Managers & HR personnel can win the race for talent by following seven simple steps to successful recruitment

Finding and retaining the right staff has never been tougher than in the current climate. Labour sources have been diminished post Brexit and the departure of some personnel during COVID, businesses face losing people to higher paying sectors whilst employees experience the squeeze on wages caused by the hike in the cost-of-living. This is also contributing to the increase in demand for people. But by following seven simple steps to successful recruitment, Managers & HR personnel can win the race for talent.

Although there is still an increasing quantity of people who like the flexibility of working on short-term contracts, more and more companies are seeing the benefits of using temporary staff. This is also contributing to the increase in demand for people, but is it worth using a recruitment agency or can HR managers do something more to fill vacancies in house?

Ensure job applicants understand the job and the benefits

Overcoming problems in an inflationary wage market doesn’t necessarily mean the answer is throwing money at it. It’s always possible to make your vacancies stand out from the crowd by explaining what the job involves in simple terms, and more importantly, exactly what benefits you offer. Giving everyone a clear of view exactly what the role entails may decrease the volume of applications, but it will mean more of the right type of candidates, i.e., those that can or want to do the job. You also need to be clear about the benefits, which may not be as obvious. For example, highlighting if your location is  easy to reach, has an on-site canteen, or if staff qualify for discount, can have a considerable affect on applications.

Rewards for High Performance

It’s also good practice to offer rewards for high performance and whilst cash payments are usually the preferred method, incentives don’t always have to involve money. Completing work early, happy customer reviews or good feedback can be successfully rewarded with incentives like an early finish or late start, for example.

Thorough staff induction and training for better staff retention

Providing comprehensive off- and on-the-job training is vital to keeping the right people in the job doing the right things. Even for the most straightforward jobs, giving a clear idea of the aims of the role provides a roadmap for prospective employees of what the role is and how they can succeed in it. This gives your candidates an outcome to reach and you, the employer, the best chance of recruiting the right personnel. Precise and structured a recruitment is vital for staff retention. Every role should start with an induction process to set out what’s expected of the new employee.

Better recruitment leads to lower staff attrition

The definitive mark of a effective recruitment campaign is the retention of workers. Retaining staff, whether permanent or temporary, keeps experience and knowledge in your team and promotes a more consistent setting for new personnel to start in. It can also protect you from the increased costs of recruitment and training new personnel. Good staff retention starts with a robust induction, but continues with ongoing praise, regular assessment and target setting. Giving employees a platform to enjoy regular, two-way communication is vital to staff retention. "Ongoing appraisals can help," says KPI Recruiting Sales Director Joe Jardine, "but lower attrition starts with a strong recruitment funnel and the ability to pick the right people for the job." Our key clients have found that rather than adding to costs, KPI has helped reduce overheads by increasig staff retention which increase productivity through fewer people 'training on the job.'"

Is it worth using a recruitment agency?

If keeping staff is difficult or your business experiences regular peaks and troughs which can only be managed by upscaling the workforce, a good quality recruitment agency can be invaluable. A ‘good quality’ agency is one that concentrates efforts on the seven simple steps to successful recruitment and spends time thinking about staff retention, benefits and incentives.

KPI’s attention is not just focused on ‘filling’ jobs, but also keeping your business staffed with reliable staff: people who turn up on time, every time – and if they don’t – we sort it so that you can focus on what’s important in your business.

KPI can introduce your company to a unique pool of dependable talent with experience in industrial, driving, IT and office positions and much more.

If you’re looking for help recruiting and retaining staff, give KPI a call and find out how we can transform your recruitment and staff turnover. Our branches stretch from Glasgow to South London, and you can find your nearest KPI Recruiting branch here.

Alternatively, phone our Business Development Team:

• Joe Jardine, 07874 867453, JoeJ@kpir.co.uk
• Vicky Brittleton, 07513 727634, VickyB@kpir.co.uk
• Rosie Lovatt, 01782 712230, RosieL@kpir.co.uk