What is Employee Engagement? If you’re playing along with buzzword bingo, you’ve heard the term “employee engagement.” But it would be a mistake to dismiss it as just a buzzword. Ignoring engagement costs the global economy 8.1 trillion dollars each year, according to a study by Gallup. Thankfully, the opposite is also true. Improving employee engagement can boost profitability, improve customer satisfaction, and even make for a safer workplace. Read on to learn what employee engagement is and what factors affect it. Then discover 11 strategies for improving employee engagement at your workplace. What is employee engagement? Employee Engagement Examples Why is employee engagement important? How to Measure Employee Engagement How to Improve Employee Engagement Engagement means that employees: Know what they contribute toward their team’s success. Work toward their company’s goals and values. Are connected to and supported in their role. Look for ways to learn and grow in their role. Employee engagement isn’t the same as job satisfaction or employee happiness. Although those ideas are a part of the equation, employee engagement speaks to motivation. An engaged employee invests time, energy, and talent to benefit their team and company. As Kayla Marchetti – engagement manager for Seismic – puts it, “I want any individual who joins us to feel passionate about our mission and work, to feel a sense of belonging,...

Writing a Job Description That Attracts Ideal Candidates As a direct response copywriter, I specialize in making readers take a specific action. I write a variety of copy, including articles, landing pages, sales emails, and job descriptions. This article will walk you through an approach to job descriptions that allowed me to double my conversion rate of visitors-to-applications in less than a year. You’ll learn the strategies and best practices I used to grip candidates, exciting them enough to take action. What is a job description? A job description is a document written by an employer that lists the tasks and responsibilities of a specific role along with the skills and experience needed to qualify for the position.   1. Study your target candidate. Many studies show that people buy on emotion first, and then rationalize their purchases using logic. Applying for a job, in that sense, is a lot like making a purchase. Pressing the "Apply Now" button is an emotionally charged decision. When writing your job ad, tap into those emotions by learning everything you can about your target candidate (i.e., the person you want to be interviewing). What are their professional goals and values? What makes them happy? Example Create a target candidate persona or a composite of your ideal employee. (Download these buyer persona templates to get started.) Use the information you find to make potent promises that your target candidate wants to hear and, more importantly, you know you can keep. Are you...

The Ultimate Guide to Human Resources Remarkable Human Resources (HR) employees are critical at every company. They handle all employee relations so you can focus on your side of the business. Before we discuss more reasons why your company needs an impactful HR department and how you can go about building one, let's talk more about what human resources actually means. Based on this definition alone, you can see how it would be difficult to run your operation successfully without the assistance HR provides. That’s why even small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have HR departments with employees who oversee all management, engagement, and development between the company and its employees. HR departments exist to support you and your employees so you can continue doing your jobs successfully. The work and responsibilities of a human resources employee will touch a large portion of your business every day. So what does that mean for you? Let's review some of the most common responsibilities these employees have so you can better understand the impact HR will have on your company. Handle employee relations HR handles the employee-to-employee relationships as well as the employee-to-company relationship. This means they work to develop positive interactions and treatment among all employees within your company so they feel good about coming to work, are committed to their jobs, and are invested in the growth of the business. Whether it’s a personal matter or a work-related issue, human resources will handle all issues with...

30 Popular Job Boards That Will Help You Hire The Most Qualified Candidates As a recruiter, your job isn’t limited to simply finding the best candidates. You also have to promote these roles on job boards and convince applicants to join your company.  In other words, you’re not just a recruiter — you’re also a marketer and a salesperson. But, how do you know which job boards will help you find the most qualified applications for your specific position? Read on to find out.  Table of Contents:  What is the best job search engine? Best Job Boards Best Job Boards for Hiring College Students Best Job Boards for Hiring Freelancers Best Job Boards for Hiring Remote and Hybrid Workers 1. Glassdoor Key Features: A large pool of potential candidates (55M+ per month) List your jobs and include detailed descriptions of preferred skills and qualifications.  Review resumes, send messages to candidates, and schedule interviews to begin recruitment.  Create an employer brand profile to help candidates learn more about your business and culture.  You can pay to feature jobs for more visibility. 2. LinkedIn Jobs Price: Contact for pricing. Key Features: A network of over 700 million professionals.  Your job listings are matched with the most qualified professionals who have noted in their profiles to be open to work and looking for new roles.  A rating...

The Meaning of Employee Relations Workplace culture and strong internal relationships are undeniably critical for your company's long-term success. Focusing your efforts on employee relations, and cultivating good relationships between employers and employees can help your Human Resources department mitigate conflict, build trust between team members, and decrease turnover rates. If the term ‘employee relations’ makes you furrow your brows in confusion, we’re here to help. We’ll explain what employee relations is and why it’s important below. Jump to: What Employee Relations Is Employee Relations Examples Employee Relations Best Practices What is employee relations? Employee relations is a branch of human resources that deals with policies regarding your employees' relationships with their employers, and each other. Essentially, employee relations is any effort or programming a company implements to ensure their employees are treated fairly, feel safe, and are happy in their work environment. Additionally, employee relations cannot be successful unless employees feel there is a level of transparency from management. Employee Relations Examples Employee relations programming will vary from one company to the next, however, the issues they tackle are very similar. That said, there are a few common categories most fall under: 1. Unsafe Work Environment Employers are tasked with providing a safe work environment for employees. If an employee is injured on the job or has an accident, the employer may be liable. Having safety protocols in place and communicating them to the team is a must. 2. Employee Performance It’s not a fun...

10 Positive Feedback Examples Your Employees Need to Hear Years ago, I worked at an office where the only time I ever heard from my manager was if I fell short of expectations. Without positive feedback, I felt like all of my wins went unnoticed and that they didn’t matter nearly as much as my losses. This caused me to lose motivation and my productivity began to suffer. It also pushed me to leave the company and seek better opportunities elsewhere. While it’s important to let employees know where there are areas that need improvement, it’s equally important to give positive feedback so they know where they shine. Giving positive feedback boosts morale, instills confidence, and motivates employees to do their best. It also helps you retain great people who will move your business forward. A survey by the Society of Human Resource Management found that 80% of HR leaders work at organizations that have an employee recognition program. Of those leaders, 89% reported their recognition program helped improve the overall employee experience. 86% said it improved employee relationships and 84% said it improved employee engagement. There are many ways to give positive feedback, but first you must understand what it is. What is positive feedback? Positive feedback is the act of recognizing and praising someone for their accomplishments, strengths, and talents. Positive feedback tells an employee what they’re doing right and what they should continue to do. “If you focus on what someone shouldn't do without also...

How to Build and Maintain Workforce Resilience, According to Experts To understand the importance of resilience in the workplace, let's start with an example. Let's say your company has just been acquired by a major corporation. This means your organization is about to undergo some major changes — including your workplace culture, leadership structure, and even your team's goals and objectives. When it comes time to deliver the message to your marketing team, however, you're surprised by their reactions. While there is some trepidation, most of your employees are upbeat, positive, and excited about the new opportunities and challenges ahead of them. Their reaction doesn't mean they aren't also hesitant, nervous, or unsure of the future. It simply means that your team feels secure, confident, and capable of taking on those new challenges, whatever they may be. This is the power of workforce resiliency. Here, we'll dive into why workforce resiliency is one of the strongest predictors of long-term employee satisfaction and retention. Plus, how to build a more resilient workforce, according to leaders who've done it. What is workforce resilience? To understand workforce resiliency, we first need to define what resiliency is. As Merriam-Webster defines it, resiliency is "an ability to recover from or adjust easily to adversity or change". Essentially, a resilient person is someone who can adapt well to life's unexpected challenges, stresses, and uncertainties. Birdeye's Head of People & Culture Camille Boothe told me, "When I think about resilience, certain thoughts come to mind...

5 Human Resource Management Functions Every HR Manager Needs to Know There’s something every single company needs to operate, regardless of the industry or product, and that’s people. Just as there are professionals who specialize in managing products and services, there’s also a need for human resource management. Learn what it is and the key functions every HRM needs to operate. What is human resource management? 5 Main Functions of Human Resource Management Recruitment and Staffing Employee Relations Learning and Development Performance Management Company Culture Recently, we’ve heard the term “People Operations” used much more frequently than human resources. Are they the same? Not exactly. People ops is technically considered a subset under HR. However, in many companies, they are used interchangeably. While human resources focus on the structural and legal pillars such as hiring, compliance, compensation, and benefits, people ops look at the cultural implications and focus on things like employee satisfaction, productivity, and diversity and inclusion. 5 Main Functions of Human Resource Management 1. Recruitment and Staffing When you think of HR, recruitment and staffing is probably the first thing you think about. HRM requires working hand-in-hand with recruiters to identify top talent, set budgets, conduct background checks, and negotiate compensation and benefits. In addition, they must be well versed in employment law to know how...

How to Write Professional Yet Kind Rejection Letters It's never easy notifying someone that they didn’t get the job. This often leads to generic emails, or worse, complete silence – that’s where a rejection letter template can come in handy. While it’s never fun to do it, there are kind yet professional ways to reject an applicant that preserve your employer brand. How to Write a Rejection Letter You might not think twice about a rejection letter once you send it. But the truth is, your rejection letter is a reflection of your company. If it’s poorly written, that leaves a negative impression of your company that could easily spread to other candidates. This is why writing a thoughtful rejection letter is key. It allows you to maintain a good relationship with the applicant, even if they were not a good fit for a particular role. Who knows, you may want to circle back to them if another position opens up. When that comes up, you want a candidate to be excited about the prospect of working with you – and how you communicate plays a pivotal role in this. It's critical you remain positive with your language and focus on language from the job description itself. In addition, keep in mind that a rejection letter is a fantastic opportunity for the candidate to receive positive feedback and learn how to do better in the future. Consider how you can include specific and valuable feedback. A rejection letter...

11 Talent Acquisition Strategies to Find the Best Employees It can be difficult to find the ideal candidate for a specific position — in fact, in 2021, 69% of companies have reported talent shortages and difficulty hiring – a 15-year high. Regardless of the state of the economy and your talent pool, to succeed long-term, your business should be able to hire and retain the best, most talented employees. But hiring can be a daunting task, which is why you need a talent acquisition strategy. To succeed long-term, it's critical you attract and retain talented employees regardless of vacant roles. Talent acquisition can help you do this, while solving for long-term organizational needs. Now that you understand what talent acquisition is and how it differs from recruitment, let's dive into the most effective talent acquisition strategies. Here are eleven critical talent acquisition strategies to ensure you're finding the best people. 1. Align with your business goals. Consider your business goals for the next one to five years, and use those objectives to tailor your acquisition strategy to meet those needs. While recruitment tends to focus on filling vacancies within departments, talent acquisition is more about considering how your company is going to expand long term and then finding employees who can help take you there. For instance, are you planning on expanding into Latin America? If so, perhaps your HR department should focus on attracting candidates with international or regional experience. Or, maybe you're planning...