While staffing forms the very foundations of our business, using the latest, cutting-edge methods to successfully navigate the recruitment process is only the first of many hurdles for companies across the sectors.

Getting the right kind of people through the door – ones that fit a firm’s ethos, attitude and ambitions – is not the end of the affair, it is just the beginning. As those with a background in recruitment will tell you, retaining that talent is often just as challenging as attracting it. One of the overriding factors to consider when tackling this issue is motivation, or rather how to implement the right amount of incentive to hang on your hard-won workforce.

Skills gaps and shortages are genuine problems in certain industries, and rapid growth in markets such as cloud computing is creating fierce competition for staff in sectors where increasing demand for talent far outstrips the number of professionals in the market. 

The challenge

To give you a taste of the up-hill nature of these challenges, look no further than global leading CRM solution Salesforce, whose customer base is growing so quickly that its ecosystem will require a further 3.3 million employees by 2022 to fill new Salesforce vacancies. 

Tech graduate numbers are also providing a fresh set of difficulties, and some 79 percent of IT leaders agree that acquiring the right talent has never been as difficult as it is today. Research published by the UK Department for Education also reveals fewer girls are invested in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) at school than boys, and are subsequently less likely to pursue them as a career. 

The resulting squeeze on staffing resources places even greater importance on the art of employee motivation, and is something every recruitment firm worth their salt is actively looking to address on behalf of candidates and clients alike.   

For job seekers, locating and landing your dream role is a special achievement. Likewise, for employers, filling those all-important vacancies with true talent is an accomplishment in itself, but in reality this only reveals a small part of the overall picture.

At its core, employee engagement should be about creating the kind of environment that encourages workers to flourish. Potential is there to be realized, and the right approach should inspire confidence and positively push capabilities in the right direction.

Of the numerous ways to cultivate such a climate, the following approaches are all worth considering:

Effective communication and leadership

Whatever the size of your company or workforce, keeping these fundamentals at the forefront of your operation should be number one on your list of priorities. Strong leadership practices send out all the right messages, and give employees a sense of purpose.

A carefully thought-out communication strategy is often a paramount concern when it comes to a company’s outward-facing activity, but it is an in-house imperative as well.

Encouraging open channels of communication and adopting an agreeable approach to management will hopefully hand the workforce the inspiration they need to take ownership of their roles.

In the mid-to-long term, it can be the difference between a noticeable spike in absenteeism and low morale and employees actually looking forward to work on a Monday morning.     

Upskilling and training

Another effective way to engage your workers is to commit to their continued professional development and avoid the obvious pitfalls of roles becoming stale and staff feeling under-utilized and overlooked.

Investing in on-the-job training is a good way to make people feel engaged in their roles, and offers a rare chance to create a win-win situation, with employees enjoying a sense of progress and value while employers benefit from the resulting upturn in knowledge and productivity.

Staff are also less likely to look elsewhere if they feel their capabilities are being recognized, nurtured and provided for. Furthermore, from a company perspective, having team members that are ahead of the curve when it comes to specialist fields or emerging technologies can be beneficial for firm’s business. 

Company culture

Ultimately, the culture that you promote within your firm will have a huge bearing on how engaged your workforce is, and will impact elements such as motivation positively or negatively depending on your approach.

Professional success often hinges on basics such as confidence, and promoting such intrinsic traits across your departments can have a huge knock-on effect, encourage growth and inspire people to believe in their own abilities.

Offering benefits, such as flexible working, often make or break an employee’s early impression of a workplace, and these advantages often tell workers exactly what they need to know about the kind of company they’re working for.

Engaging with people from the outset is vital, whether that’s a simple word of advice or a longer face-to-face, and the way employees are guided will go a long way to shaping the culture your company adopts and the impact it has on factors such as employee turnover, workplace morale, productivity, revenue and business.