Global employment specialist Randstad has released a new eight point strategy aimed at assisting companies run an effective resourcing strategy for small and medium companies.

 

Randstad’s eight tips are:

 

  1. Plan at least 4 years into the future:Research suggests that the most profitable HR plans have a minimum duration of 4 years, yet many small businesses only plan their workforce for the year or two ahead.
  2. Involve your whole business: Resource planning can ensure an organisation has the right people with the right skills, at the right time. But this means you need to proactively seek out the areas in your business which you are not immediately responsible for to identify future staffing requirements. Not only will this help you to avoid ‘panic filling’ a role with the wrong person, it also means instead of spending money on hiring a new staff member, you could up-skill existing employees in advance which ultimately improves retention rates.
  3. Determine your unique selling points: Every organisation has a unique business proposition which sets it apart from other companies when interviewing prospective employees, yet often this is not conveyed correctly in the interview process. Make sure top talent know why they should choose your organisation over another. For example, it could be your flexible work arrangements, health and wellbeing program, location or staff perks like gym membership etc.
  4. Write out a generic role description for each of the vacancies you regularly need to fill: Not only will this save you time during hiring, but it allows you to compare your organisational needs against existing roles, and identify any skills gaps. Sometimes instead of requiring a new hire, you could adjust current employee responsibilities by providing training to fill the business need.
  5. Devise an internal training & development team: employees who feel valued and believe their organisation has a genuine interest in their development are consistently the most engaged and productive staff. Having a clear career progression path with opportunities for your people to up skill through training programs is an excellent resourcing initiative.
  6. Sign an exclusive contract with a specialist recruitment agency: Some small businesses are skilled at sourcing and finding their top hires easily, however for the majority of medium enterprises, staffing is not something that comes naturally. Often the cost of engaging with a specialist recruitment provider may seem high compared to trying to find a new hire yourself - but weigh up the pros against the cons of peripheral costs such as loss of time wasted which could be directed into more profitable activities, and the cost of hiring and training the wrong candidate who ultimately leaves your business.
  7. Actively monitor where your business does its hiring from: If you engage with a number of different recruitment agencies or sourcing channels, be sure to keep a record of the most successful areas you find talent from. You can then use this information to  refine and improve your future HR sourcing plans
  8. Conduct exit interviews: One of the most valuable sources of information is often overlooked when employees move on from your business – regardless of whether you thought they were a good or bad hire, it’s important to conduct a leaving interview with each exiting staff member so that you are able to identify gaps and trends in your employment process which will ultimately help you increase your retention rates.

 

Randstad’s HR guide can be found here

http://www.randstad.com.au/about-randstad/workpocket