​How to create a great workplace culture that will attract (and keep) top talent

4 mins, 24 secs read time

To attract the best talent and keep them, you need to comprehensively create the best image of your company. We’re here to provide helpful advice to help you achieve this goal. Some of these suggestions won’t cost you more money, some may be a bit pricey, and others may demand a big outlay in terms of buy-in from your company team. No matter which approach will work best for your organization, it’s important to be knowledgeable about all the options.

So let’s dive in. The first step is to get your house in order.

1. CLEAN UP YOUR COMPANY’S REPUTATION

You need to be the minder of your company’s Glassdoor page. Are you being trashed on Glassdoor? As life-science recruiters specializing in healthcare, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, we see a lot of collective negativity on Glassdoor. Fixing this will take time, because you need to fix the root of the problem, so focus on what you can do right now, like setting up notification alerts. If someone posts positively, you should quickly respond with a short and gracious thank you. If it’s negative, write a response that shows that you care and are looking into the situation. Then follow up to the best of your ability.

2. GOOGLE AND FACEBOOK ARE YOUR FRIENDS

Appropriately cajole your clients and employees to post positive company reviews on Google and Facebook. Do not send out an edict to employees, which can backfire. However, a mention here or there – or as a “favor for a favor” – can be extremely helpful in boosting your company’s image and reputation.

3. FIX THE LITTLE THINGS

Set up some small group lunches for employees (everyone loves a free lunch) and ask how your workplace could be better. Be clear that you are looking for both small and big ideas, and that nothing is out of bounds. Start solving the solvable ones first. Cappuccino machine? Bagel Fridays? Flex work schedule/work from home? Follow up with your folks and keep them in the loop on changes and improvements. Plenty of small things make an enormous difference in creating happy vs. disgruntled employees. It all translates to a great reputation – and a place where your next awesome hire will want to work.

4. WHAT DO YOUR EMPLOYEES’ LINKEDIN PROFILES SAY ABOUT YOUR COMPANY?

It might be beneficial to offer up a 30-minute LinkedIn profile updating session (another great opportunity to please with a free lunch). You can do a quick walk-through with your team to make sure your company page is amazing and then convince your team members to spruce theirs up, too.

5. SET UP AN EMPLOYEE REFERRAL PROGRAM

Engage employees with a great referral program. Some ideas to get you started:

• Create a killer employee branding page on your company website, something employees are proud to share
• Come up with a cool rewards program. Think concert tickets, restaurant gift cards, maybe even a point system toward a grand prize of a weekend getaway
• Send weekly or monthly email updates on open roles and the “rewards” attached to giving referrals for each
• Post new hot jobs on your team chat platform (e.g., Slack, HipChat)
• Host regular “sourcing parties” where employees sit with recruiters and introduce potential candidates

6. ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET

If you truly want to foster the kind of company environment where the best candidates beat a path to your front door, you need to knock every new hire’s socks off with your great onboarding process.

• Pair your new hire with a company mentor. Take the time to choose someone you know to be positive, helpful and relatable for your new hire. This should not be the new hire’s manager, but a peer who has been around and knows the ropes.
• Give them the best tools to do their job, like a new computer rather than somebody’s old reject. Provide a welcoming workspace, not one that’s randomly placed next to the copy machine.
• Provide the most comprehensive training you can so your new hire is completely ready to hit the ground running. Make sure your new hire’s manager is open and welcoming. Don’t throw him or her to the wolves.
• Provide quick and accessible answers to any and all of your new hire’s onboarding questions.
• If your new hire is new to your community, send them a welcome basket loaded with fun things to do and see in the area, like gift cards for great restaurants, maps to local parks and maybe even tickets to your local amusement park or an upcoming concert. Your local chamber of commerce or restaurant association can help with this.
• Set up an informal lunch or happy hour for your new hire to meet with new team members. Be sure to let your new hire know about company committees and teams they might want to join.

As recruiters and hiring managers, there are certain things that are out of your hands. But the best HR recruiting teams are mindful that even the small things can make a huge difference when it comes to employee satisfaction. That leads to an improved image, which in turn leads to easier recruiting and higher employee retention.

Find out about tech tools that can assist your strategy in this Greenhouse webinar, "What to Look For When Considering New Technology to Recruit & Retain Top Talent."