Becoming an Employer of Choice

Nearly every business prides itself on being an Employer of Choice, but we all know that isn’t the case. I’m sure the muckity-mucks at Radio Shack (owned by the Tandy Corp.) have spoken about being an “Employer of Choice” ... but we know otherwise.

In a recent BusinessWeek column (sub. req’d), Jack and Suzy Welch gave wise advice for companies wanting to become a preferred employer. Here’s the gist of their advice.

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Setup: "… when you build a company where people really want to work, you’ve got your hands on one of the most powerful competitive advantages in the game: the ability to hire and field the best team.”

The Preferred Employer Checklist:

#1 | Preferred employers continuously offer their employees personal and professional growth opportunities from in-house leadership/educational seminars to outside training programs.

#2 | Preferred employers consistently appraise the performances of employees and reward accordingly with merit increases and promotions.

#3 | Preferred employers foster environments where employees are encouraged to take risks and be innovative even though they may fail.

#4 | Preferred employers are enlightened and respect the need to be diverse, globally aware, and sensitive to social matters.

#5 | Preferred employers have rigid criteria for hiring the right people. These companies know that when they hire the right person, they will in turn, will hire the right people.

#6 | Preferred employers are healthy businesses that are growing in size, stature, and profits.

SOURCE: BusinessWeek | “How to be a Talent Magnet” | Sept. 11, 2006

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Comments

[David Rogers]

It might just be me, but I am not sure I'd choose Jack Welch as my employer...

[johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy)]

David … don't stop there. Elaborate where you have the ellipses. Why wouldn’t you choose Jack as your employer?

I’m not a big fan of the rigid A-B-C performance ranking that Welch popularized where the ‘A’ performers get promoted, ‘B’ performers get challenged to shape up or ship out, and the ‘C’ performers get axed. However, I do think his 6 points to becoming a Preferred Employer are solid.

[Chris Yeh]

I don't think Jack goes far enough in his definition of a preferred organization. An organization should be built from the ground up to serve the needs and desires of its members.

All companies focus on one of three things: efficiency (e.g. Wal-Mart), innovation (e.g. Google), or customer service (e.g. Nordstrom). But to be a great company requires a fourth discipline: being a great place to work.

For more on this topic, I have a longer post at:
http://chrisyeh.blogspot.com/2006/07/most-important-discipline-for-company.html

[johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy)]

Chris ... sounds like you've added another "discipline of market leaders" to the mix.