Concierge
Companies, startups, corporations, family firms and basically every organisation with more than a single employee across the entire planet is getting increasingly more creative when it comes to hiring new, potential employees. Well, they have to and have no choice really. The job market is immensely fierce and extremely competitive, and a large part of top talent is already spread among the biggest players.
However, there is still a vast amount of talented people out there. These are looking to become an asset somewhere, help some company or a startup, no matter how large or small they may grow. All of this thanks to their knowledge, experience or just pure talent.
These types of people are of course not expecting to be doing all this for free. With the level of knowledge or experience behind them, they expect to be handsomely rewarded. The reward we are talking about is, however, not necessarily a monetary one. While hiring top people costs a company large chunk of cash, great salary is no longer the single most important decision maker respectively a deal breaker when it comes to these top people becoming a part of your organisation.
Top employees like to be felt appreciated in many more ways than just a hefty paycheck.
Benefits that add value
Companies are taking note. They are all falling over themselves to win the hearts and services of top people in the respective industries and keep them long term. Ideally forever.
While many are trying to entice people with generous looking salaries or incredible benefits such as private and exclusive medical care, regular home office days, incredibly looking office space, free healthy breakfasts or lunches on the company, wellness trips, massages, fitness centres directly within office premises, the best insurance cover there is or unlimited vacation days. What they should try to do is to think outside the box of obvious benefits instead.
Well, there may just be a solution that might help you hire the top people. When was the last time you took your team offsite on a unique team building experience or a team retreat? We bet you are intrigued, how could some work and play team trip help me hire top talent.. so keep reading.
Company retreats 101
Team retreats are no longer a foreign phrase in company dictionaries, even though many companies are yet to discover their beauty and power. With the way and speed the job market is evolving, team retreats are sure going to have their “15 minutes of fame” before we know it. A company team retreat is not a teambuilding, but it’s not a regular day in the office either.
While the positives of such “corporate goodness” outweigh the negatives, many companies still look at it through money. Yes, it is all well and good as well as truly important to pay every one of the company employees a fair and industry competitive wage, so that the person doesn’t have to live a “paycheck to paycheck” kinda lifestyle and has enough resources to feed themselves and their family.
Besides that as also pay for all the necessary bills while still having enough to LIVE a fulfilling life and devoting time and money to things and events that make them happy. Their hobbies.
It is true that taking your employees out to a remote location can cost a lot of money, it is a very wise investment. And one that will have long term effects on both sides.
Why? Because you are investing in the most precious resource your company has and will ever have. People, staff, employees, however, you want to call them.
Retaining top talent
Having great employees don’t come easy and as we have already mentioned it certainly isn’t cheap but that is exactly the way you should aim to be taking to make sure, they stay with you for not just months, but a good few years and ideally even longer.
You have surely heard the sentence: “People don’t leave companies in search of better pay but because of bad management and not enough opportunities for growth”. The latter actually being truer now than ever before.
If you ask a person who had just left their job in a corporation or even a startup for that matter why have they done so, the most likely answer will be that they haven’t seen any potential for growth, career progression or any opportunity to learn anything new. They simply didn’t feel that they can spread their wings in any other direction anymore.
This is a real shame and a huge problem in today’s previously already mentioned fiercely competitive job market. The power of change is in the hands of the people who have a ton of choice to choose their place of work. Not the companies.
It’s pretty strong if you think about it and carries a lot of truth. Good people want to work in a place where they don’t just earn a nice paycheck but where they are regularly given opportunities to learn, improve their soft skills, socialize, basically grow professionally and personally.
And be given trust, freedom, flexibility, feel valued, respected and a legitimate part of the team. That is all why the companies should be forward thinking when it comes to company culture, work flexibility and organising team getaways.
Bye bye, office stiffness
Team retreats and offsites can be an ideal way to achieve all the above mentioned. It gives employees and their management a rare chance to spend time in an environment, outside of traditional office environment. A place where everyone is at the same level and most importantly more relaxed, behaving naturally, just like when they are at home or on vacation.
It’s a neutral ground. It is where it becomes a lot easier and more natural to be yourself, be open and honest. Innovative ideas and the ability to become a bundle of creativity at a moments notice becomes second nature for many. Not just the current employees but also potential ones.
This is partially thanks to the new environment, fun activities, no strict deadlines and no pop-ups, notifications and tens of emails in your inbox all waiting to be answered not later but five minutes ago. This doesn’t mean that you have to let go of the work completely. However soon you will realise that productivity boost is a very positive positive side effect of team retreats, helping you finish assignments faster and spend more time having fun and bonding with your team.
The millennial effect
Today’s generation of young people, and by young people we mean 18-35-year-olds, so exactly the ones entering the job market or building a career are realising this very well. Hence they look for a job, respectively a company, that first of all offers interesting and meaningful work. Preferably in an even more interesting yet trendy and developing industry. Above that also work, where they can be unleash their potential. Simply create something that is above and beyond their “call of duty”.
They are looking for an exciting culture and searching for a ‘culture deck’ could be one of targets while browsing your website. Do you have one?
Defining what exactly ‘your culture’ is is not always easy. You can use time during a team retreat to brainstorm together and put together a handbook that defines your company’s culture, values and vision. They want a job that suits their lifestyle and not really the other way around.
‘Because life happens even between 9 and 5 and not just after or before.’
Flexibility – not just another phrase
Work flexibility is one of the major requirements, that young people today look for in their future job. It can be in the working hours, as not everyone performs at their best early in the mornings or later in the evenings. Flexibility is not necessarily having to spend 8 straight hours at work for getting something done. Or flexibility in the way they actually do the work or where they do it from (home, cafe, beach, office).
Because in today’s hyper-connected world it truly does not matter where people work from. As long as the job’s done that is, at the end of the day, what should matter the most.
If we take the popular benefit home office for example. It should no longer be considered a benefit for employees. Rather the employers.
Because giving people the freedom to work from a place they feel most comfortable in and trust them enough that they will do the work well will, in turn, mean the work will be done better more efficiently. For employers, this will mean huge savings on not actually having to provide office space.
Hire well & onboard fast
When hiring new employees into a company, companies should try to be different. Instead of the traditional job interview in a closed room between 4 white walls, dressed in a suit and be very strict and formal with a plain desk between the interviewer and the candidate, they could try this instead. Take them on a team retreat and get them to experience the company and team culture first hand. Talk to them and get them involved in team activities.
The benefits will be both sided. The candidate will get to see the “true” company culture. That means to interact and live with their possible, future colleagues and the company the real nature of the candidate, how they act, behave, solve problems, interact with each other and think. It will be a win-win kinda situation.
