Employee Magnetism

by Arlene Vernon

Published on this site: August 6th, 2005 - See more articles from this month

Question 1: As a business owner, manager, and even as an individual, what makes YOU magnetic?

In order for people to want to work with you or your company, it's vital that you have a solid understanding of what makes you magnetic, and that you market those magnetic attributes to your target audience.

For HR purposes, our target audience is qualified, reliable, productive, motivated employees. So, how do you become a true magnet for these special people?

First, ask yourself my original question in more specific terms. What about your organization makes you an "attractive" place to work? What really draws employees to you? Is it your product, office building, work culture, great interaction between employees, super clients, great compensation plan, above average benefits, time off benefits, high energy, fun place, travel?

Put your list of magnetic attributes onto paper. List the items in generalities as I did above. Then, get more specific about each item. What specifically about your culture is magnetic to current and prospective employees? What benefits really keep your employees happy?

If you are drawing a blank, or you want a larger pool of contributors adding to the list, then I recommend you ask your coworkers and other employees what they see to be the benefits of working in your organization. They may share your perspective or they could surprise you with a different set of insights into your organization's magnetic strengths.

Question 2: Why is being a magnetic manager or employer so important?

I'll answer this with another question: How much time have you wasted hiring the wrong employees and trying to "fix" them to become the employee you really want? By implementing a magnetic approach to employee selection and retention, you will save time and money (and headaches).

A - As an employer, how can magnetism retain employees?

1. Resell your magnetism to your current employees. Employees need to be reminded why they should remain at XYZ Co. so they don't wander off to other employers.
   
   
2. Present different organizational attributes at staff meetings, reinforce this message in newsletters or e-mails, create benefits statements, or give the job of communicating this information to your employee relations task force.

B - As a Recruiter, market your magnetism to prospective employees.

1. In your employment ads sell your attributes in the text.
   
   
2. During the interview, talk about why you love working at XYZ Co. and how other employees feel. Your competition isn't likely to sell themselves with the same self-awareness. Since you want to hire people who are attracted to your unique magnetic qualities, sell these qualities to your prospective employees.
   
   
3. At networking events, introduce and discuss your organization in a way that makes people immediately think, "I'd like to work there!"
   
   
4. Share your exciting news with the media, local papers, industry journals, etc., so others can see your growth, awards, employee promotions, new products, and other events.

I know some of you don't like to brag about yourself or your business. But this isn't bragging - it's fact! Look at marketing your employee magnetism as sharing information. Let others participate in all the benefits of working in your organization and you will attract and retain the right people!

Arlene Vernon, PHR, partners with small businesses as their Human Resource Xpert to create their HR systems and solve their HR problems. Every month Arlene shares ideas, tips, and solutions you can apply immediately in your organization in her newsletter, HRxaminer. Sign up at http://www.arlenevernon.com