Recently, SHRM published a survey revealing the top challenges that HR leaders are facing today. When we looked closely at the list, we noticed an interesting trend...
The majority of today’s top HR challenges directly relate to recruiting. Additionally, even the ones that don’t directly relate to recruiting are still ultimately affected by your recruiting initiatives. Knowing this, tailoring your recruitment practices can be the pivotal step to overcoming your organization's top HR challenges.
But this raises the question—how exactly can you adjust your recruitment practices to conquer HR challenges? Here are three of the top HR challenges, and how you can modify your recruitment practices to overcome them:
Today’s HR professionals report that maintaining high levels of employee engagement is their most pressing challenge. Recent studies show that when employees aren’t engaged, their level of productivity dramatically drops. A study from Gallup also reveals that companies with disengaged employees experience turnover rates that are 19 percent higher than companies with engaged employees.
The Solution: Ensuring strong employee engagement begins with attracting and hiring candidates who are not only skilled for the job, but who also fit your company culture. You can attract better fitting candidates from the very start by writing transparent job descriptions that set clear expectations for the role. Also, make sure that the messaging on your career site offers insight into your company culture and values. Then, during interviews, ask about your candidates’ personal values and work preferences to determine whether they will be successful in the work culture at your company. Remember: Candidates can learn new skills, but they are less likely to adapt to a company culture and environment that isn’t right for them.
According to the SHRM study, developing the next generation of organizational leaders is projected to be the top challenge for HR professionals in the future. As today’s current executives and managers move into retirement, HR professionals must prepare the next generation of leaders. However, most HR professionals are concerned that new workforce entrants lack a number of skills necessary to become successful leaders. And they aren’t alone in their apprehensions, as the PwC Annual Global CEO Survey found that 73 percent of CEOs are also worried about the presence of key skills within their companies.
The Solution: According to an article from Mckinsey & Company, four kinds of behaviors make up 89 percent of leadership effectiveness: be supportive, operate with strong results orientation, seek different perspectives, and solve problems effectively. By incorporating these traits into your employment messaging, you can attract more candidates who can and will become great leaders. Verify that your candidates exhibit these leadership behaviors and qualities during interviews, and ask them if/why they aspire to become leaders. When at least a fraction of your new hires have the potential to assume leadership positions, you can better prepare your HR department to develop the next generation of leaders.
HR professionals agree that managing change in the workplace is paramount, but it’s also extremely challenging. According to SHRM, change management involves defining and adopting corporate strategies, procedures and technologies to adapt to changes in external conditions and the business environment. If HR professionals want to retain employees and support business growth, successfully implementing necessary change is key.
The Solution: When communicating with candidates, emphasize your company’s ultimate vision and focus on sharing company values. These ideologies will likely guide any future business decisions, and employees who connect with your vision and values are more likely to weather business changes or strategic shifts. Strive to hire candidates who are flexible and innovative as well, in order to foster a team environment that embraces change. Finally, ask your most agile business leaders to form a coalition that supports your HR department in implementing business change. These practices can significantly mitigate the impact that business transitions may have on employee turnover, and will empower your HR department to more successfully manage change.
If your HR department is facing challenges, consider how you can adjust your recruitment practices in ways that will strengthen the department. By aligning your recruiting efforts with your department’s overall goals, you can overcome challenging HR and business obstacles. As a result, your HR department can become the driving force in your organization’s success.
