|
The competition to
obtain top talent has finally arrived, and as a result, many companies are
trying to find ways to attract and retain the folks they need to drive the
business. While there are certainly many ways to appear as a company
of choice to job seekers, there is one that is virtually foolproof.
More and more employees today are searching for ways to spend more time with
their families or even on their personal hobbies and interests.
Therefore, one company benefit that prospective employees may be looking for
while conducting a job search is a work/life balance program. In
addition, employees are looking for companies who are willing to invest in
their employees’ development. Successful individuals often want to be
assured that there are leadership development programs at their disposal
that will support their learning of new skills in order to help them grow.
Many companies already have these offerings in place. However, some
companies are still not yet on board with these ways of attracting top
talent. If your company is currently missing these opportunities, you
may be looking for a way to convince them to get on board. If so, here
are some tips for taking on this endeavor.
The best way to proceed is
to draft a proposal that clearly states your suggestions, how they would be
implemented, any costs (if none, highlight this fact!), and the return on
investment. Specific and quantifiable research, showing that companies
with these policies not only have happier employees, but a more productive
workforce, will only help to bolster your case.
For example, if you propose
a flexible work schedule program, a good information source is the Society
for Human Resources Management Web site (www.shrm.org)
and their archived articles. Once you have facts about how flexible
work schedules can benefit the company, state the specifics of what the
program should look like. Should it offer flexible start and end
times? If so, within what limits? Would people come and go as they please,
or would they need to commit to a specific shift for an unspecified amount
of time? Would there be a record-keeping component to the program, and if
so, who would be responsible for that? The best way to create this proposal
is to partner with your Human Resources department, since most likely, this
department would be administering any work/life benefits.
Flexible work
schedules are a great benefit for a company to offer because there is no
financial cost, yet it makes employees very happy. Just about everyone
loves having this option and the opportunity that a flexible schedule gives
people to plan their lives.
You also could suggest flexible work
weeks, which involves compressing work time into fewer days to have more
time off. For instance, our company has a flex week program in which
employees work 40 hours in 4 and a half days, taking a half-day during that
week as time off. This allows for things such as appointments that can
only be made during the daytime, starting your weekend early, or being able
to make that talent show in the middle of the school day for a child.
To create
a persuasive proposal, cite best practices used by other companies that are
considered great places to work. It is also important to include
direct comments from employees, such as requests from existing or even
departed employees. This feedback could be obtained by exit interviews
or opinion surveys. Above all, your focus should be on making sure
that whatever plan is developed supports the business needs - - this must be
the top priority.
Leadership training is another great way
to show employees that you do care about their future beyond their current
role. There are several ways to propose this kind of resource.
You could research area training facilities to find out if they would give
your employees a discount in exchange for the company’s willingness to
advertise their services to employees. This would be an off-site
option. For onsite training, you could research fees for facilitators
in the area to do specific training
for a department, or you could open it up to interested employees throughout
the company. Lastly, you could pitch the idea to an existing Human
Resources professional in your company and see if they would be willing to
take on the role of an in-house trainer or if they have ideas to tap into
extra resources for such a task. There are many classes available in
the marketplace, so if you are looking for some specific leadership classes,
you might want to do your homework on those as well. Decide what kind
of classes you think would benefit the greatest number of people at your
worksite. The more employees they benefit, the greater return on
investment your company will see, thereby ensuring a better chance for
management buy-in.
Best of luck to you in your proposal.
Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t happen right away - - this is a tough
area to break into. Keep trying and you may very well succeed!
- - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Meredith C.
Keith Chirch, MA, PHR is a Human Resources Manager with Federated Corporate
Services, Inc., a division of Federated Department
Stores. If you have questions or comments on this article, you can
contact Meredith at
Meredith.Keith.Chirch@fds.com.
Copyright © e-HResources.com LLC, 2000. All Rights Reserved.
Reprinted here by permission.
this window) |
