Attracting and retaining great staff has always been something that keeps employers awake at night. BRW has just published a report on what makes a great workplace and how this contributes to attracting and retaining fabulous people. One of the main findings is that the act of eating a meal together on a regular basis such as weekly, or for regular special events, is a very successful way of building relationships among staff which leads to increased engagement and longevity with the company.
The three main aspects that contribute to a great workplace are: transparency, flexibility and ownership. Transparency encourages the flow of communication which includes access to senior management to discuss problems, offer ideas for improvement and get real information on the state of the company. Transparency is also being encouraged through knowledge sharing.
Flexible workplaces provide a range of suitable options for staff to balance their lives with their work. This includes working from home, flexible working hours, flexible workspaces etc.
Ownership comes in a number of forms from profit sharing equally across all levels of the organisation from CEO to receptionist, to setting up unit trusts as part of an employee ownership scheme because people who own shares feel like it is their business, taking greater ownership, control and commitment in the business.
Some of the things that are working for these companies are:
- Great work spaces including furniture such as standing desks
- Eating together
- Wine fridges
- Gadgets for gadget geeks (ie Ipads, PC’s phones)
- Funding personal development of staff
- Having a say and really being heard
- New employees get a buddy
- Noticing and personalising excellence with handwritten notes etc
- Personal training
- High trust of staff to self moderate and perform
- Time for professional development (60 hours / year or a $$ amount like $2000 / year)
- Time for volunteering (30 hours year)
- Hiring for values rather than solely on technical ability – having a good cultural fit
- Once a month finishing at 2pm on a Friday
- Kindles for every employee to support personal development. Relevant books are paid for by the company
- Tai chi and laughter yoga
- 3 months of nappies after the birth of a child…etc.
The more staff are supported to live their passions thorough their work, the higher the commitment, productivity and engagement is. Supporting people to work with their strengths helps people to live their strengths.
It sounds like win / win to me!