Employee Referral Programs 8 Key Lessons from 2014

Employee Referral Programs 8 Key Lessons from 2014 Shortages in key skill domains areemerging as the biggest obstacles to business growth in 2015, as all organizations vie for talent in the same limited candidate pools. Innovation is becoming the new mantra inhiring as organizations go all out to be the first to gain access to and hire highly sought after talent. Employee referral programs have proved to be verysuccessful in these endeavors, which is why mora and mora organizations are looking to expand their referral programs in the coming year. The challenges for recruitment and referral programs change each year as technology evolves and industries change. While technology has simplified some of the earlier recruitment challenges faced by organizations, it has brought about its own share of new challenges as well. Employee referral programs have also evolved over time to meet the needs in thee xternal environment. Responsive organizations shouldcreate a checklist of successful employee referral tips to be used in 2015 so that their referral programs continue to remain relevant and aligned with thehiring needs of the organization.Here Are Some Key Points to Consider in 2015Technology is now integral to the success of employee referral programs. Automated, fully integrated employee referral platforms have the potential to increase the effectiveness of referral programs by removing manual laborand making the whole process more transparent. Early adopters of technology in the employee referral process have seen their referral programs grow by leaps and bounds, compared to their competitors.Mobile is the new buzzword, and it will be an important aspect of referral strategies in 2015. Anything thatis not optimized for mobile has little chances of success, as more and more people turn to smartphones to conduct both personal and professional business. A mobile-optimized employee referral program is likely to see many moreemployees participating than a non-mobile optimized employee referral program.Anemployee referral program should not belimited by geographical boundaries. A global employee referral program can help an organization recruit the best talent from across the worldin the most cost effective way and help solve hiring needs on a global scale.Employee referral programs can be much more effective when extended beyond current employees. If the processincludesex-employees, vendors, clients, and even employee connections,the referral base will expand, making the employee referral program immeasurably more productive.Gamification is going to be the big differentiator in2015 as organizations thatinclude gaming elements in their referral programs will see more employee involvement and participation than organizations with simple rewards and recognitionmechanisms.Organizations with proactive social media branding strategies will see more success in their r eferral efforts. By encouraging employees to share updates posted on the company site, employers can build a great employer brand among their key target audience at virtually no cost. A good employer brand makes it much easier to sell the organization to prospective candidates and also helps to draw good candidates to apply proactively to the organization, making recruiting much easier in the long run.Employee referral programs are likely to become as much about employee participation as they are about candidate experience. Ensuring a good experience for referral candidates will be very important for 2015, as bad candidate experiences can bring down the popularity of the referral program, which lowersemployee participation. A positive candidate experience, on the other hand, can help draw more referrals by assuring employeesthat their referrals are valued by the organization.The best candidatesare referred byexisting top performers in the organization. Proactively soliciting referra ls from top performers and employees with niche skills is one of the most important referral best practices to carry forward into 2015.What have you learned about employee referrals from the year 2014?

Bottom Line for Retaining Employees

Bottom Line for Retaining EmployeesBottom Line for Retaining EmployeesWant the bottom line when it comes to employee retention? The quality of the supervision an employee receives is critical to employee retention. People leave managers and supervisors more often than they leave companies or jobs. It is not enough that the manager is well-liked or a nice person. Sure, a nice, likable manager earns you some points with your employees. A draconian, nasty, or controlling manager takes points away from your organization. So will below market benefits and compensation. But, a manager or supervisor, who is a pro at employee retention, knows that the quality of the supervision is the key factor in employee retention. Effective Managers Create Employee Retention Managers who retain staff abflug by communicating clear expectations to the employee. They share their picture of what constitutes success for the employee in both the expected deliverables from and the performance of their job. These managers provide frequent feedback and make the employee feel valued. When an employee completes an exchange with a manager who retains staff, he or she feels empowered, enabled, and confident in their ability to get the job done. Employee complaints about managers and supervisors center on these areas. Employees leave managers who fail to provide clarity about expectations,provide clarity about career development and earning potential,give regular feedback about performance,hold scheduled meetings, andprovide a framework within which the employee perceives he can succeed. How to Help Managers With Employee Retention Alfruchtwein every manager can increase her ability to retain employees by developing her management skills. Teaching a manager about how to value people can be more challenging. Particularly if the manager doesnt already value people and their contributions in her mind and heart, it will be a leap for her to change her values. These ideas will help your organ ization develop managers who believe in and act in ways that support employee retention. Integrate core values about people and a mission and vision that enable people to align themselves with the company direction. Communicate the importance of these, and clear expectations about the behaviors expected from managers to accomplish these, to every manager.Negotiate a performance development plan with each manager that stresses the expected managerial areas of development,Provide training in core management skills to every manager. Core management skills include how tointegrate performance management including goal setting, give and receive feedback,recognize and value employees,coach employee performance,handle employee complaints and problems,provide a motivating work environment, andhold career development discussions with employees.Hold regular meetings to provide management development coaching and feedback. You can assist managers to improve their management style and skills. A regular meeting helps you debrief events as they occur, while memories of the exchanges are fresh in the managers mind.Schedule and hold learning organization events such as book clubs, product training, project debriefs, and discussion and planning meetings. Provide funding for conferences and educational development opportunities for managers to continue learning.As part of a fully integrated performance management system, provide 360-degree feedback, so managers know how their management style is perceived. What if a Manager Fails at Employee Retention? If a manager fails at employee retention, the chances are good that the manager has been unable or unwilling to develop their ability to manage and value people across the board. Managers who exhibit a pattern in which their key employees leave your organization should not retain their management role. If you have fairly and ethically provided the manager the learning opportunities suggested here, you can, in good conscience, remove the individual from their managerial role. The general experience of demotion most organizations find is that most managers consider this such a loss of prestige and face that they voluntarily leave the organization. If they choose to stay, however, they must commit to becoming effective, contributing employees. If the manager cannot make this leap, you will need to let the manager go before their negativity impacts the rest of your workplace. Given the management development opportunities listed here, most managers will be able to become managers who retain their best employees. Your investment in your managers can fuel your organizations ongoing success. After all, it is the quality of the people you employ and retain that is the heart of your business success.