Are you a small business owner or freelancer with plans to grow your team? If you answered yes to that question, there is a good chance you are already working on your talent acquisition and retention strategies. If you are working remotely, that could also mean it is time for you to move from couch to office.
Hiring people for the first time is an incredible feeling of achievement but also a terrifying moment. Finding the right employee is a little bit like finding the right life partner. The adage goes “You don’t attract what you want. You attract what you are.” It happens to be as relevant for your personal life than for your talent acquisition and retention strategy.
WHAT ARE TALENT ACQUISITION AND TALENT RETENTION ANYWAY?
“Talent Acquisition is the process of attracting and recruiting the best talent available to ensure your organisation has the right people, with the right skills, who are in the right job, and are working against the right requirements.” SHRM Body of Competency and Knowledge. On the other side, employee retention refers to the ability of an organisation to retain its employees. It is important that you think these through as early as possible in your growth process to attract the right talent for your company.
WHAT YOUR OFFICE SAYS ABOUT YOU
Your office says a lot about your work culture:
- Funky colourful, creative spaces are telling about the technology/digital space, a flattened hierarchy and probably a crowd of a generation Y / millennials.
- Modern, elegant, minimalistic workspaces are somehow projecting a more pyramidal hierarchy and generation X and baby boomers fighting over internal politics.
Of course, these are generalities, but there’s some truth in them.
Can you guess which of these pictures belongs to Linkedin’s Sydney office and which ones are CommBank’s?
Images' sources: CommBank on Glassdoor , Linkedin on News.com.au
Both feel like modern and dynamic environments, but we have a glimpse of the two companies’ differences in branding and culture.
Not having a multi-million dollar budget for an amazing office (yet!) does not mean you should take your office lightly.
For instance, you could hesitate between a co-working space and a serviced office. (if you don’t know the difference, keep calm and read our latest article on solving your serviced office / coworking space conundrum). Both are flexible office solutions but they are quite different from a talent acquisition and retention perspective. All co-working spaces are not created equal, so are serviced offices in terms of facilities and atmosphere.
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT SALARIES
Give your team a workplace they love and perks they care about and they’ll think twice before leaving, even if the pay is more attractive elsewhere. If you provide the right environment for your talent to achieve their personal and professional goals, they are most likely to stay happy working with you.
If your office already ticked the boxes below, you’re on the good track:
TOP NOTCH FACILITIES
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Private meeting rooms
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24h access
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Kitchen amenities
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Coffee machine (that's a given)
ATMOSPHERE
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Friendly vibe, everyone likes working next to nice people.
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Conducive setting for networking e.g with common areas.
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Conducive for productivity e.g good noise insulation, especially if you are considering an open space setting.
LOCATION & ACCESSIBILITY
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Proximity to public transports
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Trendy and serene neighbourhoods with great coffee shops nearby (such as Crows Nest… No, no, we are not biased at all!)
Of course, your office is only one of the many criteria that makes you an attractive employer. When you love your job, the company’s vision inspires you, and the people around you are great to work with - having a convenient and lovely place to come to work everyday is the cherry on the cake. If you are working from home and thinking about getting your first employee, then moving to a serviced office is something to consider. Serviced offices provide a modern, stable yet flexible work environment that supports your efforts to acquire and retain talent.
Are you working from home in Mosman, Neutral Bay, Chatswood or nearby and ready to make the move to serviced office? Book a visit to one of our serviced offices in Crows Nest and discover the flexibility and benefits of working from a serviced office with Excen.
Sources:
Greenvillehr, Six key elements of an effective talent acquisition strategy, August 2016
Treeline, Top 15 Benefits to Attract and Retain Employees
Technologyadvice, Study: Do Perks Matter for Employee Retention?