With diversity on the rise and a lack of skilled candidates in the market affecting 65% of employers, businesses have a significant job on their hands when it comes to employee engagement. But the benefits are considerable; engaged employees are easier to motivate, more productive, and more like to stay loyal to their employer (233% more loyal according to one study).
If that doesn’t persuade you, perhaps the fact that companies with an employee engagement programme achieve 26% greater year-over-year increase in annual revenue will.
Sitka are delighted to have recruited two members of staff for Creditsafe Business Solutions, one of a handful of companies in Wales to be ranked in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to work for 2016. We asked Gareth Way, Chief HR Officer at Creditsafe’s shared service centre in Cardiff what they do to keep their employees engaged.
Career development
“We’re very proud to have a strong management team who value employee career development and provide support to employees at an individual level,” said Gareth.
“We provide all our staff with opportunities to train and grow, even if it’s not directly related to their work.”
Candidates consider advancement opportunities one of the top three most important factors when considering a job. When you consider that 46% of people leave their jobs because a lack of development opportunities, it’s easy to see why companies like Creditsafe are getting accolades for their proactive approach.
Recruitment and onboarding
Investing in engagement makes sense from a recruitment perspective as well; internal hires (38%) and employee referrals (34%) are the highest source of new appointments. In addition, candidates read an average of six reviews before they form an opinion about a company. Treating your current employees well will invariably lead to positive word of mouth and more positive online reviews to support your recruitment efforts.
Gareth says the initial recruitment process is crucial to getting engagement off to a good start: “The consideration given to candidates during the selection process plays a big role in getting the right people to begin with. Recruiters like Sitka who take time to understand the specific workplace culture and skills required are much better able to find people who are a good fit. And those people tend to be much easier to onboard and retain.”
But it’s not just employers who recognise the value of engagement in the early stages of recruitment. Claire Cooper, a candidate we recruited for Tŷ Hafan, says: “The recruitment process is such an important reflection of an organisation – often the first impression with a prospective employee. Because my experience was a positive one which enabled me to succeed in landing my dream job, I certainly felt more confident in starting with my new employer.”
Culture
“We want our staff to be incentivised to do a good job at Creditsafe” said Gareth, “so we offer attractive remuneration packages and other rewards for good performance. We also encourage a culture of transparency and try to listen to our employees’ ideas.” Their employees testify to this; as the Sunday Times report states: ‘Suggestions are taken seriously when staff have a brainwave at Creditsafe Business Solutions…they provide plenty of opportunities for employees to submit ideas in suggestion boxes, focus groups, surveys and intranet polls.”
Work-life balance has another big influence on engagement. One study found that 54% of workers in Britain value a healthy work-life balance over the salary amount. 68% of staff at Creditsafe were found to be happy with their work-life balance. It’s not that hard to believe when some of the staff incentives include Group wide anniversary conferences (this year in Alcudia, Spain) and a half day long ‘School sports day’ engagement event that leads into a summer party to thank employees for their hard work.
Cause
Recent research found that 25% of candidates want to work for employers with a strong charitable ethic. Allowing employees time off to volunteer during working hours can be a great way to provide them with a sense of purpose and increase their satisfaction in the role. This is another area where Creditsafe excels, to the extent that they’re ranked 29th among mid-size firms for charitable activity, 89% of their employees recognise that the company encourages charitable work and 10% undertake it during company time.
Sitka is privileged to work with clients like Creditsafe who recognise the value of culture, development and the recruitment process to engage their existing and future workforce. If you’d like any help with talent development, please get in touch.
To find out how we can work with you, please drop us a line
We liked Karen’s personal approach to finding the best candidate. She spoke to them in depth, matching the person to the business and vice versa, rather than just advertising the role to an existing database of job seekers. The process was very efficient and well-communicated from start to finish.
I was thrilled when I was offered my new job, which I felt was down to Sitka’s support and proactivity. Karen kept in contact and made sure I was happy in my new role. This personal and professional service is second to none. I would highly recommend!
Ita went above and beyond throughout the recruitment process, checking in regularly and offering advice and support that I found invaluable. She was approachable, professional and kept me informed every step of the way.
I love working with Sitka as they are very friendly, approachable and trustworthy. Karen has such a great energy, she really cared about getting the right people and right dynamic for my team. She took great time to understand the roles and the business and was committed to getting it right!
The whole recruitment process, led by Karen, was a really engaging and positive experience. I can honestly say it was the best interview I have ever had!
The process was thorough and very individual – time was spent finding out about the culture and style of the organisation and the exec team. Sitka worked with the candidates well to find the best fit for both employer and candidate. There was a sense of strong relationship building to ensure that this happened.