How to Improve Recruiting and Retention of Your Key Food and Beverage Employees (part 1)

July 8, 2013 in HR Best Practices

 

 

According to a 2013 Employment Screening Benchmarking Report by HireRight, competition for experienced talent is a top hiring challenge for U.S. companies.  Finding, retaining and developing quality talent was cited as the biggest business issue for 52 percent of the organizations surveyed.

How will your food & beverage company address the talent challenges ahead?

One of the best ways to attract and retain high performers is by becoming an employer of choice.  Use these suggestions from Kinsa to become a true talent magnet, while keeping your best and brightest working for you:

  • Cross-train key professionals.  High performers naturally crave challenge – and if you don’t provide it, they may seek it with a competitor.  Nurture top talent by assigning them responsibilities that broaden their knowledge base and make them more versatile.  The more these employees feel they are making a real difference within your organization, the more engaged and loyal they’ll be.  As an added benefit, cross-training helps you protect against knowledge loss and benefits your succession-planning efforts.
  • Make career development a priority.  Meet regularly with each key employee to discuss his career “big picture.”  Discuss where he is now, where he’d like to be, and how you can help him get there.  Work together to develop a three- to five-year career plan, and then provide the mentoring, educational and other professional development opportunities he needs to achieve those goals.
  • Create the right culture.  Hold a brainstorming session to examine and improve your work environment.  Ask employees for ideas on how to enhance teamwork, autonomy, flexibility and work/life balance.  Once you know what’s important to employees, assign them responsibility for implementing the culture changes that make sense for your organization.  People are more likely to stay working in a culture that reflects their own preferences and priorities.
  • Listen to your employees.  Your most talented professionals have lots of great ideas.  Do they have a mechanism for sharing them?  Encourage your staff to come to you with their suggestions.  Keep an open mind and listen to what they have to say – then implement their best ideas!  Make your company one that leverages the intelligence and insights of its natural innovators.
  • Offer a competitive salary and benefits package.  Money isn’t everything, but it is important.  To truly become a best place to work, you should offer a comprehensive and competitive compensation package that reflects the value you place on your most important asset – your people.

Once you’ve implemented the steps needed to become an employer of choice, recruiting top food & beverage talent will become easier.  Still, finding the best will likely remain a big challenge for some time.  When you need help, give Kinsa a call. As leading food & beverage executive recruiters, we have the experience, resources and talent network to rapidly deliver high performers who will thrive in your organization.