For 54% companies employee acquisition is a priority on the list of companies' investments in 2021.* On the other hand, the demand for an employee does not translate into the interest of potential candidates. Companies continue to report shortcomings in specific areas. How to meet this challenge?
High expectations, few people
The logistics sector is constantly struggling with considerable problems in attracting new employees. The biggest denominations include - too high financial expectations of the candidates (61%) and their deficit on the market (58%). In particular, there are shortages in the following positions:
- warehouse worker, truck operator (forklift truck, side truck, high storage truck),
- engineer (logistic processes, automation),
- logistics expert (forwarder, specialist in stock management, quality management, export, warehouse management),
- technician (maintenance, operator, mechanic, electrician,
- a qualified production worker (operator of production and machines, VMS systems).
Sourcing employees must take into account their needs
The study entitled "Another dimension of benefits. The needs, challenges and expectations of HR Departments ”showed which benefits are currently most interesting for employees. Among them were:
- financing of the home office by the employer (51%),
- organizing psychological consultations for employees (45%),
- surcharge for meals (41%),
- access to applications such as Spotify / Netflix (39%).
This is valuable knowledge that should be used when designing a job offer, especially in the area of fringe benefits. Sourcing employees the moment we know what they expect becomes much easier.
Acquiring employees and the recruitment plan
Recruitment plans are much more than just knowing what positions to fill in the near future. They provide an excellent opportunity to verify the company's strategic goals and employee skills gaps. The strategic recruitment plan should contain a list of positions, specified skills, a recruitment calendar, as well as information about the budget allocated to recruiting employees.
Show candidates why they should choose your company
It may also be helpful to prepare an interesting advertising campaign presenting the greatest benefits of cooperation.
– “Who is the ideal candidate?”, “What needs does he have?”, “How can I meet them?” – these are a few questions worth starting planning a recruitment campaign with – advises Sebastian Kopiej. – It is also worth relying on the possibilities offered by modern online marketing tools. Thanks to them, we will verify exactly what phrases a potential candidate enters into the search engine. This, in turn, will allow you to adjust the message and communication channels - adds an expert from Commplace.
Onboarding, i.e. recruiting employees, continues
Recruiting employees should not end at the stage of signing the contract. Another important task is to maintain it. Employee retention it is something that can be realistically valued. Inefficient recruitment will constitute an additional cost for the company (at the level of 30% to 200% of the annual salary of the employed employee **). So what can you do? The first impression that counts when hiring a new person is employee onboarding. Provide new employees with well-being and provide them with the information they need at an early stage of implementation. It may be very helpful to develop internal communication procedures or conduct workshops (e.g. workshops with managers on building cooperation relationships).
In the first period, many employees feel a lot of pressure and overwhelmed with new responsibilities. However, this stage is essential in building a long-term relationship and loyalty. The first impression will be the topic of conversation on the Internet - on discussion forums, websites with opinions, Google business card. - That is why the introduction to work is a test for you as an employer. If the employee feels taken care of - you will win - sums up the specialist from Commplace.
The time of autumn recruitment is about to begin. Recruiting employees is becoming a priority for many logistics companies in the near future. However, before you post another advertisement in the "logistics worker wanted" series, verify that your company has prepared good foundations to attract the best.
* based on the "Logistics in Poland" report prepared by ManpowerGroup and the Łukasiewicz Research Network - Institute of Logistics and Warehousing.
** "Managing Talent Retention", Philips JJ, Edwards L.