That candidate you hired today will likely write your company’s next review on Glassdoor. What do you want it to say?
If you peruse the annual lists of best companies to work for, the ones with outstanding reviews and a slew of virtual thumbs up on Glassdoor, they share some characteristics that are centered on optimizing the employee experience, from recruitment to onboarding to development. And the biggest beneficiary of this focus is not staff, but the bottom line. There is a direct, proven correlation between employee satisfaction and productivity that extends beyond just ‘working harder’ – great work environments spur creativity, create internal brand ambassadors, and encourage employee referrals, still one of the best ways to land top new hires.
So, how you can you take the ‘Glassdoor’ approach and wow your new hires with an outstanding workplace?
Make It About The Team
One of the main factors that sets the best companies to work for apart from the rest is the atmosphere of teamwork they provide. Some organizations resort to tactics like forced ranking, which pits employees against each other and creates a dog eat dog atmosphere. Don’t fall into that trap. Successful companies understand that fostering an environment of teamwork improves employee productivity and morale. Cross-departmental projects, peer reviews, and bonus pools that reward group effort are all excellent ways of promoting teamwork. Remember, a house divided against itself cannot stand, so unity is crucial in a company.
Make It About Respect
Los of people work for companies that provide competitive salaries and great benefits, yet still find themselves dissatisfied with their jobs. Why? Many times it’s because they weren’t being treated like adults. Managers that focus on time-sheets, reports, meetings, and titles (basically any scene from ‘Office Space’) ignore the intangibles that matter: mutual respect, flexibility, project outcomes, and freedom to work in a way that plays to your strengths. Let your employees work from home once in awhile, or grab a notepad, some earbuds and just brainstorm. Designate an area in the office for nap breaks - 71% of employees want that!
Make It About The Culture
Bain & Company asserts that, “A company’s key to success is in its heart and soul.” In a report titled “Building a Winning Culture”, the top 4 consulting firm goes on to say that, “…every winning culture has a unique personality and soul that cannot be invented or imposed. Based on shared values and heritage, the company’s character needs to be discovered from within.”
Here are 8 steps to follow to build a winning company culture
If your current culture is dysfunctional, you’re wasting all the time and money spent recruiting and hiring new employees, because they will be out the door in no time. But if you place an emphasis on positive communication and creating an amazing work environment, you will attract and retain the cream of the crop.
Take some time this week to write the kind of review you would love your business to get on Glassdoor. Then take some more time to deploy employee engagement programs to make it happen.