What do you do if your employee engagement efforts aren't attracting top talent?

In my case, employee engagement was the need for attracting top Military talent! The key was to involve and utilize our Employee Resource Group (ERG) for Veterans, called Salute ERG. I used a three pronged approach. I call it the "three Rs", Recruiting, Reception, and Referrals. First I used the ERG at Recruiting events to leverage local employees, managers etc. This was a great move! Next, I focused on the Reception of new hires. Using Veteran employees to meet and greet new Military hires helped to break down barriers to inclusion. Last, I focused on employee Referrals. This initiative allowed the employees to engage in the recruiting process, and incentivized their engagement. The "three Rs" were a win-win-win for the company!

To enhance your employee engagement efforts and attract top talent, focus on revising your engagement strategy to align with key leadership principles such as inspiration, motivation, and support during changes. Emphasize the importance of leadership traits like accessibility, accountability, and active listening, creating a culture that celebrates employee feedback and success stories. Offer personalized growth opportunities and invest in engagement technologies to make your organization more appealing to. Strengthening your employer brand through clear communication of your company's values and culture is also crucial. By adopting these strategies, you can create a dynamic and supportive workplace that attracts and retains top talent.

Apart from assessing about your employee engagement internally, look externally at the industry and its trends. These will give you insights into what’s happening in the industry and expectations and preferences of top talents. It could be career growth opportunities, salary, benefits and many other insights. With this, compare them to your current offerings and whether it needs an update.

These are actually two different problems with a possible same root cause that likely lead to a third: 1. low employee engagement 2. poor recruitment 3. high employee turnover / poor retention They may have the same underlying cause but they might not. Go read your organization's Glassdoor reviews. What do they say? Talk to recruitment firms. What is the feedback they receive from candidates? What is your firms reputation? Do you have any employees who are disproportionately negatively impacting engagement? This could be someone who engages in gossip *but* it could also be your top performing salesperson. If you are tolerating disruptive or toxic behaviour, you will never achieve your engagement goals.

A great way of carrying out an employee engagement survey is to make it interactive on a team day. Use a tool like Mentimeter where you can present the survey results back in real-time and then get the teams present to prioritise and problem solve on what is coming out of the survey

Look inward first. If you were starting your firm from scratch, which leaders & managers (on your current team) would you hire to build your company? Now. What about other current leaders & managers? What themes do you notice in their skills gaps? How are you investing to close them? What support are you giving them? Before you go seeking new talent, focus on engaging, developing, growing, up-skilling your existing team. New top performing talent is going to care about these types of programs. They will want to know how you are going to keep growing them and advancing their careers. If you don't proactively invest in your existing team, new top talent is going to know by lunch on day 1 that they should start looking for a new job.

Struggling to attract top talent despite your best employee engagement efforts? It's time to rethink your approach. Start by analyzing your company culture, benefits, and growth opportunities. Ensure your employer brand reflects a supportive and inclusive environment. Leverage feedback from current employees to identify areas for improvement. Invest in professional development programs and perks that resonate with top candidates. Remember, attracting top talent requires a holistic approach that goes beyond engagement initiatives. Let's redefine your recruitment strategy together!

In my journey, I learned that not all talent engagement strategies attract the top performers. Precisely identifying the target talent pool is what made the difference. Redefining our ideal candidate profile, beyond just skills, to include traits and values aligned with our culture, made all the difference. We tailored our messages, highlighting projects that showcased innovation and teamwork, aspects that resonated with our desired candidates. This clarity in who we were looking for and communicating what truly mattered to them, not only improved the quality of applicants but also our overall team dynamics. Understanding and appealing to the specific aspirations and motivations of your ideal candidates is crucial.

Usually, the 9-box grid is used to assess talent, but you need to make sure it is a balanced and fair view. It is best discussed as managers together, which ensures a well-rounded view. I would add a note of caution about concentrating on your top talent. Often talent is hidden and unless you give all opportunities you may be missing the talent that could ignite the business. Employee engagement initiatives need to be concentrated on all employees because any discontent will percolate through all if it is seen as not a fair and open culture.

I will state it here and let the future be the judge. While looking for a talent to attract and retain in your organization, it is a tactical mistake to focus on external resources as matter of priority over the available internal teams. Even if the external talent arrive, the writings shall have been cast on the wall, and the next strategy by the talent shall be to leave. After identifying the gaps through employee engagement and feedback, it is important to train and support internally available talents, unless otherwise forced by irreconcilable circumstances. This way, one builds a strong team best on trust and understanding that hard work, and dedication can pay in your organization.

It is also crucial for organizations to have clear communication channels and transparent leadership. Engaging with employees regularly and valuing their input can make them feel heard and valued, leading to higher levels of engagement. Furthermore, providing opportunities for growth and development, such as training programs, mentorship opportunities, and career advancement paths, can help attract and retain top talent. Employees are more likely to be engaged and committed to their work if they see opportunities for growth and advancement within the organization.

One critical decision to make is to establish how employees can engage and give feedback without victimization. While designing and implementing an employee engagement program, this is the most critical question to be answered, as employees will most likely not be willing to share some critical information in open forums where victimization is most likely to occur. A software application where this can be done anonymously is key as it leaves no corner untouched. In most cases, the problem in organizations is mismanagement , and junior employees will most likely get victimized when they engage along those lines, yet important.

Employees' stories are one of the strongest element to attract attention in marketplace. Nothing connects as a true lived experience does. Stories, anecdotes, authentic experience sharing, and vulnerability - can make the stories real.

No one size fits all. Just because some employer branding idea has worked for a company, doesn’t mean it will work for you. Solutions need to be customised for an industry and in particular for a company. Monitoring of employee and candidate perceptions on websites like Glassdoor and ambitionbox is important and accordingly creating the employee value proposition and then branding it at the right places. So as to attract the best talent.

Drawing from my experience, optimising employer branding is critical to attracting top talent. In the past, we reevaluated our online presence to ensure it genuinely reflected our values, culture, and the innovative work we do. We shared stories of our team's achievements and our community involvement on social media, showcasing the human side of our business. We also encouraged our employees to become brand ambassadors by sharing their positive experiences. This holistic approach not only elevated our brand in the eyes of potential candidates but also instilled pride in our current team. A strong employer brand acts like a magnet for top talent, aligning what they seek with what you offer.

Review your existing brand. What is it that potential candidates see in your brand? What’s the review or chatter like online about your brand? These are some areas to review in order to get some insight into the strengths and weaknesses of your brand. Use these insights to help refine your brand to better position yourself to top talent.

First, identify your company's true identity. What are your core values and mission? How do these translate into daily work life? Authenticity builds trust with potential hires Define your unique value proposition. What sets you apart as an employer? Highlight these aspects to attract talent seeking specific benefits Weave your identity and value proposition into a compelling narrative. Use clear, concise language to showcase your company culture through multiple channels. Employee testimonials, engaging social media content, and career pages that go beyond just job descriptions all paint a vivid picture of what it's like to work at your company By strategically telling your story, you'll attract top talent who are a great fit

It is key to involve your employees in the review and ensure it is a cycle that includes feedback and review from all. Listening and taking notice of what your employees say will ensure you start to build employee engagement and, as a result, attract top talent.

Evaluate the clarity of your brand message and employee value proposition. Top Talents usually look for organizations that fit their purpose and space for them to do well and grow in the way they see fit.

One of the most effective ways to appeal to skilled professionals is by focusing on providing substantial opportunities for both personal and professional growth. People are not just looking for jobs; they're seeking careers where they can evolve, innovate, and feel genuinely invested in their professional development. During the recruitment process, it is beneficial to clearly outline potential career paths within the organization. This transparency helps prospective employees visualize their future with the company and understand the steps needed to advance. When employees see that an employer is proactive about career planning, it can significantly enhance the company's attractiveness as a workplace.

Improve recruiting efforts. After optimizing your brand to better align with top talent’s expectations, use the insight to create better recruiting campaigns. Leverage platforms that’ll get you in front of top talent. It can be career fairs, social media, industry and university engagements or employee referral programs.