the opportunity to change things at your organization for the better.
Winning over new fans. If your organization were a television network, employee feedback time would be sweeps week for you. Just by virtue of taking an interest in your employees, you’re likely to see an increase in morale and productivity; however, those effects may only be short-term. If you want to retain those new fans (i.e. foster long-term employee morale), you must continue to meet the expectations you’ve now set forth (see #5 from the checklist below).
Reigniting that old feeling. Instead of just asking employees what they would change about the company or their jobs, ask them to vocalize what they love about these things, as well. Chances are they don’t often stop to think about these things, and it serves as a good reminder as to why they come to work each day, again boosting morale. Bonus: You can use this feedback to enhance your current employer brand message.
Saving money. Employee feedback can also give you better insight into how to better allocate your resources and enhance your benefits package. Be sure to ask about the benefits or employee-focused programs they take advantage of, which ones they don’t (you might find you’re wasting money on programs employees don’t want) and which benefits you should consider implementing to make them happier and more productive (and more likely to recommend you to prospective candidates).
Bring out the Steve Jobs in everyone. In addition to the above, employee surveys can build your bottom line by generating business ideas. Because they work closely with customers, your employees have a much closer pulse on customer needs. Thus, they’re likely to have suggestions for how to improve certain aspects of the business, services or products to meet these needs.

Administering Employee Surveys | A Six-Step Checklist
In order to get the best return out of your employee survey, the following actions are a must:

Ensure anonymity. If your employees think there’s any chance their feedback will be held against them later on, they might not be completely honest in their answers. In the end, that won’t help anyone.
Clarify your goals. Explain your reasoning behind administering the survey, what you hope to get out of it, and why your employees’ participation is important. Be sure to emphasize how these surveys will benefit them.
Get buy-in from all levels of leadership. From the CEO to your employees’ direct managers, everyone should be encouraging participation in the survey to reiterate the importance of participation.
Make it easy. The easier you make it for employees to give feedback, the more likely they are to participate. Keep the survey brief (according to Inc.com, the ideal length of an employee survey is between 35 to 55 questions and takes only 15 to 25 minutes to complete), and easily accessible. If possible, create an online survey that can pre-populate data such as name, department and title to save your employees time filling out these fields. Also, be sure to include a direct link to the survey through email invitations and reminders, as well as the homepage of the company intranet.
Live up to your promises. The most important part of the employee feedback process is also, unfortunately, one of the most underutilized. Don’t let your time and efforts to gather feedback amount to nothing. Follow up with your employees to go over the results of the survey, reiterate your goals and outline the next steps. Not only does failing to follow up mean you’ve essentially wasted everybody’s time, it’s also huge blow to morale, because it sends the message that you really don’t care about your employees’ wants and needs.
End on a high note: Remember, employee surveys are also a chance for you to reaffirm what’s great about your organization. Take this opportunity to recognize those things that make working for your organization great. Use the follow-up meetings as a chance to say, “This is what you said you love about working here, and we take pride in that. Let’s celebrate this.”

How do you solicit employee feedback? What methods do you recommend?

CareerBuilder’s Big Game ‘Run the Ultimate Fly Pattern’ Sweepstakes

2012-02-06T17:20:41Z

Whether you are rooting for the New England Patriots or the New York Giants, chances are you’re going to be watching the Big Game with friends, family and even some co-workers. Instead, imagine leaving the stress of your job for a few days by hopping a flight to the U.S. destination of your choice. Unlike that last grueling business trip, we think travel should be nothing but fun and relaxation. And we have a solution for you…

Run the Ultimate Fly Pattern Sweepstakes
“Like” CareerBuilder for Employers on Facebook and then enter your name, address and e-mail for a chance to win $1,000 in complimentary airfare from CareerBuilder; the ‘Run the Ultimate Fly Pattern’ sweepstakes runs from January 30, 2012 to midnight, February 12, 2012.

We know your work is important, but everyone deserves to take a break to unplug, kick up their feet and get lost in a good book. And many (including CareerBuilder’s own VP of HR), say traveling across the world or just setting up camp in your house — and away from your office — is good for your health and may translate to better work while in the office:

“Taking advantage of vacation or paid-time-off benefits is critical not only to your well-being, but to your overall job performance,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder. “Workers who set aside time for R&R tend to have less burnout, more creative energy and higher quality output. While financial challenges and heavy workloads may make vacation planning difficult, it’s important to find time to recharge away or at home. It can ultimately translate into a more gratifying work experience that benefits you, your family and your employer.”

Where would you go if you won $1,000 in complementary airfare?

Better Employee Benefits Generate Perks for Business, Too

2012-02-06T17:20:33Z

Creating a better benefits package isn’t just good for employees. It’s good for business, too.

Growing Pains: it’s not just a classic TV series desperately in need of a reunion show. While growth is a blessing for many companies, it also brings with it many challenges. With this in mind, CareerBuilder and Inc. have just released “Geared to Growth: Building an Infrastructure for the Long Haul,” a new report designed to help companies deal with the growing pains they may experience over both the short- and long-term.

The following excerpt from Part III of “Geared to Growth” (you can check out part I here and go here for part II) discusses how benefits are critical to attracting and retaining employees – and how you can deliver the benefits employees want (without breaking the bank).

Benchmarking Your Employee Benefits Package
Benefits play a crucial role in attracting and retaining productive employees. So how do you know if you’re offering a compelling benefits plan? Start with one question: Are employees using it?

“One important factor is utilization,” says Professor Martocchio, who is author of Employee Benefits: A Primer for Human Resource Professionals. Take stock of which benefits employees are actually taking advantage of. Perhaps your company can replace some benefits employees don’t want or need with new benefits that they’ll appreciate more. “Before you invest in those benefits and spend the money, you need to do a needs test to find out what the employees will use.”

Don’t neglect non-traditional benefits like flex-time, telecommuting, and domestic partner coverage, which many employees today consider essentials, not extras. They expect employers to recognize and respect their personal and family obligations, even in the current economic environment.

It’s not just employees who get perks from these types of benefits, either. Offering those nonstandard benefits gives you a competitive edge in attracting highly in-demand workers – and in retaining your current employees.

Benefits don’t have to break the bank.
Some of the most valued employee benefits are also some of the most cost-effective to execute. Options include:

Providing space for weekly weight-loss program meetings.
Offering education on use of flexible spending plans.
Bringing in counselors to help employees assess their financial planning and insurance positions.

“These are really critical issues,” Martocchio says. “Most of us do not know how to deal with long-term wealth building or long-term care, because it is so complicated.”

Be careful, however, not to endorse or sponsor financial or insurance advisors (which introduces the potential for liability) and make it clear that the company receives no commission on these referrals.

Staff members should have a voice in designing the plans. Several strategies can help you to gather and implement their input:

Conduct periodic surveys of employee preferences.
Invite feedback through use of a physical or virtual suggestion box.
Create a representative employee advisory committee that reflects a broad cross-section of job titles and employee backgrounds, both personal and professional.

These strategies not only provide a simple, inexpensive way to gauge employee concerns—they also give executives and management a way to demonstrate that the company cares about and does its best to respond to employee concerns.

If you choose to launch an employee advisory committee, make sure you have a clearly defined purpose for it. Make sure the members understand the metrics the company will use to evaluate the committee’s effectiveness and contributions to corporate-wide productivity.

These metrics should measure concerns that “play to the success of the organization,” says human capital management consultant Paul Belliveau, SPHR, HRIP. These metrics should measure success “against the problems that need to be solved to achieve strategic goals and objectives from a corporate standpoint.”

For more information, download a complimentary copy of “Geared to Growth” – and check out the Infrastructure-Building Resources on page 15 for further assistance in evaluating and enhancing your existing benefits plan.

The Surprising Reason You’re Not Getting the Candidates You Need

2012-01-31T15:32:31Z

You don’t get it. You’re doing everything right: You’re offering a great job with a great company, you’ve ensured your job advertising placement is targeting the right group of candidates, and you’re positive you’re offering the most competitive salary. Even your job posting is flawless.

And yet, the job applications just aren’t flowing in the way they should. So what gives?

The truth is, while you might be doing everything right to attract the right job candidates and compel them to apply to your job opportunities, it might just be what happens after they hit “apply now” that’s the source of your troubles.

Research shows that 34 percent of candidates who try to apply for jobs don’t complete the application process – simply because the application process is too much of a hassle.

(Think about it. Have you ever tried to enter a contest online only to find that the registration process is more trouble than the prize is worth? Applying to a job online can be just as frustrating. The more hoops you make candidates jump through just to apply, the less likely they are to complete the application process.)

According to CareerBuilder internal data, the top two reasons candidates gave for failing to complete the application process were due to usability issues and time constraints:

24 percent of candidates don’t apply to jobs because the “Apply Now” link is broken.
21 percent believe that the long application process isn’t worth their time.

The good news is that fixing your job application process to end candidate drop-off is a relatively easy fix. The hard part, however, comes with discerning exactly where and why candidates are dropping off in the first place – an effort that will inevitably require some data analysis.

While your current applicant tracking system might be able to offer some insight as to what you need to change or enhance about your application process, you might find you need the help of a third party that can offer objective analysis and insights. CareerBuilder’s Applicant Experience offering, for example, gives insight into your application process by tracking candidates and surveying them within 24 hours of an interaction with your Job Posting, and then again a month later.

Not only will an external resource help you uncover holes your internal team is likely to overlook, but you’ll benefit from the expert solutions to create a better recruitment process overall. It’s an investment up front, but one that will ultimately save you time and money (and frustration).

How often do you evaluate your organization’s application process?