In many industries, the recruiting pendulum has swung.
For the second year in a row, research has shown that IT staff, engineers and skilled tradesmen are among the hardest jobs to fill.
Several factors are fueling this trend. Retiring Baby Boomers, a smaller population of replacement workers and rapidly changing skill requirements will continue to make talent acquisition, development and retention in these areas daunting.
In light of these harsh recruiting challenges, how will you find, keep and develop the top technical talent you need? These ideas from Wood Personnel will help:
- Make work / life balance a priority. Give IT, engineering and skilled technical employees a say in when and how they work. Set up a flexible vacation policy; facilitate telecommuting when appropriate; foster a culture that values time spent away from work.
- Develop your existing staff. Technical workers, particularly IT specialists, fear becoming stagnant, irrelevant or obsolete. Cross-train your high performers when it makes sense for your business. Assign employees to projects that help them broaden their skills and provide the ongoing challenges they crave. In addition to keeping them interested in working for you, this strategy yields more versatile employees.
- Provide training that extends beyond technology. Strengthen technical employees’ ties to other departments by offering instruction that helps them understand other aspects of your business. When your employees better understand the real-world, bottom-line impact of their efforts, they feel more connected and invested.
- Set long-term development objectives. Work with each employee to create a 3- to 5-year career growth plan that aligns with your organization’s goals.
- Listen to their ideas. Knowledge workers tend to be intelligent innovators who are naturally curious and full of new ideas. Maintain an open door policy, encouraging them to bring their best concepts to you. Listen to them – and implement their ideas when they make sense.
- Offer competitive compensation. Money isn’t everything, but it is important. To keep the best in the fold, provide a comprehensive package (salary, benefits, performance bonuses) that’s at or above industry standards.
Once you’ve improved your employee development and retention strategies, attracting them will be much easier. Your business will become known as a best-in-class organization that puts its employees first. This reputation will help you win the war for talent.
If you’re struggling to find top IT, engineering or skilled manufacturing personnel, Wood has the expertise and talent network to connect you to the right people – who will stay working for you. Contact our Middle Tennessee staffing service today.
