Recruiting for Those Critical, Hard-to-Fill Jobs

Yesterday’s Advisor helped managers understand the factors that are making certain jobs hard to fill. Compensation and benefits are important factors. (Duh.) Today, what employers can do about it.

The issue of unfilled positions is a major problem that affects the entire economy. Comp and benefits play a role. So what should employers do? Some of the solutions that organizations have turned to include:

• Evaluate your pay and benefits for positions that are hard to fill. Are you leading or lagging the market? You may have to bite the bullet and offer more, especially if you have been relatively stagnant with your annual increases in rate ranges.
• Offering training programs to existing employees or candidates. Many employers are finding success by instituting their own training programs in order to get the skills they need when candidates don’t already have them. Pay will be lower than for fully trained individuals, and you get to train people in your specific systems to your specific standards. 
• Work with local education and/or training institutions. Perhaps they will be able to offer the type of training you need candidates to have.
• Send employees to school. Similarly, some employers are opting to pay for the education their existing employees need in order to advance into new positions.
• Widen the recruiting parameters. Maybe you need to recruit from an expanded geographical area and commit to paying relocation expenses.
• Consider telecommuting. Many employers don’t like telecommuting but have found that that’s the only way they can attract the candidates they want.

2015 comp budget not done? Start on November 13, 2014 with a new interactive webinar, Compensation Budgets for 2015: How to Develop and Manage Your Employee Pay Plan. Learn More

• Change too-specific experience requirements to be broader. Sometimes, industry-specific experience is a nice-to-have but not a must-have to find a well-qualified candidate, and some employers have recognized this and revised their requirements accordingly.
• Provide customized assistance. When you run into a situation like a dual-career couple, or someone whose home is “under water,” figure out what sort of package you can put together to solve the candidate’s problem—and yours.
• Consider outsourcing the function. Is this a task that can be performed by contracting it out?
• Work on building your employment brand. Employers that have a reputation as a “great place to work” have an easier time with recruiting.

Once branding is settled, there’s the other side of the equation—your 2015 compensation budget. Oh, not done? You’re hardly alone!

According to a recent BLR survey, only one in five companies are planning employee pay increases of 2.5 percent to 3 percent for those who “meet requirements." The respondents also noted their biggest challenges were uncertainty about the economy and available revenue. Half of those surveyed are planning no salary increases.

With the competitive market for top performers, HR must consider raises as retention incentives. But you have to be realistic about what you can and cannot offer.

How to figure it all out? Join us on November 13 for thoughtful recommendations on how to develop your 2015 compensation budget. You’ll get tips on maximizing the impact of what your organization can afford for salaries and bonuses—or possibly deciding not to give raises—in the coming year.

Register today for Compensation Budgets for 2015: How to Develop and Manage Your Employee Pay Plan.

By participating in this interactive webinar, you and your colleagues will learn:

• How to analyze your compensation budget and determine which workers should receive increases or bonuses
• How to use national trend data to realistically determine reasonable increases
• How to decide between merit-based or across-the-board raises and what percentages those should be
• How to maximize the available salary budget and minimize risk, despite concerns over the economy
• How to apply a philosophy to your company’s salary increases and bonuses that workers can accept and understand
• Where to find comparable examples of budgets for companies within your industry
• How to successfully communicate no-raise decisions to employees and maintain positive workplace morale
• Whom to reward, and how much to carve out of the budget
• And much more!

In just 90 minutes, you’ll learn how to overcome your organization’s 2015 compensation budget challenges.

Register now for this event risk-free.

Thursday, November 13, 2014
1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Eastern)
12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Central)
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (Mountain)
10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (Pacific)

Nail down that 2015 comp plan. Join us November 13 for a new interactive webinar, Compensation Budgets for 2015: How to Develop and Manage Your Employee Pay Plan. Earn 1.5 hours in HRCI Recertification Credit. Register Now

Approved for Recertification Credit

This program has been approved for 1.5 credit hours toward recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI).

Join us on November 13—you’ll get the in-depth Compensation Budgets for 2015: How to Develop and Manage Your Employee Pay Plan webinar AND you’ll get all of your particular questions answered by our experts.

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Train Your Entire Staff

As with all BLR/HR Hero® webinars:

• Train all the staff you can fit around a conference phone.
• Get your (and their) specific phoned-in or e-mailed questions answered in Q&A sessions that follow the presentation.

Find out more