Small Business: Employee Attraction and Retention

• Select the Right Benefits. The best benefits will vary in each small business depending on the workforce’s needs, but they can be leveraged to attract and attain the right employees.

• Revamp Recruiting, Hiring and Onboarding Practices. Employers can consider using tools such as an applicant tracking system that collects and stores candidate resumes and helps automate common recruiting and onboarding tasks.

• Expand Recruiting Reaches. A good starting point for small businesses looking to grow their recruiting reach is to expand their online presence. This includes creating and maintaining multiple online profiles, posting content regularly and educating prospective workers about job opportunities.

• Focus on Developing Employees. Some ideas or opportunities include providing career pathing plans, creating mentorship programs, offering microlearning workshops to focus on a specific skill, or paying for employees to attain certifications or further their education outside of the workplace.

• Offer a Flexible Work Environment. Surveys overwhelmingly indicate that many employees prefer to retain flexible work options. These offerings include work-from-home arrangements and flexible or hybrid work schedules (working part of the week in the office and part of it remotely).

• Create a Strong Workplace Culture. Leaders are pursuing initiatives such as training managers on how to identify employee burnout, designate fair workloads and support the needs of their team members

Smaller businesses can stay agile and should consider what strategies they can leverage to compete in today’s labor market.