An old proverb says that for a lumberjack to cut a tree, he first needs to sharpen the axe. Applying it to the corporate world, we can also say that for a company to be successful, it must first “sharpen the axe” – that is, hire efficient employees.
For a company to succeed, it is essential to have the best employees. After all, it is people and their talent that are the true motors of an organisation.
The problem is that, with a market as competitive as the current one, maintaining employees is not always easy, since all companies are in constant search for the best collaborators.
There are also times when organisations already have the best people on their staff and don´t realise it. It is here that Human Resources gain central importance, as they are responsible, not only for identifying and recruiting, but also for promoting the presence of talented people within the companies.
Sometimes companies look for the wrong characteristics of their employees. Depending on the business, too much relevance is given to competencies such as punctuality and formal appearance, when what really should matter would be genuinely human skills such as creativity, communication, leadership, integrity, responsibility and work ethic, among others.
Finding the best collaborators within the company
As already seen, it is vital that those responsible for recruitment are aware of the talents they already have within the organisation. The best way to find “talent” will always be to keep a constant eye on day-to-day work activity and this is best done by human resources specialists. Even if there isn’t an hr department on your organisation, by outsourcing the services of an hr company you will get the same results without the added expense of having a permanent hr team.
To value and maintain a collaborator
Regardless of the salary offered, something that any employee will always prize is the appreciation that the bosses give him, whether it is a simple thank you or a more significant reward like a raise, so do not forget to recognise the excellent work and motivate who deserves it.
Worrying about the well-being of the team is one of the factors most valued by workers.
In your company’s decision-making process, what is the role of employees? Giving more voice to input in different departments can be a strong incentive.
If a company does not offer growth opportunities to employees, it may be reducing their motivation. According to studies, one of the three non-monetary motivating factors is related to opportunities to lead teams or projects, so creating opportunities for task leadership and application of excellence skills can make a difference in motivation.
Also, there is no motivation without good interpersonal relationships between managers and other employees. So, you should encourage the proper relationship between your workers and quickly solve any friction that can potentially damage the gears of your business machine.
It is important to emphasise that a disgruntled employee, whatever his salary, will feel tempted to leave and go work elsewhere. On the contrary, a collaborator who feels happy, recognised and motivated in his work, will have no reason to abandon the project.
