How to Improve Employee Retention Before Day One

The great resignation of 2021 impacted how organizations are evolving their retention strategy in 2023. Are you prepared to adjust your overall talent strategy ensure your employees feel supported? After all, employees are the heart of any business. While many organizations take proactive steps to keep their employees happy after they’ve been onboarded, the secret to higher retention begins before the first interview, and it has everything to do with your company values.

Write a strong job description

A job description should include the everyday responsibilities, the impact the role will have on the organization, a company culture overview that ties in company values, as well as the reporting structure. For example, if one of your organizations core values is prioritizing the wellbeing of employees, that can be demonstrated through a wellness package.

Practice what you preach

Your values should be at the center of your hiring process and should set the standard for what candidates can expect from the culture of the organization. Company values should come across in the way interviews are conducted and through the overall negotiation process.

Hire employees who add to your culture

50% of employees voluntarily leave in the first two years of employment, making it crucial to ensure company values are well understood by new employees and that there’s mutual alignment. The best way to understand this is to ask applicants for examples of how they demonstrated company values in their previous role. The key here is finding the right employees who move the organization in the right direction.

Recognize often

It can be difficult to feel good about the work you complete when you lack the appreciation of others. Receiving praise for a job well done, and/or those who exemplify company values leads to a culture of appreciation and leads to higher retention.

Include your values in your brand’s identity

 What are your organization’s values? Do you have an employer brand that does a good job of reflecting those values? If not, it may be because your branding isn’t reflecting those values to potential employees. Consider recruitment process outsourcing to attract more appropriate candidates.

It is important for an organization to establish its core values before attempting to attract candidates, because these values serve as the basis for hiring decisions and are essential to increasing employee retention. When you hire the right people, you will find they attract others who align with your brand. A cohesive culture leads to building a team that can grow together, thrive, and stay with you for the long term.