YES, just get me more employees!
This is a common theme we have heard so much lately. Every client we work with at Your Employment Solutions is begging for more people to fill open positions.
Recently, I listened to a Utah economist speak about this topic. Utah has the 2nd fastest growing economy in the nation and is currently down to 3.4% unemployment. The available pool of qualified employees is extremely tight and employers are competing for the available workers.
Your Employment Solutions (YES) utilizes as many resources as possible, online and offline, such as newspapers, job boards, job listing sites, Utah Department of Workforce services, Facebook, social media, and many others to find/attract potential employees to fill these open positions.
But, this is only half of the equation.
Once we have found an employee that wants to work with us, what are we doing to retain that employee and the current employees we already have?
This may be the bigger and more relevant question. These employees are already there and trained. It is vital to hang on to what we have. Employers can’t afford to lose the most precious and vital resource of its business. Not only is it expensive to start all over, but also the availability of the worker is not so readily available.
Why do Employees Choose to Stay or Leave?
A couple years ago YES did a survey of why employees stay at their job. The top three reasons we found of why employees stick around were:
- Work Environment
- Level of Job Responsibility
- Employee Benefits
What YES Does to Retain Great Employees
At YES we have worked very hard to create an environment that will attract and retain talent. We make a point to thank and recognize our employees for the work they do in the office and to support and encourage them for their interests outside of work.
YES has also created a committee from the employees with responsibility for the culture of the office. They have their own budget and are in charge of birthdays, lunches, treats, potlucks and other small celebrations for goals hit and various competitions we have internally. A little effort in the happiness of its employees has allowed YES to assemble the best recruiters and account managers around.
You might have heard the phrase, “Wage attracts but environment retains.”
At this time in Utah we have to make sure we are doing all we can to retain the talent we currently have, or else plan on joining the rat race for quality workers like everyone else.
Kerry Westenskow
Vice President
Your Employment Solutions
