(Editor’s note: Dr. Charles Coker is conducting a series of organizational development workshops at NEFBA designed to enhance workplace relationships and productivity. Each month, a summary of Dr. Coker’s presentation appears in Builder News.)
By Charles W. Coker, PhD, SPHR, LifeThrive founder and CEO
Finding the right employees is a challenge in today’s competitive environment.
Demand is high, everyone is busy and the people who left the industry 10 years ago are not coming back.
Therefore, hiring people who represent the quality of work you produce needs to be scientific and not done off the cuff.
Is there proof the scientific method works? How do I know where to start? And how do I apply the data?
People are more than statistics, which is why data is so critical — to define each person’s uniqueness. That concept is supported with a four-year study conducted under strict university guidelines of the University of Chester and validated by Florida State University’s Benjamin Filip.
Consider the following: On characteristics deemed desirable in new employees, subjects increased between 4 percent and 18 percent over a nine-month period.
The greatest increases were seen in the areas of continuous learning, resiliency, goal achievement, accountability for others, self-management, teamwork, developing others and results orientation.
Even more significant is the impact on the individual personally.
Succeeding in life is important, but an individual’s sense of self and personal direction is essential to contributing to a team and being able to celebrate and embrace a peer’s knowledge, creativity, value and success.
Using data enhances a person’s self-image more than it de-humanizes them. It confirms abilities they may not have been aware of before.
This self-awareness is vital to success in the building industry. It instills confidence and self-worth.
Once people are given an idea of their lifetime and cultural abilities, they become comfortable in those abilities and are more inclined to succeed.
So rather than taking a chance people work out, apply human data substantiated by research and be sure they work out.
Human behavior is generally predictable but cannot be insured, which is why human data is critical to your company’s success. Every employee must be committed to your company’s agenda, goals, mission and vision.
Begin with the way you advertise job openings, source, recruit and hire new talent.
Just as you want to attract, retain and develop the best talent possible; job seekers want to work for the best company available.
The job ad is one of the first indicators of a company’s organizational culture. If the job description and ad are boring, bland and uninspired, that’s the type of employee you will attract.
Many times I’ve witnessed employees quit either during training or immediately afterward because they felt the company misled them during the interview process.
The job, the employees and culture were totally different than the opportunity that was sold in the screening process.
It’s not hard for new employees to get a feel for the culture. The behavior of your current employees, the type of welcome they receive, the technology you use and the essential job duties, all indicate the type of company you are and whether your employees are excited to work for you.
Disengaged employees are like bloodthirsty zombies and they can suck the life’s blood right out of your new employees.
Finally, it’s important to remember that every communication, correspondence and press release reflects your corporate culture.
Your DNA comes through on your digital footprints and external communications.
Be careful how you brand yourself. Potential hires use social media, they look at the “about us” corporate pages and they pay attention to the job board descriptions.
Be aware of ways you engage current and new talent in all phases of your organizations, including community events and volunteer work.
Most job seekers would love to work for companies like Google, Microsoft or Starbucks because these companies have reputations for taking care of their people — employees and customers.
They seem to really care about their corporate reputation. They are socially aware. They use social networks and give back the community.
Smart employers know that treating employees well increases employee engagement and that increases the chances of organizational success.