Employee expectations of the company. Five proven ways to build a good employer image
Hiring a qualified employee is only a fraction of the success for an employer. Much more important are the actions taken by companies to retain new employees, especially in organizations with high employee turnover. The growing expectations of employees towards their employers make it necessary to focus on their needs. What do employees currently expect from the company they work for? What can be done to build the image of a good employer and retain employees in the company for longer?
Employment and remuneration are not enough to achieve the status of an ideal employer.
One of the key factors influencing the choice of employment is, of course, remuneration. However, even satisfactory earnings will not keep an employee in a place that does not meet their expectations. As it turns out, employee turnover can reach up to 50% within the first 18 months of employment, and the cost of recruitment and training a replacement can amount to as much as 6-9 months of the employee’s salary for the company. This means huge costs for the employer related to staff shortages, the need to constantly repeat the recruitment process, and the cost of lost revenue, because the employee did not generate value for the company’s customers before leaving. What kind of amounts are we talking about? The average gross salary of a production employee hired under an employment contract is currently PLN 4,600, which amounts to PLN 41,400 over 9 months. When we add the employer’s costs to this, the amount rises to PLN 49,680. The total cost per employee is therefore almost PLN 50,000. Let’s remember that production plants employ hundreds or even thousands of employees!
In industrial zones, there is even greater competition among companies seeking to attract skilled employees. A company’s reputation has a huge impact on whether well-qualified candidates will perceive it as a potential place of employment. Implementing solutions that improve the comfort of work will therefore encourage new people to take up employment and tie their future to a given place. In addition to ensuring the effectiveness of recruitment strategies, it is also worth taking measures to significantly reduce employee turnover.
Employee expectations of employers – what is the current situation on the labor market?
According to the Pracuj.pl portal, trends focused on employee needs have recently intensified on the labor market. The list includes, among others:
- non-wage benefits
- CSR activities
- teamwork
- caring for employee satisfaction.
In addition to material issues, job satisfaction is of utmost importance to employees, as it influences their willingness to become more involved in the company’s mission. What exactly do employees expect from their employer? And how can our noSilo application help meet these expectations?
Friendly atmosphere
An atmosphere of constant stress is not conducive to building positive employee-employer relationships. Leaders play an important role in this regard, which is one of the reasons why competitive companies take care to develop their managers’ skills in accordance with TWI principles. Unfortunately, the behavior of management often leaves much to be desired. Focusing on results over the well-being of employees can lead to communication errors, inadequate preparation for work, and a lack of objective feedback. Therefore, an important issue in building the image of a good employer is the appropriate selection of management staff who will create an atmosphere of respect, equality, and openness in the company.
Uninterrupted communication and objective feedback
One of the most significant causes of problems in any organization is poor communication. Imprecise formulation of instructions and the creation of information silos introduces unnecessary chaos, the consequences of which are borne by both individual employees and, ultimately, the entire company.
In addition to communication related to work processes, employees also expect objective feedback – regular conversations that include feedback provide information on progress in performance or the need to change or improve certain qualifications. Taking this need into account from the very beginning of employment, we give employees the opportunity to improve their skills in line with the company’s requirements. Concrete and precise communication using an application available to all employees eliminates any misunderstandings resulting from the need to “guess” what both parties expect.
Proper preparation for work
The onboarding process will determine whether a new employee feels part of the team and is motivated to stay with the company. Properly planned and executed onboarding, supported by an application that provides constant access to helpful materials, reinforces the employee’s belief that they will be able to perform their job independently and in line with the employer’s expectations.
Opportunity for growth
Even the best working atmosphere will not convince an employee who feels stuck in a rut to stay with the company. Therefore, it is the employer’s role to clearly define the development opportunities for employees in a given position and to seek out talent that will contribute to the growth of the entire organization. Intelligent competency matrices are extremely helpful in building a qualified workforce. The application allows employees to view their current skill level and plan their career path together with their leader. This makes employees feel like an integral part of the company and builds a bond with their employer.
Employer’s openness to other employee needs
The dynamics of the labor market mean that employees’ needs may change over time. A good employer is open to these changes and able to listen to employees’ needs. This does not mean, of course, that the employer is obliged to meet everyone’s expectations. However, they cannot give the impression that they are ignoring their subordinates’ requests. A good employer should always be ready to listen to employees’ suggestions and answer their questions—even if the answer is negative.
This attitude makes employees feel needed and listened to, which helps build bonds and trust with the employer.
Bibliography:
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/235121/why-onboarding-experience-key-retention.aspx;
https://dlafirm.pracuj.pl/blog/oczekiwania-pracownikow-wobec-pracodawcy-trendy;
https://poradnikpracownika.pl/-oczekiwania-wzgledem-pracodawcy-co-jest-dla-nas-wazne.
Mariusz knows HR like few others, but he is also drawn to industry and technology. He writes about digital tools in such a way that everyone—from HR specialists to shift managers—knows how they can make their daily work easier.
He combines his knowledge of HR processes with an understanding of industrial realities, enabling him to show how HR tools work in a factory setting, not just in theory. A jack-of-all-trades who can combine onboarding, skills development, and industrial realities into one compelling story.
