How to Be a Company that Attracts Top Talent

It’s no secret that the most highly regarded employers draw in the top talent in the industry. When your knowledge, experience, and natural gifts are considerable enough, you’re afforded the luxury of choice, and if you have a choice, then it follows that you’re most likely going to choose to work for a top company.

The question for employers that are seeking top talent is this:  How exactly do you become a top company to work for?

It’s not enough to offer bonuses, benefits, and competitive wages. In fact, that’s pretty much the bare minimum. Your company needs to be tuned in to what makes the modern worker tick:  What their values are, what their needs are, and what they want from their employer beyond a consistent paycheck.

If that sounds a little bit overwhelming, don’t worry. You don’t need a master’s degree in social work to get to the core of workplace happiness. You just need to follow this simple guide.

What Exactly is a “Top Company”? 

A top company is not just the one that pays the most, the one that’s the most exclusive, or the one that’s most fun. A top company is one that is well regarded for its workplace culture, its emphasis on people, and its ability to grow and change.

In other words, a top company is almost always going to be known for its empathy and its ability to create happiness in the workplace.

In today’s working world, people-centric ideas take precedence over almost anything else in the eyes of employees. If you want to make a “Best Companies to Work For” list, then you’re going to need to build the following concepts into the foundation of your company:

• Flexibility
• Diversity
• Inclusion
• Work-life balance
• Recognition
• Emphasis on mental health

While this list is an unofficial one, it’s safe to say that the modern worker holds each item in high regard, and every last top company does, too.

Attributes of a Top Company

What makes a top company tick? It may seem complicated, but at its core, it comes down to a few rather simple ideas:

A Strong Company Culture 

A well-defined and carefully constructed set of customs, ideas, values, and traditions is one of the key factors to happiness in the workplace. When your company has a team culture that everyone understands and buys into, you’re far more likely to have a workplace full of engaged employees that are willing to extol the virtues of their employer to anyone who will listen. This is because culture is about people, and all people have a desire to be part of a culture.

If you’d like to build a strong workplace culture, the first thing you must do is decide what that culture will look like. Whether it’s a looser dress code to promote a more comfortable workplace, a system to reward and acknowledge personal achievement, or a clearly defined plan to promote diversity, you need to find what makes your company tick and build it into everything you do. Greater workplace happiness will soon follow.

Hiring for Fit 

The best way to prompt your company’s culture to flourish is to hire the type of employees that best fit your ideals. Of course you want to hire the most talented applicants you can find, but talent isn’t the only thing to consider. In fact, cultural fit is just as important.

Take the online shoe and clothing retailer Zappos, for example. Zappos — which has previously been listed on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list — is well-known for their focus on company culture and the way that culture plays into their hiring process.

Their interview process includes a “social test,” in which they get to meet multiple current employees and spend time in different departments in order to gain an understanding of how they might get along as part of the company. If they don’t seem to fit, they most likely won’t get hired, regardless of how highly qualified they may be.

The idea behind all of this is that workplace happiness is heavily contingent on positive social interaction among coworkers. If you build a workforce that can’t get along, how can you expect to create a strong company culture?

Caring About People  

It may sound a bit obvious, but people matter in the workplace. The goal of any company is to make a profit— that can never be ignored — but in order to achieve that goal, the people that make up the company must have their needs met.

Happiness in the workplace is more important to people now than ever before. A top company knows this and will strive to achieve it on all fronts. This can mean holding company parties, allowing employee dogs in the office, or offering mental health days and resources. It can also mean acknowledging employee achievement more often, allowing them more freedom to express themselves, and making leadership more accessible.

Go Beyond the Workplace 

Your company’s goodwill doesn’t need to stay within the office walls. Giving back to communities and supporting causes that are important to your employees can go a long way toward promoting workplace happiness.

This could mean sponsoring a charitable event, making an annual donation, or using your company platform to promote some favorite causes. Of course, humanitarian efforts have many more benefits than simply getting your company onto a “best employers” list, but it’s certainly a wonderful added bonus.

Learn more about the ways that Inspirus can help you engage your team members and nurture happiness in the workplace. Contact us today!