How do you become a great employer? Tips from Great Place To Work

As an employer, it is important that your employees are happy and engaged. A company with happy employees performs better and keeps its employees longer. But how do you become a good employer? In this blog, Wencke Ester-Lorber of Great Place To Work explains how you as a manager, recruiter, CEO or HR specialist can help create a great workplace.

As a recruiter: Tell the real story

The first impression counts. Make sure it's a good one, and above all, be honest. Honesty is key and will set the tone for the rest of your collaboration.

Honest communication

"Transparent communication is essential for being a successful employer. And that starts in the recruitment phase. Portray a clear and honest image of the company in job postings and interviews. Consider not only material and financial conditions, but also the culture of a company: How can the potential employee develop in the organization? What behavior is "normal" in the company?"

> What do employees really want? Read it in our blog

Show respect to your candidates

"Approach people as people: during the invitation, the interviews and in the communication afterwards. For example, communicate quickly after a job interview, even if you have to reject someone. Always provide valuable feedback. Even if the candidate is not suitable for the current role, they may be a great fit for a position that opens up in the future. Remember: any candidate can become an ambassador."

As a manager: retain your talents

Managers play an important role in employee retention. In Wencke's words, "A recruiter brings in talents, the manager keeps them in." Three things can help you do this:

1. Set goals

"According to our research, there are three questions that determine how long someone stays with an organization: Are employees proud of where they work? Do they find meaning in what they do? And is the work fun? Having a purpose is important for employees and teams. Managers are the connection to that purpose: explain the bigger picture, and translate the company's purpose into everyone's work. Also be transparent about why certain decisions are made."

2. Take care of your employees, and yourself

"A manager with compassion for his employees is necessary for employee retention and good performance. Listen to, appreciate and trust your employees. But it is equally important for managers to take care of themselves. This will help you create a better work culture. How? Lead by example. If a manager takes the time to network or attend trainings, it encourages the team to do the same."

3. Ease the workload

"Many organizations today are understaffed. People are juggling more and more work while already feeling exhausted and stressed. One way to prevent burnout is to relieve the workload. Managers play a key role in this. Help employees prioritize and take lower priority projects off the plate."

As an HR specialist: Get the best out of your employees

The role of HR has drastically changed. Where before the focus was on operational work such as tracking hours and sick leave, HR is increasingly taking on a role as a strategic partner. How do you get the best out of your people, and get them to perform better?  

"Instead of directly solving a problem in the organization, it is better to also look at the cause. Ask the manager why that problem keeps recurring and how you can work together to ensure that the team is working optimally."

As a CEO: Get your hands dirty

"Real cultural change is not achieved by simply introducing new policies. You have to get your hands dirty: show what your culture is all about. Moreover, be clear about the desired culture and hold people accountable for implementing it. And make sure you know what's going on in your organization."

"No one is perfect, so it is important to be honest and own up to your mistakes as a leader. Admitting it is part of good leadership. Leadership sets the tone for a workplace, so it is important to remember that creating an environment where people feel safe to speak up and make mistakes starts at the top. How you treat people affects how people perceive the culture."

As an employee: Make problems known

Even if you don't have any of the above roles, you can still contribute to making your workplace better. “One way to do this is by speaking out. In an ideal situation, employees should feel comfortable discussing any workplace issues without fear of retaliation. This can only be achieved through mutual trust and respect between colleagues.”

"If that is the case, then as an employee you have the space to discuss any issues: what needs to be improved? Reach out to your colleagues, so that you can stand firm together. Be honest with yourself, too; consider what you will do if the problem is not resolved, and ask yourself if the company culture is a good fit for you. Culture change will take more than just one person."