he employee market is challenging today, thanks to the unprecedented effects of the various closings across the nation. Whole industries, such as food services, have seen their potential employee pools shrink as people have left for other sectors that have remained open.
It has sparked the number one question I hear in meetings with employers: What is to be done?
There are many tactical answers for companies in today’s particular situation, however, we have to plan beyond today. Finding, recruiting, hiring, and then retaining quality workers is an ongoing challenge for any organization at every level. It is also key to long term success.
“Personnel is Policy” became a popular slogan back in the first year of the Reagan administration and has been a mantra ever since. It has normally applied to executive positions in an organization, but I believe it should apply to every position at every level. Any time “a warm body” becomes the standard it inevitably turns out that is all you get That is not the person anyone should want at any level in any organization, especially at the foundation.
I find the best way to explore hiring is to view the pool of employees as a marketplace. Any job offered has to meet the needs of the employee. I am selling them on a job, which, unlike college basketball, is not a one and done, but an ongoing relationship. If that does not meet the needs of the employee, the employee is probably not going to meet my needs. Of course, any given employee might keep working even though he or she is miserable, but unmotivated employees are not going to perform more than the minimum. And that is not the key for long term success.
Chick-fli-A is number two in fast-food sales in America after McDonalds. Think about that. It has fewer stores, a smaller menu, and is famously closed on Sundays. And it has the slowest drive throughs, despite having perhaps the most innovative ways to move people through. How can this be?
For anyone who has gone to either chain, I think the answer is clear: Chick-fli-A has the best customer service of any chain in the market. “My pleasure,” every worker says with a smile. It seems as if they mean it. How do they manage that? The company has significant levels of support for its rank and file, including the opportunity for scholarships, support in emergencies, encouragement to follow their goals, even if it leads to them leaving.
Of course, this support of line workers does not come easy. At the management level, the company receives up to 20,000 franchise applications annually but only approves about 80. Talk about the cream of the cream.
Chick-fli-A is what I label an “Employer of Choice”, a place where, given the options, people want to work. We know from Gallup studies that workers are motivated by things other than just money, and because Chick -fil-A does provide premiums for its employees, it can command a higher “price” when hiring.
In this case, the “price” is the maximum rate of time and commitment of quality workers, while most competitors settle for discount rates from its employees.
Next time we will discuss strategies for becoming an Employer of Choice so that like Chic-fli-A, you can command that higher price and have your employees mean it when they say, “My pleasure.”
This is part 3 in the Hiring with a Purpose Series
Bryan G. Stephens is a former executive on a mission to transform the workplace. He is the founder and CEO of TalkForward, a consulting and training company, utilizing Bryan’s clinical and management expertise to develop managers and teams in a corporate environment. As a licensed therapist with strong understanding of developing human potential, he is dedicated to the development of Human Capital to meet the needs of leaders, managers, and employees in the 21st Century workplace.
Bryan has an Executive MBA from Kennesaw State University, Coles School of Business, and both a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
