Eighty per cent of staff turnover is caused by bad hiring decisions, according to the Harvard Business Review. There are many reasons why your staff turnover is high and finding these snags in your recruitment process is the key to reducing this. The most frequent reason is lack of personal development; people feel their happiest if they are learning and developing their skills. If employees feel there is no way to progress, then this may deflate their motivation and willingness to work. But few organisations question whether problems within their own recruiting processes actually turn away potential talent. If your recruiting strategy exhibits any of the following obstacles, it’s time for a rethink.
Self-Centred Job Advertisements
Most job advertisements speak extensively about the talent, skills and qualifications a candidate must have, but do nothing to sell the job to the applicant. A three-page list of essential requirements tells potential candidates that you care more about satisfying an HR checklist than you do about nurturing your staff’s potential and attracting the best people for the job. Instead of being besotted with the company’s culture and the prospect of working for you, talented applicants are likely to run for the hills. If that sounds unlikely in today’s difficult labour market, remember that talented candidates always have other options.
Laborious Processes
A recent survey by UK research firm Staffing, revealed that a staggering 47 per cent of job candidates had bailed on a prospective employer because the hiring process was so frustrating. Difficult-to-navigate recruitment portals, onerous communication, complex application forms and ambiguous job descriptions fall into this category.
No Human Face
If your business spends thousands on marketing but pennies on its recruitment communications, you’ve got the balance wrong. Talented applicants deserve more than an impersonal “your application has been received” letter (the passive voice isn’t welcoming, either). So, thank the candidate for applying. Tell them that you’re genuinely pleased to receive their application. Give them a human contact and a direct telephone number or email address. Most of all, tell them what happens next. Candidates who receive identified recruitment steps and a realistic timetable are more likely to stick around.
Close-Minded Culture
Every organisation has a culture and, whether you want it to or not, it will shine through your recruitment practices. Candidates use the application process as a barometer for the organisation’s working environment: show inflexibility, and the candidate has every right to assume that he’ll have little independence in the role.
Most people want to work in an organisation that puts their people first. They want their boss to show unfailing respect for the work they do. They want consideration for the little hiccups that life throws in the way, such as an office-hours medical appointment or a family bereavement. Throw them into a recruitment process that disengages leadership, favours process over empathy or delegates the recruitment decision to an unconnected third party, and your applicants are not going to champion your firm. Before you know it, the best talent will have gone.
In Summary
The recruitment process, and the first three months of a new employee, are crucial to determine if they are going to stay in the business. If you avoid the above mistakes in your recruitment process, then you’ll be sure to reduce your staff turnover. It is good to make your new employee as immersed in the role as possible and give them a helping hand when needed. If the new employee feels comfortable and welcomed, then they are more likely to stay. If you follow these two steps, then you will find the best employees that suit your business and ones that are going to stay.
