What does it take to attract the best of the best people to a company? What does it take to just be a spectacular company? If you’re wondering how to become a great employer, keep reading to discover a handful of areas in which you can incorporate excellent programs to build a strong employer brand, attracting and retaining top candidates. These tips will help you pay extra attention to what’s most important to your employees.
How To Become A Great Employer
Diversity and Inclusion
“Diversity: The art of thinking independently together.” – Malcolm Forbes
Workplaces are increasingly implementing ways to embrace the diversity of their employees and creating environments where everyone feels included. Diversity goes beyond gender and race. It’s about every single person, irrelevant of their personal circumstances, being accepted, included and accommodated. Some companies hold diversity particularly near-and-dear to their mission and values and many have won national awards for their diversity and inclusion initiatives. A few specific examples of diversity and inclusion you can consider when it comes to learning how to become a great employer:
- Create tailored employee resource groups where team members can connect, mentor each other, help educate the broader workplace about their specific area of diversity, as well as influence hiring initiatives.
- Offer diversity and inclusion skill-building and training
- Create opportunities to celebrate various cultures to recognize the rich diversity within your organization.
- Learn more about how you can incorporate themes of diversity and inclusion into your company.
Veterans
In September 2017, the veteran unemployment rate dropped to 3.0% — its lowest level since 2001. Compared to 4.0% for non-veterans, transitioning out of the military appears to be getting easier for our military service members. This encouraging news may prove partially related to more and more employers pledging to hire veterans. But what do the best companies for veterans stand for?
- Veteran-focused employee resource groups
- Organization-wide commitment to hiring veterans
- Resources for military spouses and families making the transition to civilian life
- Learn more about what best companies for veterans do to demonstrate their commitment to veterans.
Millennials
While everyone wants to work in a great company, millennials have their own take on the concept. We noticed these common patterns in the companies millennials covet most.
- Millennials want to work for a purpose that inspires them. A paycheck is not enough, nor is creating value for shareholders. Changing the world for the better is not too much to ask for this group, and they want their employers to help them make it happen.
- Millennials want their companies to make a difference in their communities. Social responsibility is not optional or incidental; it helps drive career decisions.
- Millennials want learning and development to be baked into their careers. Training is no longer icing, it’s part of the main course.
- Learn more from several companies that know what it takes to attract and retain top millennial talent.
LGBT+
Inclusivity is paramount in workplaces these days as we’ve already discussed above. And some companies place it at the top of the priority list when it comes to making their team members feel comfortable to be themselves. More and more organizations are not only eliminating discrimination but creating places where all people are valued and can thrive. Similar to diversity and inclusion initiatives, here are some examples of how companies show their support for their LGBT+ community and employees:
- Create a supplier diversity program to support businesses that may traditionally be underutilized (ex. women, minority, LGBT owned businesses.)
- Create specific Employee Resource Groups that support LGBT employees and their allies.
- Share personal employee stories like GoDaddy’s inspiring “It Gets Better” video
- Learn more about how your team can place more of a focus on LGBT+ employees
A Mission With Heart
Companies who give back know it’s not about rules — it’s about relationships. While some companies (especially nonprofits) have caring as part of their mission, others just understand that if the company cares, it will prosper. Does your organization ensure that heart and soul remain infused into your work? The Best of Heart category is described as: Through building relationships with employees, customers, and in the community, these companies show how much they care. Everyone benefits when working with companies like these — companies with heart. When it comes to how to become a great employer, take notes on some of the following companies doing it right:
- Charles Schwab’s annual Schwab Volunteer Week impacts more than 280 organizations nationwide.
- USAA set a great example of how corporations can help their communities, employees and members impacted by natural disasters.
- Learn more about how to weave heart into your company mission and vision.
Perks
It’s no wonder 57 percent of job seekers consider a company’s perks and benefits to be among their primary considerations before accepting a job offer. It’s as important for employee happiness as it is for employer branding — and some companies have their perks down. A sampling of amazing employee benefits some companies offer:
- Paid paternity leave is a benefit where the United States lags behind most of the industrialized world. But many companies are stepping up and offering amazing benefits to new parents including 12 weeks paid leave.
- Performance-focused rewards & recognition programs. Whether it’s cold hard cash or cools products, who doesn’t love to get free stuff?
- Implementing employee health and wellness programs is becoming an important component of benefits at the best employers.
- Learn more about the best companies for perks and how to become a great employer through establishing great perks.
Still wondering how to become a great employer? Don’t miss our webinar The Importance of Employer Branding, February 28 at 1 PM MST / 3 PM EST.
In this webinar, you’ll learn:
- What employer branding is
- Employee survey data from the Most Admired Companies awards and the Top Companies to Work for in Arizona awards
- Client case studies, lessons learned and implementable best practices
Register today for The Importance of Employer Branding webinar
Additional Articles: