5 Ideas to Attract Staff During the Great Resignation

If you’re having trouble attracting and retaining staff, you’re not alone. A convergence of issues has created one of the greatest talent shortages in our lifetimes. Boomers are retiring in large numbers, deaths from the pandemic and opioid crisis are rising, and people are no longer wanting to work for low wages. Child care is also becoming harder to find, immigration policies are getting stricter, and many are rethinking their career paths. It’s no wonder small businesses are having trouble finding workers. 

The good news is small business owners still have many things they can control when finding the ideal candidates. Here are some ideas to help you do just that.  

1. Be open to various options.

If you require a 40-hour workweek and on-site workers dressed in business professional, you may need to rethink your approach. Many talented people are choosing to work part time, and it might be easier to find two part-time workers instead of one full-time employee.  

How much of the job can they do virtually? This opens your hiring pool nationally and perhaps even internationally. You should also consider temporary versus permanent employees, and outsource certain functions when you can. 

The key is to be open to finding creative ways to get the job done.  

2. Make fun a vital part of your workplace.

Even if there are numerous deadlines and serious work to be done, your workplace can still be fun. A good start is bringing snacks to the office; camaraderie always blossoms around food. 

Add in extra out-of-work activities like movie or game nights, take weekly team lunches, start an amateur sports team, or encourage co-worker get-togethers after work. Decorate the office for each holiday, and celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and employee successes. Create fun projects like a volunteer day for a local charity, or support a team entry in a local fun run.   

In short, create a culture in which employees can not only have fun, but be themselves.  

3. Add perks (and not just the usual suspects).

Employees are demanding more of their employers, and the best businesses are listening and delivering. Beyond increasing pay and ramping up benefits—401k, health insurance, vacation, and PTO—consider these perks: 

• Flex Hours: Give employees more flexibility in when they work.
• Work-from-Home Days: More people are working from home at least part of the time.
• Pet Insurance: A New England CPA firm now offers this pet-lover perk to its workers. 
• Extra PTO: Various companies are now offering unlimited PTO, no questions asked.
• Child Care: Any way you can make the work day easier on parents is a plus.

Other perks to think about are holiday gifts, bonuses, free dry cleaning, free car washes, and employee discounts.  

4. Embrace technology.

Employees want the best tools you can give them to do their jobs better. Make sure your employees are equipped with the latest hardware and software so there’s less stress around the inevitable tech glitches that occur. There’s nothing worse than having a deadline and coming across a software glitch that wastes precious time.  

5. Apply marketing techniques to hiring.

Instead of posting a boring job ad, create a campaign to find employees. Make sure your social media is up to date and mirrors your organization’s culture. Be sure to look in places you may not have traditionally looked for candidates. Create a job interview process that’s interesting and enthusiastic. You’re competing for talent, so doing these things will help you win.  

We may all be dealing with staff shortages, but there are still millions of people looking to make a career move or get back into the workforce. Do more for your employees and candidates than your competitor down the street, and they will want to keep working for you.    

We’d love to talk more about the changes we’ve implemented in our own employee culture to attract and retain top talent! Reach out and let’s have a conversation. If managing your business financials is also high on your list of stressors, we’re here to help!