In today’s job market, prospective hires are looking for something more. The next generation has strong opinions about what a company must look like for a healthy work environment.
There is a demand from candidates that a work environment covers many facets. “More than ever, employers need to know and act on the factors that make their company appealing to these candidates,” Harvard Business Review writes. These factors may be different depending on industry and specificity, but the general atmosphere of the work environment can be improved in many ways.
- Creating a Career Pathway – one way of doing this is to create more managerial opportunities. New chances for someone to flex their project manager skills means investment in the wellbeing of the company. This then indicates to the employee that they are trusted and have room to grow at this job, not just one track until forever. There will be some employees who will be happy to stick with one job which in some cases is ideal. However, employers need to understand how to reward these members of the team as well.
- Cross Training – this creates a dynamic environment for employees. It allows them as well as management to discover what they’re good at and what they enjoy. A healthy work environment is somewhere where everyone feels they can thrive and have an opportunity to grow and fail safely.
- Mentorship Programs – or training cohorts, or even office committees can all be great ways for everyone to feel a little more involved and important in the workplace.
Whatever you choose to attract the next generation, thinking outside of the box is essential. During our final workforce summit webinar we had the privilege of hearing from Julie Clay, President of Clay Furniture Industries, Inc. As a smaller manufacturer, she’s able to know each of her employees personally and tailor the benefits of working for her company with their specific needs. For example: she has helped some improve their credit, while others needed help obtaining a loan. The experience that your leadership team has outside the work environment can be a vital part of an employee’s experience.
This personal touch even applies to great employees after they leave your company. Staying in touch and sharing your appreciation can speak volumes and may allow you to win them back into the fold. It’s possible they moved to a negative work environment and need encouragement to return to your company.
Sharing all of these workplace benefits can be difficult to navigate. Job listings are the perfect place to showcase these workplace standards, as those are where most prospective employees are interacting with your company for the first time.
Employee testimonials or case studies can be great places to start and press releases can be beneficial to creating an attractive environment. Be sure to share everything online! To learn more or create a communication plan to attract the next generation of workers, Contact Us.