10 Ways Employee Surveys Help Attract and Retain Talent

10 Ways Employee Surveys Help Attract and Retain Talent A strong workplace culture increases business performance by engaging everyone in a united goal, values and vision. It is also essential for helping to attract and retain talent; a key element to achieving business growth.  The culture of your workplace has a significant impact on your employer brand and influences the perception of working for you. It is also crucial for staff retention, as employees will look to escape a toxic culture. Furthermore, a good understanding of your current culture will enable you to hire with cultural fit in mind, helping you to find those who will thrive in your organisation and prevent costly recruitment mistakes.  So how can you get an accurate picture of your workplace culture, and identify any potential areas for improvement? I  believe culture and engagement surveys provide employers with the insights needed to create a company culture which is attractive to current employees and to up-and-coming talent. When surveys are  conducted by an external party, employers are also more likely to get honest answers and gain an authentic reflection.  An effective survey will help you to understand and develop your organisation’s culture to deliver strategic and long term performance. Here’s just some of the valuable insights you can expect to receive: 1. Clarity of vision Are your employees aware of the aims and objectives of your organisation? A recent report found that only 42% of employees knew their organisation’s vision, mission and cultural values.   If employees are working without any real understanding of these elements, it is likely people will be pulling in different directions and not working together towards a collective vision. 2. Motivation levels The more motivated your employees are, the more likely they are to go the extra mile. However, it’s important to recognise what motivates people as individuals, rather than trying to guess what would work for everyone. A culture and engagement survey can help employers gain the insights needed to assess this. 3. Organisational learning New generations entering the workforce have created a shift in employee needs and motivations. Is your organisation successfully maintaining a culture which remains attractive to an evolving workforce? Are there any long-held misconceptions which need addressing? For example, is there a culture of long hours because people believe those who arrive early and stay late are seen to be the hardest workers? 4. Employee engagement The importance of gaining an insight into your current levels of employee engagement, and identifying any areas of improvement, should never be underestimated. Evidence shows that businesses with an engaged workforce have 40 per cent less staff turnover. Engaged employees will also be stronger advocates and help protect against the reputational risks associated with poor service levels or product quality. 5. Communication Is there an open and honest communication culture? Do senior managers trust employees and share information at the earliest opportunity? Providing transparent information and giving employees a voice are two key enablers of employee engagement. Effective internal communications are also essential in keeping staff engaged in the organisation’s developments. 6. Leadership style Is your senior leadership team fostering a positive work environment or a negative one? A successful workplace culture needs to have a clear commitment from the top and should be led by example. Employers also need to make sure that managers are effectively equipped to provide ongoing performance management which will help each employee to thrive. 7. Team work Does your organisation have a culture where people respect and support each other? In today’s multigenerational workforce it is becoming increasingly important to ensure each generational group respects each other’s unique talents. A successful culture will be based on employees sharing their knowledge across age groups and a sense of teamwork which spans the generations. 8. Innovation Innovation is essential if you want to stay ahead of the curve in your industry. Do your employees believe they are able to contribute ideas? They could provide creative solutions for new ways of working which will improve customer satisfaction and increase income. 9. Learning and development Do employees have a clear understanding of their career and progression path?   Offering development opportunities is an important element of employee engagement. It motivates existing employees and helps employers to create an effective progression pipeline. It also promotes the organisation as a place where new recruits will be supported to reach their full potential. 10. Employee well being Happy, healthy staff are more engaged and productive and employers benefit from reduced absenteeism. How do your employees view their work-life balance? Are any employee wellbeing programmes working effectively? A healthy culture relies on helping employees to strike the delicate balance between work and home life so they can effectively manage their careers, stay healthy and continue to feel engaged. Image: Shutterstock

HOW TO Maintain Consistency Across Branding Channels - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

HOW TO Maintain Consistency Across Branding Channels - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career There’s no doubt that you have a lot of branding opportunity on the Internet today. With every newly released social networking or blogging site comes another way to brand yourself to this new audience. Just like a company’s brand needs to be consistent, so does your personal brand. A problem some people may have is that they sign up for a new profile and don’t keep their profile congruent with the others they already have. Not only is this confusing for an outsider, but it can hurt your personal brand. Here are a few ways to maintain consistency: Link your profiles together There are a lot of ways you can do this, especially with Twitter and Facebook. Also, if you maintain a blog, you can set up your RSS feed to automatically tweet out or update your page with new posts. Have one presence Some people believe in keeping your professional and personal profiles separate; I am not one of them. Instead, maintain one account and strike a good balance between the two parts of yourself. Some sites won’t even allow you to create more than one profile, so keeping it simple is key to your brand. Keep your posts/updates/tweets consistent You’ve established yourself by what your passions, interests, expertise, and experience is related to. Although your personal brand can certainly grow and add to these aspects, you still want to stay consistent with what you share. So, if you’ve maintained a fairly professional brand, keep it that way. What other ways do you maintain consistency across branding channels? Author: Heather R. Huhman is a career expert and founder president of Come Recommended, a career and workplace education and consulting firm specializing in young professionals. She is also the author of #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), national entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com and blogs about career advice at HeatherHuhman.com.

Kick start your New Year

Kick start your New Year Don’t panic because it is January and you are worried about what to do next. Often people return from the Christmas break feeling fed up. All the fun is behind them and if you are a final year student you can see the finish line in the not too distant future. When a careers consultant sees a student in a total fluster that ‘everyone else is sorted’ the first thing you want to ask is ‘Are you sure they are? Or does it just feel like they are in comparison to how you feel? The race isn’t over! Firstly not all the graduate schemes are closed and some that are will re-open. There are lots of opportunities still but you need to know what it is you want and how you meet their needs. Also there will be graduate jobs outside of the graduate schemes. They are with a range of companies and offer you the chance to develop skills and gain experiences that will help you to grow into the career you want. Another option is to consider smaller companies and their opportunities. SMEs are small to medium companies or enterprises. They can have a workforce from 5 to 250 staff. They will hire as and when they need staff. So you will need to search them out and network with them. Use LinkedIn or a tool such as web database of companies such as Applegate It is worth remembering that SMEs actually account for the majority of business organisations in the UK (they accounted for 99.3% of businesses in 2018 according to the Federation of Small Businesses). Working for a smaller company will require you to be flexible and adaptable but it will give you the chance to be involved in a range of different roles and develop great skills. Career planning is important. I know no one really wants to think about the process but to be successful at anything you need to have a focus and plan towards your goals. Things don’t just ‘happen’ you have to work out how you are going to make them happen! My example when running a career planning session is a simple one: How did you buy your last mobile phone? Did you really just walk into a shop and pick the first one off the shelf? Or did you look at models? Check service providers? Work out what fitted your needs as a user? Did you ask friends and family about their phones and service providers? Talk to phone shop staff about options and deals? If you applied that much attention to your phone why not your career? Don’t worry about what others are doing. What you want and what they need are two very different areas. Some people have a clear idea of what they want to do and have contacts to help them achieve that goal. Great! But often the majority of us pick our degree because we enjoy the subject and have a keen interest in a part of the subject area. Sometimes we may decide that although we enjoyed our course there isn’t anything we can ‘do’ with the course. It is worth considering the broader skills and knowledge that you develop on your course. If you are wondering there is a great resource on the prospects website. Self-reflection is not just a phrase but a way of life! It will help you to prepare for any opportunities and then you can evidence how you meet them with your education and previous experience. You can’t just send out a CV that broadly talks about ‘proven communication skills’ without even explaining what you mean by communication (Talking? Listening? Questioning? Summarising? Writing? ) let alone evidencing your skills. Think of your examples and think of any gaps you need to fill! You can use the Self Reflection Moodle course too. Think about where you are looking, if you are just searching company websites it may mean that you are reducing your awareness of the opportunities. Set up your MyAdvantage account to send you the latest jobs in the areas that interest you. This stops you having to wade through jobs you have no interest in. Pick up directories of graduate recruiting companies for free from Careers as well as sector specific Targetjobs magazines. Why not explore websites that bring graduate level jobs together? Search Prospects and Targetjobs or if you are searching for sectors you can search specialist ones that concentrate on an area such as Gradcracker. You can find lists of deadlines for graduate schemes on websites such as Bright networks â€" that way you don’t miss opportunities. Don’t sit and worry come in and see a careers consultant. You don’t have to have a clear careers idea, or indeed any idea of what you want to do. People often feel they can’t come to careers and see someone but that is one of the central roles (and a rewarding one!) for a careers consultant. We aren’t here to ‘tell’ you what to do but to help you explore what you enjoy and what is important to you. So, I hope that this has reassured you that there is still loads still available and advice and guidance is just an appointment away. You can assess the services of your careers team now and in the future but getting involved now may help you to feel more relaxed and reassured. Good luck !

Career Planning and the Holidays - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Career Planning and the Holidays - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Career Planning and the Holidays The holiday season is a great time to do some critical career planning for the following year. You will likely have some time off to reflect back on the year that is ending and make plans for the new one. Accomplishments Reflect back over the previous year and identify key accomplishments in both your work and personal life. Develop a set of ARM statements (Accomplishment Results Metrics) for each work accomplishment. Weave these statements into your LinkedIn profile and resume. Accomplishments in your personal life are critical. These are often the activities that feed your soul and make you a well rounded individual. Do any of these activities belong in your LinkedIn profile? Non-profit board position? Volunteering for a prominent cause in your community? Your career planning process should include both work and personal accomplishments. New Skills and Certifications What new skills have you acquired in the past year? Did you acquire a new certification or renew one? Update your LinkedIn profile and resume to reflect these new skills and certifications. As part of your career planning process, you will want to access the value of your new and current skills in your local market. Use LinkedIn advanced search using your skills as keywords to find others who have similar skills to see where they work. Has anything changed in your local market? Similarly, do the same assessment as it relates to your certification. Does your certification still hold value in your local market? It is critical in your career planning process to assess shifts in the market for the value of your skills and certifications annually! Target List An essential part of the career planning process is to review your target list of prospective employers twice a year. Have any new employers entered your local market? More and more companies are setting up satellite offices or allowing their employees to work virtually. Have there been any major upturns or downturns for companies on your target list? Do you need to remove any companies from your target list? Establish a plan for the next six months to regularly work your target list developing key relationships at these target companies. You never know when you will need to make a career pivot! Goals Create goals for the next six months, this should include both work and personal goals. Make a calendar entry for early July of next year and document your goals there. If you are based in the United States, use the July 4th holiday for the date of the calendar entry. Even if you are employed, you should always be developing a plan for where you want to work next. Make career planning and career reflection a habit that will be performed like clockwork twice a year. I wish all of my readers a happy holiday season and a very prosperous new year! Marc Miller â€" Career Pivot Check out my book Repurpose Your Career â€" A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers Do not forget to follow me on Twitter or FaceBook

4 nifty ways to spend less and save money when at university

4 nifty ways to spend less and save money when at university This post was written by an external contributor. Sarah Wilson talks us through the best ways to spend less and save money when at university. I don’t know about you, but the first time my student loan dropped into my account, I went a little overboard. Dinners out, rounds of jagerbombs and ASOS sprees (damn you premier delivery) were all suddenly if you’ll excuse the pun very much on the cards. When it got to the end of first term, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when I totted up how much I’d managed to blow. In all seriousness, students are given very little preparation for budgeting or knowledge of how to save money at uni. Finding yourself suddenly in possession of a large amount of money can be a daunting experience especially with bills, rent, and the actual business of uni work to think about. It’s much easier to just keep tapping your contactless card away than actually sit down and think about a budget, but if you want to be living on more than tins of beans at the end of term, then trust me, it’s worth it. I’m not saying you necessarily have to sit down and rigorously map out each coffee, bus ride or night out though this can be helpful if you’re really stretched. There are a number of low-effort tricks you can implement into your everyday routines to alter your spending habits and wind up spending less overall and hey, you may even be able to save money in the long haul. Real, physical cash We might be heading for a cashless society, but until we do, the psychological effect of using real cash can be a powerful way of curbing unnecessary spending. Whatever your budget, the beauty of a student loan is that, by and large, you always know how much is due into your account each term. With this information, you can sit down and work out what a realistic weekly budget looks like for you. Once you’ve done this, head to your nearest cash point at the start of the week and take out your weekly budget in cash. Put it somewhere safe, and try to stick out the week using only that money. Having it in your hand when you’re about to buy something impresses the value of what you’re buying much more tangibly than a contactless debit card allows. It might make you stop and think before heading to the till in Primark laden with stuff you definitely didn’t come in intending to buy What’s more, if you find yourself needing to go over this budget by using card, you’ll know immediately that the budget you set isn’t quite working for whatever reason. When you’re only spending on card, this realisation often comes much later on, when it’s too late to change your habits. Savings account Another great psychological trick you can use to con yourself into better spending habits is to set up a savings account that’s separate from the main account which your student loan or other income comes into. You can often do this with the same bank you’re already set up with, meaning little extra hassle and ease in transferring money between the two accounts. If taking out cash each week feels like a little too much effort, try moving your weekly budget across from your savings into your   main account this week if you haven’t got an overdraft, this’ll make you stop and think before overspending. If you do, you’ll be able to see how much you overspent by how far in you’ve dipped. Thinking ahead To state the glaringly obvious, saving accounts are for, well, saving. If you know you’ve got big costs ahead like train tickets, hotels or holidays, put aside that money as early as you possibly can. That way, you’ll avoid accidentally dipping into it without realising, as well as an inevitable panic later down the line that you might have to cancel on big plans. Spread the cost Weekly budgets are all well and good, but there are, of course, occasions where you’ll have to break the bank. Another way to deal with high cost items or spends which you know are coming up in the future is to sit down and spread the cost across the coming weeks by weaving it into your budget. It’ll leave you feeling a lot less destitute when the time comes to pay up. It all sounds pretty sensible (and even a little dull), but with minimal effort you’ll find your relationship with money slowly improving, meaning less worry and more fun in the long run. Oh, and however much you’re tempted, do try not to abuse that overdraft Download Debut  and connect with us  on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.