I know – you’re busy. Things are popping in your business. Customers are becoming more demanding. Orders are filling the factory and your sales team has a decent pipeline going. You’re thinking about maybe even hiring a couple of really good people. Guess what. The same is true of many of your competitors. Things are looking up in the economy and people are a bit more optimistic.
This situation is not lost on your employees. They are being contacted by headhunters and search people. They may be ready for a change. Are you taking care of them? Don’t get caught in the bind of not wanting to be “held hostage” to an offer from another employer. Take the opportunity the economy is providing to bring your employees up to competitive compensation and work environment BEFORE they give you the notice that they’re leaving you.
Several of the business owners with whom I work are looking to hire some key employees. The recruiters and retained search folks in my network are also very busy. They are mining LinkedIn and their own contacts and are mostly interested in finding people who are presently employed (yes, that’s still true despite the large number of really solid people who are out of work and looking for employment.)
So the question is, have you been so busy that you haven’t taken care of the employees who have gone through the tough times with you? If you have been, then I respectfully suggest that it’s way past time for you to pay attention or you will be losing some good employees. The trend data shows that employees are confident and are changing jobs. Make sure you don’t lose the people in whom you’ve invested so much. Employee turnover is very expensive. And make sure you have a desirable work culture to attract new employees. It is increasingly difficult to “snow” prospective employees about your workplace. Like it or not, your reputation as an employer precedes you – check the social media.