HOW HARD IS IT to find great workers?

I’m hearing this complaint a lot this year, and it’s been steadily growing over the course of 2015.  With a local unemployment rate at 3.8%, the tide has definitely shifted in favor of job seekers.

Just notice all the “Now Hiring” signs as you drive around town.

But this is a challenging time for employers.  It’s harder to find great people, engage them in their work, and keep them productive over the long term.

I’ve been doing a lot of work on this topic recently – I’ve been giving presentations (including the webinar Attract Amazing Employees which still has one more scheduled next week) and developed a set of workshops for people who really want to fix the problem once and for all (Hire Smart, Retain Excellence! starting on September 2nd 2015).

A lot of people are looking to develop a new approach which is more effective and less expensive.

So I’ll give you the bottom line:  It’s less about finding the right people than about attracting the right people.  When you develop an attractive employee culture, people start searching you out.  Including the best and the brightest.

And they’re the ones who will want to stick around the longest, because they fit in to that culture.

Most people leave jobs because of work relationships, frustrations with boss and co-workers, and the other “soft” elements.  Generally, if they couldn’t do the job, they wouldn’t have been hired in the first place.  And technical skills tend to be fairly “trainable”, something you can pick up on the job or in classes.

Unlike attitude.

If an employee really doesn’t fit in well with your company culture, it’s going to be painful for them.  And frustrating for everyone else.

So it’s about changing the way you think about how you relate.  With your current employees, and with your future employees.

I help business owners to find and retain great employees.  If you want to create an amazing and attractive organization, let’s talk!  carl.dierschow@smallfish.us.