In today’s competitive job market knowing how to recruit and retain your best employees is absolutely crucial. Over the past year, 90% of employers reported they struggled to recruit people with the right skills, while 75% said recruitment took, on average, one month and 24 days longer than expected*. Although recruiting new staff can be extremely beneficial, it is probably not something that you want to do a lot. At Anderson Hoare we make the recruitment process as seamless as possible, working with you to ensure we fill your vacant role with the right person in the quickest time possible.

Long-term employees are often the glue that holds everything together. At Anderson Hoare we’re lucky to have a very high employee retention rate, with some consultants working with us for over five years. This helps keep our office running smoothly and is invaluable for our clients as it means our industry knowledge and client and candidate experience is second to none. When work is busy your long-term employees are the ones that keep their cool and deal well in a crisis, can fix the printer, have IT on speed dial and know what to prioritise.

Over the last six months, we’ve surveyed our candidates and compiled the top five attributes of employers that make staying in a job more attractive than looking elsewhere.

Be flexible

An increasingly diverse workplace has an increasingly diverse set of needs. What works for one employee might not work for another and a company that adapts and appreciates personal circumstances will gain respect and flexibility from their staff in return

Some people may need to work adapted hours to fit in childcare and others will need additional days off to respect religious holidays. If you adapt to their needs and show your employees that you see them as individuals they are more likely to see the job as a good long-term fit, knowing that you’re prepared to adapt if their situation does.

Empower your employees

Once a person’s basic needs are met the most motivating factor in any job is being able to reach your self-actualisation. This is the fulfilment of your own talents and potentials. So, while you may already set targets to ensure you have the best chance of maintaining good employees, make sure these are in line with your employees' personal goals and that you empower them to achieve them, giving them all the tools, time and assistance they need to reach their target. When they do, celebrate their success publicly and make sure the whole team understands the achievement that has been made.

Keep salaries competitive

While it’s great to offer Friday lunch and extra holiday days in line with years of employment there’s no escaping the fact that salaries matter. 87% of candidates surveyed stated seeking a better salary as their most important reason for changing jobs. If you want your employees to stay they’ll expect to be rewarded for their loyalty and commitment. To avoid your star PA being tempted to look elsewhere ensure you pay them in line with your competition, increasing their salary annually and giving them a share of the company bonus that reflects their performance. We publish an annual salary survey on our website; take a look at this here to check you're paying competitively.

Maintain a positive office environment

No one likes office politics, and feuds and factions can force out even the most loyal employee. Keep on top of things by ensuring your door is always open and letting your employees know they won’t be judged for airing their grievances. When hiring it’s important to consider the candidate's personality. At Anderson Hoare everyone meets every candidate, this means we all get a feel for who they are and can make a judgment on where they would best fit culturally as well as skills-wise. We would never send over a candidate who wasn’t a perfect fit just to tick a box, this means they’re more likely to enjoy the office environment and fit in in the long term.

Share your company mission and vision

Your ideas and vision will drive the company in its infancy but it’s your employees that will carry this vision forward as the company grows. Sharing that vision and ensuring your employees are in agreement with it will make them feel as though they are valued and you care about them, motivating them to represent the company in a positive light and feel a sense of belonging towards the business they work within.

Despite following all the guidelines there will always be times when employees leave and you need a replacement. While it’s frustrating for you, recruiting the best is what we specialise in, and we pride ourselves on finding candidates that are an intuative match quickly and efficiently.

Our team has over two decades of recruitment experience and are always on the end of the phone ready to have a chat. Click here to get in touch.

• Capita - Workplace Benefits – Employee Insight Report  2018