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The nature of the modern organization is evolving as technology enhances interactions, and multi-generational teams form. The ability to motivate and engage employees determines the level of success as new dynamics emerge. But the philosophies regarding employee engagement and motivation are shifting; people are no longer attracted by the highest salary or company benefits alone!

Research emphasizes intrinsic motivators being more effective in stimulating employees. Paul Marciano, a thought leader on employee engagement, explains that "engaged employees work hard for the sake of the organization and because it gives them a feeling of fulfillment". The challenge for organizations is to tap into the psychological aspects that promote happiness, collaboration and productivity.

Some of the world's most profitable companies are succeeding because they understand that investing in employee happiness isn't something they have to do, it's something they should do. For example, Google provides effective employee wellness programs, focusing on subsidized meals and snacks, having on-site physicians, and providing transportation with WiFi for employees. Apple employee benefits start immediately, even for part-time employees, and they have regular company events to encourage interaction and collaboration between teams.

In his book, The Best Place to Work, Friedman describes different techniques for creating an extraordinary workplace. He explains that "the more invested and enthusiastic people are about their work, the more successful their organization is on a variety of metrics."

Here are a few methods to consider when developing your employee engagement strategies!

Encourage your teams to play more

Ever wondered why high performing organizations have foosball and pool tables in their offices? Research tells us that playing is vital to innovation, change and learning. When play is introduced into the workplace, it encourages creativity, freedom, unconscious thinking and opportunities to energize.

• Unconscious thought allows people to process large amounts of information more effectively and gives the mind the freedom to discover associations between concepts. It also supports creative problem solving, which can lead to better decision making.
  
  
• By putting ourselves into a child-like mindset, it creates room for alternate ways of thinking and exploring new possibilities.
  
  
• Engaging in play allows employees to take on challenges to practice problem solving, explore new options and encourages risk-taking in a safe environment. These all lead to increased curiosity and interest, which benefits work and levels of engagement.
  
  
• By encouraging employees to be more curious and take risks, it can help in overcoming the fear of failure. Friedman explains, "when your attempt rate is high, each individual failure becomes a lot less significant," and as learnings are reapplied, it creates a more reliable path to success.

Consider your workspace design

Highly successful companies such as Google and Cisco invest in smart office designs to inspire thinking, allow for creativity and collaboration and demonstrate care for employees. Here are some of the techniques they employ:

• Having a view of the outdoors has been found to improve productivity in the workplace. The addition of spaces that allow us to step into or be close to nature can help restore mental reserves and provide a distraction for unconscious thought.

• _{The office space can be used to communicate with employees and can convey important messages related to the company's goals or leadership expectations. A possible option is to include employees in the design decisions to create a personal connection to the space.}
  
• Friedman states that the use of colour can affect people's thinking, as we have been conditioned to associate different meanings with various colours.

For example:

• _{Red is associated with alarm bells and warning signals – when we see red, we are more alert and vigilant.}
• _{Blue is more tranquil and calming, and could be used in "quiet rooms".}
• _{Yellow represents happiness and inspires creativity.}
  

Set the example

Leaders set the culture and expected behaviours within the organization. One person can make a difference by setting an example, and it starts with  our leaders.

• Know when to recognize publicly versus privately: Acknowledging hard work and contributions is essential to keeping employees engaged, however, these actions should be recognized differently. Friedman suggests using "public recognition to draw attention to behaviours that are consistent with the culture that you are trying to promote, and that you'd like others to mimic". Private recognition could be used for other actions worthy of acknowledgement but which may not align fully with the workplace culture.
  
  
• Facing an employee with a bad attitude? Shake up their network: Employees are often influenced by the people around them, and this could be a useful tactic to change behaviour. For instance, guide underperforming employees by assigning them to new projects or new workmates. This approach can reset errant practices and align them with the desired result.
  
  
• Distance yourself from colleagues with a negative influence: Continuing from the previous principle, emotional cues, body language and expressions are influenced by the people and actions around them. Limit the exposure to "negative Nellies" or those who drain much-needed energy; instead, try to mingle with those who encourage and inspire new thinking.

What happy workplaces can learn from a casino

Friedman explains that casinos use subtle techniques to shape our thinking, sway our moods and create a euphoric environment to encourage risk-taking. "When we're feeling good about our lives, we connect with others more easily, think more optimistically, and free up valuable mental resources to focus on novel ideas." What can be done to create happiness in the workplace?

• Small, frequent pleasures can keep us happy longer than large, infrequent ones: Schedule smaller and more frequent positive events to boost employee morale. For example, instead of throwing a big holiday party, opt for scaled-down seasonal get-togethers. Also, inexpensive office perks demonstrate care for employees, e.g. the flexibility to work from home or a fancy coffee machine in the break room. Employees are motivated to work harder when they feel cared for.
  

• Experiences are more rewarding than objects: The thrill of life experiences like a vacation or a group outing tend to have a more lasting effect than a physical reward, like a new TV. These experiences encourage growth through exposure to new environments and foster intellectual curiosity. They can also boost the level of engagement and collaboration between teams.
  
• Unexpected actions deliver a bigger thrill: Psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky states in her book, The Myths of Happiness, that a continuous stream of surprises helps to keep people engaged. One tactic could be to surprise employees with unusual or unexpected treats. For example, decorate the office with balloons in preparation for a holiday or have a massage therapist come in for a day to provide some stress relief.  

Gallup's global studies indicate that only 13% of employees worldwide are actively engaged at work. Leaders have the power to turn this around and improve productivity for employees and organizations. Being innovative and seeking new options to engage the workforce creates opportunities for employees to adopt the same mindset. The winning combination of innovative leadership and engaged employees is the key to unlocking future potential.

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Successfully onboarding a new hire is top of mind for most companies, and it’s easy to understand why - losing employees to poor onboarding can result in high employee turnover, damage to an organization’s reputation, and significant costs!

While welcoming new employees is part of the excitement of running a company, watching them walk out because they had little to no support during their first few months is far less exciting.

That’s why companies face staggering losses when employees jump ship. Surprisingly, 31% of employees leave a job within their first month, and the cost of that turnover can range between $3,000-$18,000 for one employee alone.

If that weren’t alarming enough, the cost of losing a company executive can be even greater - up to 213% of that exec’s annual salary.

When companies lose, on average, 25% of their employees within their first year of employment, it’s understandable that organizations would work arduously to ensure their teams want to stay.

So where, exactly, do companies go wrong?

It may just start with the onboarding process.

Onboarding can be hard, but what about no onboarding at all?

Would it surprise you to learn that 35% of companies report spending $0 on onboarding, while most spend less than 2 months onboarding a new hire?

Sadly, it’s true.

It’s often assumed that companies will have some sort of onboarding process in place and, further, that this process will include training for the role, assimilating into the work culture, and educating a new hire on the company, in addition to their tasks and the organizational values. But we may be jumping the gun making such assumptions; many companies are, in fact, without an effective onboarding strategy.

Top-level executives and HR managers agree. Globally, 32% of executives rate their company’s onboarding experience as quite poor or nonexistent.

Further, 76% of HR leaders feel their organization’s onboarding strategy is underutilized.

Meanwhile, only 12% of employees feel their organization does a good job with onboarding new hires, and only 21% are satisfied with the onboarding experience they’ve had.

Onboarding sounds like a simple task, so why aren’t more companies getting it right?

One answer could be that companies fail to look at onboarding as more than just paperwork and processes.

Take, for example, the standard onboarding procedure. Traditionally, onboarding has gone something like this…

• Hire a new employee
• Have little to no contact with the employee until their first day
• Introduce the employee to your team(s)
• Hand them paperwork, give them an employee handbook, sit them at their desk
• Wait with bated breath (and high expectations) to see how the new hire thrives in their first 1-3 months (a typical probationary period)

Today, most companies still use similar onboarding structures but to their detriment. They focus on paperwork, handbooks, and days spent filling out forms as the totality of an onboarding procedure. According to HCI, 58% of companies report their onboarding process still revolves around outdated paperwork and procedures.

Yikes!

Organizations that succeed with onboarding new hires do so because they recognize that a poor onboarding strategy is as effective as having no onboarding strategy at all.

Okay, but is onboarding really that important?

Well, yes!

If we think of onboarding as the first step in an employee’s journey with their company, then we have to consider how crucial of a role onboarding plays in employee retention.

A global study by McKinsey found that the number one challenge leaders face is retaining quality employees after hiring them.

What happens after getting hired? Onboarding!

More than ¼ of top-performing employees are considered high-retention-risk, meaning they’re more likely than other employees to leave their company. Onboarding could help mitigate this risk, as it ensures employees have the right foundation they need to thrive, from day one, onward.

That’s not to say organizations should stop supporting employees once they’ve onboarded them. It takes new hires an average of 8-12 months to gain proficiency in their role, and 69% of employees who have had a positive onboarding experience are more likely to remain with their company for three years or more.

It’s fair to say, then, that an employee’s onboarding journey lasts longer than the traditional 1-3 month period during which most new hires are expected to acclimate to their work environments.  

What are the benefits of an effective onboarding strategy?

Aside from increased employee retention and higher productivity, having an effective onboarding strategy in place has a myriad of benefits!

Studies have found that an effective onboarding strategy can result in up to 50% new hire retention and 54% higher productivity in new hires.

Take the cost of recruitment as an incentive to develop an effective onboarding approach. The average employer in the U.S., for instance, can spend up to $4,000 and 24 days to hire a new employee, which means higher productivity and increased retention of new employees truly pays off.

And that’s not all.

Other studies that look at the financial advantages of proactive onboarding have concluded that organizations with a structured onboarding process see a 60% year-over-year improvement in revenue.

When done effectively, onboarding can boost productivity and bolster a company’s reputation as a good place to work - something organizations should care about, given that poor onboarding means 1 in 5 employees are unlikely to recommend their company as an employer to others!

What can your company do today to improve its onboarding process?

Here are 5 simple ways companies can improve their onboarding processes starting with their next hire!

1. Engage with new hires before day one - an onboarding process begins long before a new employee joins your team, but most companies don’t proactively onboard a new team member until their first day (and some stop onboarding past the first month). It’s important to stay in touch and provide guidance for that new hire from the moment you extend a job offer to their first day (and beyond)!
   
   
2. Set expectations but don’t overload - new hires have an average of 54 activities/tasks assigned to them during the onboarding process. While it’s key to set expectations for a new employee and their role, it’s doubly important not to overload them with tasks right out of the gate - especially before they’ve even started! Provide the pertinent information but allow new hires to acclimate to your organization and its culture before frontloading too many tasks.
   
   
3. Automate your paperwork process - by getting the paperwork out of the way prior to their first day, new employees can focus more on settling into their new role and often experience increased productivity when they’re not hampered down by forms and paperwork. Using an HR system or platform, you can automate your paperwork process to save time and better streamline your onboarding.
   
   
4. Consider an onboarding buddy system - 87% of organizations say that providing new employees with an onboarding buddy helps boost new hire proficiency, while 51% of employees show more passion for their work and engagement with their company when they have a friend at work. An onboarding buddy can help a new hire feel welcome, settle into their role, and acclimate to your company more proactively! Consider assigning new hires an onboarding buddy; one who knows the company and is familiar with the onboarding process themselves.
   
   
5. Set them up with what they need, not what you want - Many leaders are tempted to offload work, set high expectations, and expect results right away, even when a new employee has yet to settle in. That’s why it’s key for organizations to provide new hires with the materials, resources, and support they need, as opposed to what leaders or companies want the new hire to have (like immediate tasks). When they experience both an operational and cultural onboarding process, 92% of new hires feel that they are more productive and contributive to their organization!

What if you’re in HR?

One critical mistake HR leaders can make is to ignore the results of their organization’s onboarding process. Knowing how employees are performing and thriving, especially when new to a company, can provide valuable insight into company processes and future onboarding. More than 55% of companies don’t measure the effectiveness or results of their onboarding processes, creating a virtual ‘blindspot’ for HR and hindering accountability!

With Kudos, you can measure both employee and company performance while gaining insight into what your teams truly value with our deep analytics and KQ features. HR leaders love Kudos for its ability to show, in real time, how both existing and new hires are doing in their company. Make us a part of your onboarding strategy and request a demo today!

2 in 5 employees are likely to leave their organization within 12 months.

The question is not one of when they’ll leave, but why they’ll leave. So, what exactly makes people quit?

For the most part, many prospective employees will carefully consider a company’s value proposition before joining the organization — the qualities that make an organization different from others.

Traditionally, value propositions are shaped by what organizations believe will make an employee choose them over others, but more leaders are shifting their focus to what will make an employee stay.

At its core, employee retention revolves around experience, engagement, and connection. An organization’s people need to feel inspired by and connected to the values, visions, and culture of their company. Organizations are paying more attention to the people-focused approach. That’s critical, given that 33% of employees don’t believe their personal values align with their organization’s core values.

Even more, 51% of companies are shifting their priorities to develop future-focused people strategies — the initiatives that make employees to stay, rather than jump ship.

Why do people voluntarily leave their current companies?

Surprisingly, it’s not all about money

89% of employers assume that employees quit their jobs because of money.

Although salary and pay scale is no longer the deciding factor in an employee’s decision to leave their current position, it’s still one of the leading reasons for turnover.

For example, job satisfaction and meaningful work, especially among millennials, are critical drivers for turnover. According to Hays, 71% of millennial workers would take a pay cut for their ‘ideal job,’ while 44% of millennials are unhappy in their roles.

Approximately 15% of employees can’t envision themselves with a company for longer than a year. And even when employees are happy in their roles, 25% say they’re only willing to commit up to 3 years to their current company.

If it’s not all about money, why would an employee choose to quit their job? What about raises, workplace relationships, and development opportunities?

Employees expect more from their organizations than just a pay check

Several studies find that engagement, recognition, relationship and encouragement are reasons why people choose to remain in their roles — regardless of the pay scale. Why is that?

Any employee will crave recognition for their work. Beyond that, most will want personal and professional development opportunities. Most will want to grow while maintaining genuine relationships with their team members and leaders.

According to a global study by Mercer, recognition and meaningful project opportunities are two key ways to help employees thrive at work. By providing teams with the chance to shine and showcase their skills, organizations can foster more engagement and confidence in their employees. In fact, 15% of employees are less likely to quit if given the room to grow and spread their wings.

Spreading your wings is sometimes easier said than done. Leaders have to provide a foundation for employees to build their confidence and add to their existing skill set. Development is a key aspect of employee engagement.

For example, learning and development is often cited as a notable incentive for employees to stay with their current company. Ceridian finds that 83% of employees whose organizations provide them with learning and development opportunities are more likely to remain in their existing jobs. Similarly, 45% of millennials consider the career development opportunities of role before accepting an offer.

Let’s not forget about the employee relationship

While the opportunity to learn, grow, and perform meaningful work is essential, employees also seek more than just the basics of a thriving organizational culture.

Consider the employee relationship.

Here at Kudos, we focus on the relationship employers build with their teams to help them thrive. This relationship will differ based on each organization, but the base of it must include trust, recognition, and communication.

As it turns out, we’re hitting the nail on the head with this approach.

28% of employees cite positive working relationships with leaders and colleagues as a top reason for staying with their companies. In contrast, 32% of employees have to wait an average of three months to receive constructive feedback from their leaders; 31% wished their leaders would communicate with them more consistently. A lack of communication from leadership can hinder teams from building meaningful, positive relationships with their mentors.

Part of nurturing this relationship includes trusting employees and empathizing with their needs, struggles at work, and desires to advance. For instance, 82% of employees would leave their current organizations for more empathetic ones. And 72% of employees would be willing to work longer and harder for empathetic leaders.

To sum it all up, leaders that regularly communicate with their teams, build authentic relationships, and voice support for their employees are well on their way to retaining high-performing team members.

Where does leadership accountability come into play?

Leaders have the significant responsibility of retaining their top-tier talent because employees don’t have to stay.

There is no rule book which requires an employee to devote x number of years to an organization, but leaders must recognize which patterns and practices lead to high turnover, employee disengagement, and job dissatisfaction. You may be surprised to learn that leaders and managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement scores — failing to create environments in which employees feel motivated to stay.

In other words, leaders must take accountability for their role in employee turnover.

At one point or another, every organization will face a people risk or human capital risk — both generally refer to the value an individual brings to an organization through their skills, knowledge, and expertise.

Only 1 in 3 executives feel their company’s ability to reduce risks, like turnover, is ‘very effective.’ Even more, only 29% of HR professionals feel their leaders prioritize human capital risks.

Those statistics don’t exactly inspire confidence; given that managers and HR leaders are tasked with retention and keeping employees engaged.

Under such pressure, it’s no wonder that the failure to attract and retain top talent is the number one concern for most C-suite executives.

Interestingly, Gallup finds that managers and leaders can influence at least 75% of the reasons for employee turnover. Meaning, leaders can play a proactive role, and give employees a reason to stay.

Can leaders foster retention and relationships?

You may be wondering, “how can leaders tell when an employee is about to jump ship?”

Where do leaders and HR teams turn when employees leave consistently, or when turnover rates increase? Without relying solely on things like exit interviews or employee satisfaction surveys, how are leaders supposed to know how their organizations are performing and thriving?

It begins with listening to what employees are, and aren’t, saying. Not every employee will voice their concerns, issues, or pain points with their leaders. Leaders have to take note of how employees are doing — beyond traditional means of communication.

Kudos uses deep analytics and insights to give organizations a better understanding of how their people perform, what they value most, where improvements in company culture could be made, and how engaged their teams are.

This information is incredibly valuable to organizations and their culture, yet only 33% of companies utilize it. Even more, only 1 in 4 HR professionals uses analytics to understand why people leave their company.

By paying close attention to what employees value, what drives their performance, and the overall health of the organization, leaders nurture engagement and pin-point the key reasons for turnover.

How can organizations keep their employees from jumping ship?

• Provide development opportunities - 83% of employees view skill and knowledge updates as their own responsibility, rather than their company’s. Organizations     should be encouraging their employees’ professional growth, supporting their skill-growth, and expanding their areas of expertise. Not only do employees benefit, but organizations also benefit from these new skills and highly engaged teams.
• Make wellness a priority - Employees thriving in organizations with well-being at its center are 70% less likely to miss work. Prioritize a healthy work environment where employee burnout is low, and engagement is high.  
• Communicate with your people - 65% of employees seek clarity on the expectations of their roles and responsibilities. The simplest way for leaders to validate their employees’ concerns and encourage productivity is to communicate what you expect from your teams, and how you will help them achieve their goals.    
• Encourage initiative - 57% of employees feel their organizations make it easy to explore projects and opportunities beyond their typical job scope. Giving people the chance to try new projects, create new initiatives, or contribute in more significant ways motivates them to stay and broaden their skills.  
• Hold ‘stay’ interviews - Unlike exit interviews, a ‘stay’ interview reassess why the employee was initially hired, and reiterates why the employee chose the company. In a ‘stay’ interview, discuss their goals, needs, and how well their expectations are being met.      
• Focus on engagement - Engaged employees are 59% less likely to seek out a new job or career in the next 12 months. This is terrific news for organizations who     prioritize engagement, but how do they go about doing so? At Kudos, we believe in recognition as part of a broader engagement strategy. Simply thanking your teams today for their hard work, contributions, and dedication can foster engagement. Want to take your engagement strategy to the next level? Let’s chat.

97% of C-suite executives predict an increase in competition for talent acquisition. What is your organization doing to retain its amazing people and encourage top talent to jump on board?

Hiring is one of the more significant challenges that HR teams and hiring managers face.

And hiring the right fit? That may be the biggest challenge of all.

However, no one truly knows what the ‘right fit’ is, and just when leaders think they’ve found the perfect candidate, they may be surprised to learn there’s more to that person than their resume.

The hiring process is no longer as black and white as it once was. Whereas traditionally, employers sought prospective employees whose skills matched the needs and expectations of a role, nowadays organizations recognize they have to hire for fit or, at the very least, hire beyond a list of skills or experiences.

Which begs the question: what is ‘fit,’ exactly?

‘Fit’ is more about a work culture than a person’s working skills

More organizations are moving away from hiring based purely on resumes alone; that’s because skills, knowledge, hard and soft skills, and experience don’t always account for how an employee contributes to, performs, or thrives within an organization.

That’s where culture comes in.

84% of recruiters believe that culture has become a prominent factor in the selection process of prospective employees. When we say ‘culture,’ we’re referring to organizational culture, the shared set of beliefs, values, visions and behaviours that make up an organization.

When a company seeks out potential employees for specific roles, chances are those in charge of hiring (like an HR team) already have a predisposed list of qualities, characteristics and skills they expect a candidate to have - and that’s normal! After all, any role will require certain skills and knowledge to fulfill it and perform it well.

However, employers have to look beyond skill sets to determine if an individual is indeed a great fit for their company. That means looking at job applicants as more than just prospective team members. Leaders or hiring managers have to ask critical questions, such as:

• Does this individual share our company’s values and vision(s)?
• Are they passionate about what we as an organization do and achieve?
• Do they want meaning and purpose from their work or just a paycheck?
• Are they interested in what the role asks of them?

It also requires companies to showcase to prospective team members what they can expect when working for that organization.

Interestingly, LinkedIn found that one of the top obstacles for job seekers when considering a role at a company is not knowing what it’s like to work at that organization, making it doubly important for companies to present their culture, values and vision.

That may be why more businesses are moving away from rigid, top-down operational practices and focusing on building more agile, flexible work cultures to attract the best teams.

Culture is essential, but what about the company itself?

Part of developing such a culture includes fostering an environment where potential employees know they could accomplish their goals and flourish in their role. 45% of millennials report that having advancement or career development opportunities is very important when it comes to considering a position.

Despite salary expectations, most millennial workers are also likely to choose a job that allows them to grow, develop, and flex their skills over a career that supplements their income. These types of opportunities are often the number one reason why employees change jobs!

When hiring for fit, then, organizations need to bear in mind whether they can offer top-tier talent both the opportunities and culture for which they’ve been searching. You may feel your company ‘has it all,’ but what if job seekers think differently?

Does this impact whether those job seekers are a good fit for you?

While we make decisions based on both reason and emotion, more often than not, people will lead with feeling, which is why organizations have to present to prospective hires how they’ll be able to contribute to and grow within the organization.

Turns out, reputation matters

36% of job seekers admit that the reputation of a brand or company is one of the critical factors they take into account when evaluating a potential job.

Companies have to consider relevant job experience, career history, and soft skills when looking to hire the right candidates, but those same candidates are also evaluating the company.

It makes sense, then, that the reputation of that company would play a significant role in whether someone wants to work there.

For example, 78% of millennials are strongly influenced by how innovative a company is when deciding which organizations they’d like to work for, but that’s not all.

Diversity is also a deciding factor. 67% of job seekers report diversity in the workplace as an important factor when evaluating job offers and companies, which means a company’s hiring process needs to take into account inclusivity.

Not only do employees benefit from diverse work environments, but companies do, as well. Great Place To Work reported that companies that hire with inclusivity and diversity in mind report 24% greater annual revenue gains.

People are complex; we all have different traits, strengths, personalities and goals. That both benefits and hinders the hiring process because hiring managers have to consider more than just skills - they have to consider what makes someone unique, and how that uniqueness can benefit their organization.

Netflix’s hiring approach is a perfect example of that.

More executives are following Netflix’s lead, moving towards fostering a ‘talent culture’ to build relationships, nurture engagement, and encourage knowledge sharing as well as inclusion. It’s no longer all about hiring based on skills, but hiring based on how an individual will thrive and help grow an organization.

With this in mind, it’s vital for leaders and/or hiring managers to look beyond necessary skills or role requirements and engage those that are passionate about their company, the role itself, and what they can contribute.

Consider these three simple tips when looking at potential candidates:

1. Dive beneath the surface - don’t rely solely on an applicant’s resume to tell you everything about that individual! Ask them about their interests, what drew them to your organization, what their overall career goals are, and what unique skills they have that may not be apparent contributors to the role itself.
   
   
2. Recruit outside your comfort zone - you may be surprised to find that many candidates from industries outside of your organization have a myriad of skills that could greatly benefit your working teams and organizational goals. Leaders should consider looking beyond their industry or network for potential hires.
   
   
3. Engage your teams - instead of delegating the screening process to just one specific individual, consider engaging your teams in the process, as well. For example, if you’re hiring a new member for your marketing team, ask your existing marketers what they need help with, where they feel a new addition could contribute, and how they could help with the onboarding process.

Remember what fit is, and what it isn’t

It’s tempting to hire people based on cover letters and resumes or previous experience. It’s even more tempting to hire someone because you feel they’d get along with your other employees.

But that’s not why you should bring someone new to your team.

The average person will change jobs at least 12 times during their career. So, chances are a potential employee has already experienced various company cultures and operations by the time their application lands on your desk or in your inbox.

‘Fit’ is not strictly about your company’s values or a person’s skills, however. As a leader, you’re in a unique position to hire those who will benefit your organization, and who can benefit in turn through development, growth, learning opportunities and more.

‘Fit’ is more about finding individuals who are passionate about your company and appreciate its values. Fit is not:

• An oversight of someone’s personal values - just because someone doesn’t embody every value of your company doesn’t mean they can’t contribute or bring value to your organization.
  
  
• A willingness to devote their lives to you - it’s quite rare for people to devote their entire career to one organization (in the US, for example, the median tenure of an employee with one organization hovers around 4.2 years), so hiring someone based on whether they’re willing to devote every waking hour of their life to your company will rarely yield positive results (did someone say ‘employee burnout’?).
  
  
• A belief in leading similar lifestyles - a critical mistake that leaders can easily make is hiring someone based on a perceived lifestyle; just as you cannot judge a candidate on skills or resumes alone, hiring (or not hiring) based on what you believe their lifestyle to be, or how that lifestyle agrees with that of your own or your company’s, can be a detriment to onboarding the right fit for your team.

So, how can organizations ensure they’re hiring the right fit?

First, think of hiring a ‘match’ instead of a ‘perfect fit’

The perfect fit doesn’t exist, but a candidate may have skills, knowledge, and valuable insight which matches those of your teams, or the values of your organization.

Make your organizational culture & values as transparent as possible

Make it easy for your hiring teams or managers to find the best talent that believes in your organization by clearly presenting the culture and values which make up your company. This helps to narrow down a search to those candidates that actually care about your organizational goals and vision.

Look beyond resumes and job applications

You’ll never truly know someone and how they’ll thrive in your organization if you ‘judge’ them based solely on their resume or the contents of their job application. Ask questions, get to know the real them, and dive deeper into their goals and why they want to work for you!

Explore other industries

Do you run a tech company but have never considered applicants with banking or teaching backgrounds? They may have unique skill sets that could help grow your company, provide valuable insights, or benefit your existing teams. Don’t stick to your industry alone; consider looking outside of it for the best candidates you never knew existed!