One of the biggest challenges painting companies face is attracting and keeping great talent. To solve hiring challenges, companies often focus on improving their hiring process by uncovering better places to find employees and promoting the company more effectively.

Yet improving the hiring process is only part of the solution. That’s because today, demand for great employees far exceeds the supply, which means you’re in serious competition for great employees. To attract and keep the best, you need to make your company a highly desirable place to work and become what I call a ‘preferred employer.’

Research shows that preferred employers are able to hire better employees by attracting a bigger pool of quality applicants, and they’re able to keep good employees longer, which improves productivity and reduces future hiring needs.

FIVE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR COMPANY A PREFERRED EMPLOYER

When competition for great employees heats up, many companies look to improving pay and benefits. But, while offering very competitive pay and benefits will help, there is more that you must do to attract and keep the best. Here are five important actions to take to transform your business into the preferred employer in your area:

1 Create a culture of caring and fairness

Employees want to work in companies where they know they’re cared about as people—not just a replaceable part in a machine. I have a client with 40 painters and he attributes his success in attracting and keeping great employees to his culture of caring. He knows everybody in the company and most of their families. He talks to them regularly and knows what’s going on in their lives. He has an open-door policy and bends over backwards to help when they have a problem. And he ensures fair treatment in workload, pay, promotion, rewards and recognition. This is simple, but powerful stuff.

2 Recognize and appreciate your team

Research shows that recognizing and appreciating employees for their good work and celebrating their successes is one of the most important things you can do to improve employee satisfaction, motivation, loyalty and retention.

Recognition and appreciation doesn’t have to be complicated. Give a simple ‘thank you’ for a job well done. Have a pizza party when you achieve goals. Treat your team to sodas or ice cream on hot days. The key is to spread the love around—and do it frequently.

3 Be a good boss

There’s a saying in human resources that ‘People don’t leave bad companies; they leave bad managers.’ It’s important to train managers on how to manage positively. Teach them positive ways to motivate, how to give constructive feedback, how to have difficult conversations, how to coach employees, and how to give recognition for good work.

4 Make their jobs ‘winnable’

The best employees want to do great work and one of the major reasons they will leave a company is because their jobs set them up to fail. I call these jobs ‘unwinnable jobs.’ Unwinnable jobs are disorganized, lack procedures, and don’t provide employees the support, resources and tools they need to do good work. If your best employees can’t do good work at your company, they’ll leave to find a place where they can excel.

5 Develop your employees

Many of the best employees (although not all) are attracted to possible growth opportunities within your company. To attract and keep the best employees, show them their possible career paths, give them development plans, and stretch assignments to keep them motivated, challenged and growing.

YOUR NEXT STEPS

Becoming the preferred employer is not a quick fix for your hiring challenges. But if you dedicate yourself to implementing the five actions described here, your efforts will pay dividends for years to come. You’ll attract and retain better employees, and improve your sales and profits as a result.

So sit down with your team and map out your plan for implementing these five actions. You’ll be glad you did!________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bill Silverman is the owner of Springboard Business Coaching. He is dedicated to helping contractors lead growing, profitable, 7-figure businesses that can thrive without them. You can reach Bill at (856) 751-1989 or at bill@springboardbizcoaching.com