In selecting the right workforce technology, there are a lot of things to consider, especially in organizations employing workers who span – count them – four generations: baby boomers, Gen X, millennials and Gen Z. Figuring out how to successfully attract, manage and engage each poses a unique challenge.
Whether you’re ready to embrace the millennials and Gen Z as employees, they not only are arriving in record numbers, but quickly rising through the ranks as future leaders. The experience you provide your employees today will determine whose company the finest workers among these younger generations will lead tomorrow: yours, or one of your competitors’.
Paycom’s Complete Guide to Finding the Best Workforce Technology provides seven tips to assist in your search for the best HR tech to create a winning workforce. While you can download the entire white paper for free, here are three of its tips to whet your appetite.
1. Choose technology that supports your employer brand and hiring strategy
Simply put, your “employer brand” is the perception people have about how great (or frustrating) it is to work for your company. A negative employer brand actually may hurt your ability to hire the right people. However, a powerful employer brand, can give you an edge when competing for the best candidates.
Cultivating a strong employer brand requires more than recruitment marketing or gimmicky hype. It involves shaping the perception candidates have of working at your company. In this digital age of ubiquitous transparency, that perception can make or break your company’s ability to attract and hire top talent.
Today’s tech-dependent applicants have no patience for a cumbersome application process. Wherever an applicant finds you, it should be intuitive for him or her to apply for one or multiple positions within your organization – even on a mobile device. Make it easy for information to be entered, uploaded and confirmed as received.
2. Prioritize onboarding functionality that engages employees
Retention begins with a positive onboarding experience. Recruiting teams and hiring managers put enormous effort into sourcing, interviewing and extending offers to ideal candidates. By the time a candidate has accepted your job offer, considerable time and resources already have been invested. Keep them interested with an engaging onboarding strategy, so that your company’s investment pays off.
One of the biggest mistakes employers make is not minding the gap between when a candidate accepts a job offer and his or her start date. In that time, the new hire is left vulnerable to counteroffers or competing employers. With regular communication, you can increase a new hire’s excitement and engagement with your organization, reducing your no-show rate and improving the overall efficiency of your recruiting efforts.
Having the ability to enroll in benefits and complete new-hire documentation electronically — such as Forms I-9 and W-4, and other company-required documents — can be the difference in a first day tangled in paperwork or spent productively.
Successful onboarding strategies do not end when the paperwork is filed. Incorporate ongoing initiatives to ensure new employees understand their purpose and have a career and development path that includes the training they need to grow and thrive.
3. HR technology should positively impact culture and engagement
Whether your organization has 200 locations nationwide or employs thousands remotely, mobile technology is the communication conduit to bring everyone together. Set your expectations high for workforce software that opens the door to communication opportunities. Can your employees open an app to watch a 30-second video from your CEO, thanking them for their service and recognizing a co-worker’s big win? That could be significantly powerful in helping a workforce know their CEO cares and notices the work they do.
Millennials in particular are eager to share their ideas and opinions, and appreciate an open and convenient platform where they can do that. They are used to frequently being asked to rate and review products and services online. Pulse surveys they can complete on their smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer will encourage engagement. Without easy opportunities to provide that feedback, they are more likely to separate from your organization instead of going to HR to report job dissatisfaction.
Selecting your HR technology is a critical component in giving your organization a competitive, next-level boost in a variety of hiring, engagement and retention activities. That shopping process can be overwhelming, but not if you know which features to seek. Download our Complete Guide to Finding the Best Workforce Technology to discover more aspects to consider that can positively impact your workforce.
