Becoming An Employer Of Choice

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Becoming An Employer Of Choice

• - Laying The Foundation -
• AICUM Qld Division
• 2001 Annual Conference
• By Dennis Webb, HR Performance Enhancement
  Professionals
• Email d.webb_at_bigpond.com

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What Makes You The Best?
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The Best Credit Union?
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The Best Employer?
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How Will I Be Treated?
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What Is So Special About You?
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Why Should I Choose You?
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Laying The Foundation...
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The 5 Key Attitudes You Need...

• Know your Competitive Strengths Weaknesses as
  an employer
• Understand the Buying Psychology of your
  employees
• Be Prepared to Change your processes if
  necessary
• Develop specific Recruiting and Retention
  Strategies
• Be prepared to Break Down Resistance to
  necessary internal changes to be more competitive

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What Makes You The Best?
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The Credit Union "Difference"...

• Great Staff
• Superior Service
• Fully Understanding Needs
• Strength and Solidarity
• Credit Union Family
• Not For Profit
• Less Fees

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We "Market" "Sell" The Organisation...
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Marketing To Customers Makes Sense...
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1. Revenue
2. Profitability
3. Growth
4. Loyalty
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Buying - The 6 Steps...

• Awareness of a Need
• Search for Information
• Evaluation of Alternatives
• Decision-Making
• Post-Purchase Reactions
• Repurchase

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Employers Of Choice Use Same Principles...
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Buying Employing Process - Similar!
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Employees Were Once Grateful Children...
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Parent-Child Employment Model

• Child is enticed with carrots punished with
  sticks

• Be a good employee and you get to keep your job

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Times Have Changed...
...Employees Now Customers!!!
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Customer-Supplier Employment Model

• Partners negotiate the transaction as equals

• Both parties must earn the right to continue with
  the relationship

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Employee Perspective On Employment...

• I have employment choices
• I hear about a company
• I evaluate the company
• I have many questions about the job company
  Ill figure out most in the first few weeks

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Employee Perspective On Employment...

• I co-operate or dont co-operate
  with management
• I evaluate my package and other fringe
  benefits
• I continue to have a choice about employment
• I choose to stay with or to leave the company

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Traditional Employer vs Employer Of Choice

• Identify what company needs from employee
• Recruit screen for skills
• Check references, offer job, paperwork
• Entrust employees manager with orientation,
  training, coaching, motivation
• Review employee to check they match current needs
  of employer

• Understand an employees perceived needs
• Understand an employees perceived options the
  competition, both direct indirect
• Implement an approach that earns the right to do
  business with the customer right product, right
  services, right reputation, right price

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Recruiter's Employers Of Choice...

• BBC Hardwarehouse
• Berri
• Bovis Lend Lease
• Commonwealth Securities
• Crown
• Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
• Internet Division
• Hewlett-Packard
• IBM

• Johnson Johnson
• Macquarie Bank
• Pricewaterhouse Coopers
• Protel
• Sara Lee
• SAS Institute
• Sun Microsystems Australia
• Westpac

Source BRW
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Common Components...

• A strong vision communicates its strategy
• A switched-on, inspiring management team
• High staff retention
• Share plans and/or performance-based bonuses
• Career development, mentoring and ongoing
  training
• A positive workplace culture
• A global perspective

• Flexibility
• Open and strong communication, encouraging
  feedback, in the workplace
• Child-care provisions
• Equal-opportunity employment
• A positive market perception of the company's
  abilities
• Work/life balance
• Above-average pay
• Satisfying work on a day-to-day basis

Source BRW
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Driving Employers of Choice...

• Sell Selectively
• Orient Effectively
• Be Retention-Oriented

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Sell Selectively

• Job Review and Analysis
• Job Descriptions and Person Specifications
• Interviewing and Selection

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Job Analysis - 10 Point Plan
Overall Purpose Why does the job exist?
Responsibilities What decision discretion,
problems to solve, resources controlled, importanc
e of interpersonal relations?
Content Scope of job in terms of tasks and duties?
Accountabilities Accountable for what results?
Motivating Factors What features of job are
likely to motivate or demotivate?
Performance Criteria What measures will
indicate satisfactory performance?
Developmental factors Are there opportunities for
promotion, career, new skills or expertise?
Competencies The input required?
knowledge, skills, abilities, qualities
Environmental Factors Working conditions, WHS
matters, unsocial hours, mobility, equipment?
Organisational Factors Reporting line up and down?
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Employee Specs. - 7 Point Plan
Physical Make-Up Appearance, Speech, Attitude etc.
Disposition Steadiness, Stability,
Acceptability, Self-reliance etc.
Attainments Education, Qualifications, Experience
etc.
Circumstances Car available, able to work at
short notice, physically able to complete the
task etc.
Innate Abilities Speed of comprehension, aptitude
for learning
Special Aptitudes Achievements, computing
awareness, speaking skills, typing speeds etc.
Interests Intellectual, Practical,
Constructional, Physically Active, Social,
Artistic
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The Important Interview...
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Prepare...You Only Get One Chance!

• Open Questions for each of the 7 Person
  Specifications
• Prepare Tell Me About A Time When Scenarios
• Job Replica Tests and Scenarios Physical,
  Mental or Verbal

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Orienting Your New Employee
This can be a planned, exciting, positive event
Or, a depressing, anxiety-producing catastrophe
Or, somewhere in between
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Common Orientation Mistakes

• Give more orientation to some employees than to
  others
• Have a non-standardised orientation, defined by
  departments or managers
• Skip orientation altogether

• Focus only on what the company wants the employee
  to know and ignore what the employee wants to
  know
• Assume that employees will be oriented by the
  manager
• Orientation overkill overload the orientation
  with more info than a person can absorb at one
  time

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Orienting Effectively...7 Keys

• A willingness to invest time, effort and
  resources
• An organisation wide awareness of the importance
  of the induction and orientation process
• A focus on the individual is essential

• An ongoing learning process built into the very
  fabric of the organisation
• Responsibility for co-ordination must be centered
• Managing by objectives and results is critical
• A willingness to train those who affect the new
  job holder

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Be Retention-Oriented

• Encourage Employee Motivation
• Encourage Management Behaviours Related To
  Retention
• Encourage Actions That Reduce Turnover

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Major Components of Motivation

• Work Related
• Remuneration
• Job Challenge
• Job Meaning
• Growth Opportunity
• Security
• Reasonable Workload
• Quality Success Orientation
• Physical Environment

• People Related
• Managers Interpersonal Skills
• Managers Functional Skills
• Senior Mgt Communications
• Organisation Culture Climate
• Innovation Opportunities
• Co-worker Cooperation
• Employee involvement

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How Management Help Retention

• Management Environment
• Future Orientation
• Marketplace Sensitivity
• Organisation Sensitivity
• Performance Standards
• Conflict Management
• Tension/Pressure
• Respect for Leadership
• Trust in Management

• Employee Involvement
• Information Sharing Feedback
• Operational Support
• Team Development
• Managing Diversity
• Reward Sharing
• Growth Opportunity
• Quality Encouraged
• Loyalty
• Commitment
• Employee Motivation

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Turnover, Turnover...
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Telltale Signs of Turnover

• A change in any pattern of attendance, including
• Arriving for work later
• Longer-than-usual breaks
• Periodic changes in lunch hours
• Request to use accumulated leave at short notice
• Change in vacation plans

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Telltale Signs of Turnover

• A change in work habits, including
• Improved attention to appearance
• Increased number of phone calls made or received
• A sudden improvement in performance without
  apparent cause, i.e. suddenly on best behaviour

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Telltale Signs of Turnover

• A change in participation, such as
• Fewer suggestions to improve work
• Fewer questions about work assignments
• General withdrawal from day-to-day work issues
• Reduced contact with other employees

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High Turnover Is A Killer...

• Beyond its cost it takes an indirect toll on the
  organisation, such as
• It sends negative messages to current staff
• It scuttles HR investment before you have
  recovered costs
• It strains every system in the HR process
• It places extra burden on existing staff
• Over the long term it can help cause low morale
  If everyone keeps leaving whats wrong with this
  place?

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What Is Your Turnover Costing You?
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If You Think You Have A Problem...

• Ask yourself five key questions
• Do we really have a turnover problem? (what are
  the numbers saying?)
• What valuable employees have recently left?
• Why did those valuable employees leave?
• Whos vulnerable now?
• What positive action can be taken now?

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Take Action Now!
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So, To Start To Become Employers Of Choice, You
Need To Be...
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Market Aware...
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Image Aware...
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Employee Aware...
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Communicators...
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Retention Focussed...
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Leaders...
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Chosen...
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Are You?
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The Next Step Is To Integrate Employee
Lifestyles...