Employers of all sizes and industries currently face an unprecedented challenge that’s a byproduct of the pandemic: the Great Resignation. Companies have job openings, but potential workers aren’t willing to fill them. As of November 2021, the US had 10.6 million job openings and only 6.9 million unemployed people.
With so many options available to workers, companies need to amp up their strategy to attract—and retain—employees. It may sound like a task for HR, but believe it or not, PR plays a significant role, too.
Communications Strategy for the Great Resignation
Your company’s culture is your currency for building a talented team. No public relations strategy can fix a bad work environment. But companies can, and should, take actionable steps to show employees just how much they value them:
- Nurture company culture. Many companies lose employees because they don’t identify with the company culture. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to building a culture that reflects employees’ priorities, but sending out a survey is an excellent place to start. You’ll learn vital information about what your employees value, how to support them, and how they perceive the company. Use their answers to evolve your culture and adjust policies and procedures to better fit their needs.
- Create paths for growth. Employees don’t want to be stagnant. If members of the senior leadership team are consistently the only ones making important decisions, you may be missing opportunities to develop your younger, greener talent. Challenge and empower your entire team to rise to the occasion. You’ll help prevent boredom and deepen their commitment to the company’s success.
- Improve quality of life. There are always ways to enhance the employee experience, from offering greater flexibility to providing more comprehensive benefits to improving general work conditions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies have pivoted to remote work, but not all of them can feasibly go virtual. In these cases, it’s essential to find other ways to make life easier for employees. Ask yourself: What benefits and opportunities will be most attractive to my ideal workforce?
Improving your company’s culture will increase retention, which ultimately translates into better leads for open positions. The best ambassadors for your company are happy employees, so take steps to ensure that they feel valued and content in their roles.
Combine PR with HR to Maximize Results
When it comes to hiring, don’t wait until the late stages of the interview process to communicate the benefits of working at your company. Every organization should have a communications strategy in conjunction with their HR efforts to develop their pool of interested applicants.
Public relations consultants can collaborate with human resources to access crucial information about employee turnover and attrition. The data they collect will help inform the communications plan.
The primary purpose of a communications strategy is to highlight why potential employees want to work at your company. It could be as easy as publicizing perks like your incredible health insurance benefits or generous PTO policy. Here are a few ideas for getting that information into the world:
- Leverage social media. Potential applicants must be able to find your company online easily, and when they do, they should get a sense of the company culture. Posting on different social channels can put that content in front of the right audiences.
- Overhaul your careers page. Include a page on your company’s website dedicated to recruitment—a place to show job applicants what it’s like to work with your organization. Testimonials from real team members are worth their weight in gold!
- Create and share visual assets. Images (and videos!) are worth 1,000 words. If you have a great internship program, film a video about it, we did! If your employees have brunch together on Fridays, capture the festivities for future social media postings.
With the right approach, it’s even possible to secure media coverage framed around your efforts to overcome the Great Resignation, showcasing the innovative ways you attract and retain employees.
Interested in leveraging PR as part of your company’s recruitment strategy? Contact me today, and let’s discuss your goals.
