There's one thing your workers will appreciate much more than a foosball table or an espresso machine
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If your company can't splash out on staff perks like free beer and snacks, sleep pods, personal trainers and ball pits, rest assured, there's something they'd rather have at work – and it doesn't cost a thing.
As businesses vie for top talent amid Canada's skilled labour shortage, attracting and retaining those desirable hires comes down to one thing: trust.
HR professionals need to create an environment and culture "where people want to come, and they want to stay " – and they need to be authentic about it, says Vertical Bridge HR consultant Sandra Reder.
"I don't think it's the old foosball tables and cappuccino machines – I don't think employees really care about that that much anymore."
Reder recently sat down with a tech client's employees for a one-on-one, face-to-face survey of what they liked about the company, what challenges they were facing, and what they'd like to see in future.
Her findings were startling.
"I have never gone anywhere where every single employee loves their job. That's what I found in this company."
The reason had nothing to do with tangible perks, and everything to do with the trusting environment that the company's leaders had created:
"The flexibility that they're given by the management team, the atmosphere. Everybody – all of the management team – is very open and approachable. [The staff are] not micromanaged: if they need to take off and do something , they have this attitude of … not clock-watching their staff. If someone needs to work from home, if they can do the work from home, then they trust them," Reder said.
"They feel that they actually matter, that [the company's leaders] care about them. A couple of them told me it feels like a family. Some others said 'this is my favourite place I've ever worked' – and we're talking about millennials, which is also a really interesting dynamic."
Increasingly, as millennials overtake boomers in the workforce, Reder says, all companies will need to shift the way they do business and create an environment where those younger workers feel embraced and can thrive.
So how can you find out what your employees really want? "Ask and listen."
"We have a tendency to make assumptions that we know what people want … and then you ask them, then if you listen, you find out sometimes you're way off the mark.
"There was a period of time 10 years ago where everyone thought that was what was going to get people in the door: sleeping pods and foosball tables … Who has the money, other than Google or Amazon, to create that kind of ecosystem for their employees?
"You can talk about culture all you want, but if you're not authentically living it and creating a culture that everyone really believes in, it's sort of like putting lipstick on a pig … If you're not actually living and breathing it, people figure it out really fast."
Related stories:
Does work-life balance matter more than pay?
Is a lack of trust crippling your company?
As businesses vie for top talent amid Canada's skilled labour shortage, attracting and retaining those desirable hires comes down to one thing: trust.
HR professionals need to create an environment and culture "where people want to come, and they want to stay " – and they need to be authentic about it, says Vertical Bridge HR consultant Sandra Reder.
"I don't think it's the old foosball tables and cappuccino machines – I don't think employees really care about that that much anymore."
Reder recently sat down with a tech client's employees for a one-on-one, face-to-face survey of what they liked about the company, what challenges they were facing, and what they'd like to see in future.
Her findings were startling.
"I have never gone anywhere where every single employee loves their job. That's what I found in this company."
The reason had nothing to do with tangible perks, and everything to do with the trusting environment that the company's leaders had created:
"The flexibility that they're given by the management team, the atmosphere. Everybody – all of the management team – is very open and approachable. [The staff are] not micromanaged: if they need to take off and do something , they have this attitude of … not clock-watching their staff. If someone needs to work from home, if they can do the work from home, then they trust them," Reder said.
"They feel that they actually matter, that [the company's leaders] care about them. A couple of them told me it feels like a family. Some others said 'this is my favourite place I've ever worked' – and we're talking about millennials, which is also a really interesting dynamic."
Increasingly, as millennials overtake boomers in the workforce, Reder says, all companies will need to shift the way they do business and create an environment where those younger workers feel embraced and can thrive.
So how can you find out what your employees really want? "Ask and listen."
"We have a tendency to make assumptions that we know what people want … and then you ask them, then if you listen, you find out sometimes you're way off the mark.
"There was a period of time 10 years ago where everyone thought that was what was going to get people in the door: sleeping pods and foosball tables … Who has the money, other than Google or Amazon, to create that kind of ecosystem for their employees?
"You can talk about culture all you want, but if you're not authentically living it and creating a culture that everyone really believes in, it's sort of like putting lipstick on a pig … If you're not actually living and breathing it, people figure it out really fast."
Related stories:
Does work-life balance matter more than pay?
Is a lack of trust crippling your company?