A recent Gallup poll found that nearly 70 percent of Americans felt “disengaged” or “actively disengaged” on the job. Odds are good that you have a few disengaged, unhappy recruiters at your firm, which isn’t good for you, your clients or your bottom line. Consistent engagement is critical to keeping your best recruiters interested and motivated.
According to a recruiter focus group conducted by Lean Human Capital, five of the best ways to keep your recruiters engaged is to provide:
1. Training and Education
Recruiters that have the ability to pursue continuing education in their specific field are more likely to be engaged at work. Encourage and pay for your recruiters to attend conferences or classes in HR, become a member of SHRM or other professional groups or pursue additional certifications. Showing that you care about and want to invest in their professional development will help them want to invest in it as well. As your recruiters become more skilled, they will become more successful. When a recruiter’s success rate rises, engagement rises with it.
2. The Right Technology to do their Jobs
The recruiting game has changed. It’s not about dialing for dollars anymore. Today’s recruiters need to leverage social and mobile technologies to attract and engage the best candidates. Fifty percent of organizations say they are sidelined by legacy technology platforms according to a report by Aberdeen Group. Investing in the right technology to support your team leads to competitively faster sourcing, better placements and more time spent on revenue-producing activities.
3. Career Growth Opportunities
One of the top reasons employees leave their job is lack of a challenge and potential for career growth. Talk your recruiters about their career paths and provide growth opportunities to help them walk those paths. Investing in and nurturing your recruiters’ careers is a big investment but one that pays off in the productivity, engagement and retention of your best recruiters. The easier it is for your team members to visualize their futures, the more motivated they will be to succeed in their current positions.
4. Fun Collaborative Environment
Create an environment that encourages collaboration among your team members, clients and managers. Not only does collaboration build engagement, it encourages productivity and innovation. Even if you’re not in the same office, technology makes it possible for your team members to constantly engage with each other and your clients. Creating a workplace culture that fosters camaraderie and sharing will lead to a more productive, engaged and energized workforce.
5. Fair Compensation and Benefits
Lately, the topic of compensation seems to take a back seat to all the information published on intrinsic reward. However, 60 percent of employees say pay is very important to job satisfaction.
Feeling under compensated certainly affects employee engagement, and recruiters are no exception. Intrinsic rewards, career development opportunities and a fun work environment are all great ways to drive engagement. But if your recruiters don’t feel like they’re being fairly compensated for their work, they’re going to have one foot out the door regardless of your other engagement initiatives.
Engaged recruiters are productive recruiters. Now that you know some of their top priorities, make them your top priorities for 2016. Have additional ideas and tips that you would like to share? Leave a comment!