Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER November 28, 2016 6 NEWS Employee Recognition, Made Easy! Request a Demo www.terryberry.com/demo 800.253.0882 Get a FREE Demo Finding, keeping workers a trial: Report Effective hiring, employee engagement key in recruitment-retention cycle BY MARCEL VANDER WIER CANADIAN employers contin- ue to grapple with the challenge of retaining and attracting valu- able employees — one-half have trouble attracting employees in key workforce segments, accord- ing to surveys by Willis Towers Watson. And one in four Canadians are intending to leave their cur- rent position within the next two years, found the surveys of 1,003 workers and 88 employers. Changes in expectations As technological advances and the shift in employee demographics rapidly reshape Canadian work- places, expectations of prospec- tive job candidates are changing, too. "Employees are looking for more than a job," said France Du- fresne, head of talent and commu- nication business at Willis Towers Watson in Montreal. "They expect a personalized work experience aligned with their values and preferences." While lower-skilled workers may continue to struggle to find work, companies have much more difficulty attracting top-end talent due to fierce competition, said Dufresne. "Critical skills are in demand and maybe not as much in supply," she said. "High-performing em- ployees and high-potential (em- ployees) are even more important, and they know their value, so they can make choices." Retaining employees is not as much a challenge — with the ex- ception of critical skills because they are in short supply, said Dufresne. "ere is more of a challenge with attraction. More and more talent wants an individual re- sponse to their own experience as an employee. It's a never-ending challenge, but never exactly for the same reasons." Outside of that candidate group, however, companies re- main in the driver's seat, she said. "The economy makes many workers in the world and Canada prudent in changing jobs, so that's helping retention." Attracting top talent difficult If someone is out of work or des- perate to find something because she's in the wrong role, the lever- age moves to the organization and the hiring manager, said Neale Harrison, CEO at Talent Matters in Toronto. "ose who are confident — typically — are passive candi- dates. ey have a good sense of what they can do in terms of creat- ing value and what they can do in terms of creating value and what they need from organizations." Only 20 per cent of the working population fits that category, said Harrison. When it comes to recruitment process, "top talent always has the advantage," said Jeremy Tiffin, president of Horizon Recruitment in Vancouver, likening the situa- tion to free agency in sports. "Top players in any professional sports league are always sought after. Any team would take them," he said. "And those that are on the cusp on the bottom line? e team has the advantage. ere's a point in that continuum where it shifts to one party or the other." Effective hiring needed Organizations need to take a lon- ger look at their hiring processes in order to secure the correct talent, said Harrison. More time needs to be spent mulling over how individual candidates will fit with specific business leaders, as well as how well their personal career goals fit with a particular company. "Take the time to really make sure you're hiring effectively," he said. "It's about understanding what the organization, function, leader needs, understanding the leader and what can that leader offer? Really push candidates to provide checklists because if you're not getting it, you're buy- ing something with a big question mark." People quit their managers, he said. "I've seen a lot of leaders mis- hire or not take the time to re- ally do the due diligence around hiring for what they need in the near-term. ere's not as much emphasis placed on fit with the leader of the business and truly getting to the bottom of what a candidate is looking for in terms of that next opportunity, beyond the foundational pieces being met." "People hire a candidate into a role," said Harrison. "ey think they're a high performer. ey come with the right credentials. But, very quickly, there could be a mismatch between what the manager and leader requires and expects from a behaviour or a mandate, and what that candidate truly desires." Human resources profession- als or hiring managers need to inquire about candidates' specific career goals, understanding that all potential employees will put on their "best face" throughout the interview process. "Realistically, if there's only sell- ing and no questioning around 'is is what I need from a team, my peer group, a leader in the business,' then all you're getting is someone who's desperately trying to portray themselves as the right candidate versus being true to themselves." Many organizations have sig- nificant leakage in their recruit- ment experience, according to Tiffin. "Organizations are spending a lot of money on their corporate career site. ey're going to ca- reer fairs. ey're investing in blasting messages out on social," he said. "That's all good, appropriate and necessary, but then when you, as an individual, experience what it's like to work with or interact with that organization, in many cases it all falls apart." There have been significant shifts in the way business is done, with technology, big data and so- cial, said Tiffin. "Many businesses and people haven't really been able to keep up," he said. "at gap of individuals who understand where business and industry is going — that gap be- tween those who have those skills and those who don't — is just widening. And so the demand for people who understand some of these things is increasing, and those people are being bombarded with messages from competitive industries, sectors, employers." Workplace demographics are also changing, said Tiffin. "By the time 2020 rolls around, it will be the first time in history that we've had five generations active in the workforce. That means grandpa is working right next to grandson. Because people are working longer, the impact that has on the hiring process and how organizations need to be able to communicate to their stakeholders and people that are potentially going to work for their organizations is becoming more and more complex. How do you appeal to the older generation, the newer generation and everything in between? "Does one message cut it? I don't think it does. I think that's something a lot of organizations are grappling with and may not even necessarily be conscious of." Long-term no longer the norm Alongside transparency in the recruitment process, companies should not surmise they are hir- ing an employee-for-life, said Harrison. "If you're getting three years out of an employee, consider yourself fortunate," he said. Companies should be hiring with the notion that they will likely get 24 to 36 months' ser- vice from an employee before they are no longer able to give what is needed from a mandate or leadership-style standpoint, said Harrison. His comments follow those of Canada's federal Finance Minis- ter Bill Morneau, who called on Canadians to get used to "job churn," and said high employee turnover and short-term con- tract work would continue in young people's lives, according to media reports. "How do we train and retrain people as they move from job to job?" he said. "Because it's going to happen. We have to accept that." "Does one message cut it? I don't think it does. I think that's something a lot of organizations are grappling with, and may not even necessarily be conscious of." to the brand or the employer's operations as a result of the mis- conduct for an employer to justify termination." She pointed to the case of Shawn Simoes — a Toronto soccer fan who defended a heckler's sexual harassment of a female reporter at a 2014 game, then successfully took Hydro One to court after los- ing his job — as proof that termi- nation isn't always the right move. Managing brand in a crisis Postmedia's options were limited, given Pagan's editorial role at the company, said McQuillan. "If something hits the news, I don't think employers have a big choice," she said. "You feel badly because he's be- ing centred out, however, maybe he shouldn't be working in the industry if he can't control his behaviour. And I think we sign on for different things. If you're in a leadership position or in a leading company or more exposed, you're just that much more vulnerable." Reinforcing corporate brand values is important, and most companies don't focus on this enough, said McQuillan. "e responsibility falls to the employer to reinforce values," she said. "Ideally, the employer is re- inforcing their values through regular communications to em- ployees, and you don't have such instances at any company event or in any situation where you're rep- resenting your company." "Communicate, communicate, communicate to your employees around brand values, and that will reinforce behaviour. And when there are incidents where employees are not representing the company brand, and/or be- having unprofessionally, those should be assessed individually and consistently." Social media increases transpar- ency and puts more pressure on organizations to respond quickly to crises, said Williams. Many view "social media shaming" as a way to exact revenge on someone through their employment. "News travels extraordinarily fast because of social media," she said. "People have no issue opin- ing on their view, based on their moral or ethical standard on how people conduct themselves. "It really behooves employers to have solid codes of conduct, first of all, but also to be ready from a communications standpoint with respect to how do you respond if an employee is allegedly caught up in some high-profile scandal and your brand is co-opted." BEER CAN < pg. 3 Reinforce corporate brand

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