How Recruitment can Help Build a Positive Work Environment
Recruiting
There is no doubt a work environment that promotes camaraderie and healthy competition keeps employee satisfaction ratings high. More so if the company provides opportunities for individual growth. This practice fosters loyalty in employees and builds a positive culture in the organization.
Maintaining a constructive and productive atmosphere in the office is undeniably a huge factor in a company’s success. With this, it is of great importance that recruiters remain aware of their role in building an organization’s positive group dynamics.
Recruiters play a big part in building a positive work environment as everything starts in hiring. The success of any business lies in finding the right people. This is because the people you hire and recruit play crucial roles in constructing and maintaining the organization’s harmony.
More than fulfilling the hire rate, hiring those who can do the job well and contribute to the team’s healthy working relationship is essential.
Finding the Right Talent
Research done by Deloitte shows that the majority of executives and employees regard positive culture as a factor of an organization’s success. What does this mean for recruiters? Before we get to compensation, motivation, and employee engagement, we must find the right people. Look for candidates who share the company values and those who will contribute to agreeable work connections. As they say, it is easier to train for skills than behavior and attitude.
One of the best ways to ensure that a candidate will thrive within an establishment is to check if they are a culture fit. Do your best to filter applicants by their likelihood to adapt to the company’s existing core values and work environment. While diversity is essential, a focus on long-term goals is also critical. People who feel a sense of belonging will more likely stay and grow with the company.
Hiring for Culture Fit
In order for recruiters to hire for culture fit, an organization must first establish its core values. These need to be apparent and consistent on all platforms, online or offline. Make these values evident in all recruitment materials and job postings.
Aside from indicating skill requirements and qualifications, ensure that you list the characteristics you want most in an applicant. Ensure that these attributes align with the business. This way, you attract applicants who share similar principles in life.
Every organization also has micro-cultures within the larger environment. This means we cannot just rely on the candidate’s responses during the interview.
Most applicants prepare for the most commonly asked questions. However, if confidentiality policies allow, take the applicant on a walk around the office. Show the departments, converse with other employees, and discuss how things really get during crunch time.
Research shows that stress in the workplace can lead to an attrition increase of almost 50%. Find out your candidate’s thoughts regarding the pressure and stress levels in the actual work environment. Your best bet is finding an applicant who still shows excitement and can discuss practical ways to navigate such issues.
But keep in mind, you are not looking for someone who fits inside a perfect mold. You’re looking for someone who upholds and shares the organization’s values and shows a strong potential to adjust well. Hire someone who complements the team and supports a healthy and positive group dynamic.
Behavioral Interviews
One common mistake in candidate selection is focusing solely on skills. Take the time to include questions that determine personality and behavior. These are usually good indicators of how a person will react to specific work scenarios in the future. One way to do this is to ask behavior-based inquiries during the interview.
The main goal of a behavioral interview is to understand how a candidate thinks, approaches, and reacts to real-life work challenges. Your candidate’s answers will help you identify if they will make a great addition to the organization.
During the interview, ask how they usually solve complex problems, work with other people, and handle stress. To get a better outlook, ask for previous experiences where they were able to display these behaviors.
According to a 2020 post of resumes on LinkedIn, it is vital to get evidence of skills and characteristics claimed by applicants. To pinpoint proof, you can use the helpful STAR method. Have your candidate talk about a situation, the task or responsibility expected from them, the action they took, and the result. When done correctly, you can identify predictors of how your candidate will behave in the workplace if hired.
When hiring, you must select candidates who do not just have the skills required. Look for verification of their professionalism, ability to solve problems, and ability to maintain healthy relationships with other people. Look for someone with a healthy mindset when it comes to working and overcoming challenges. Remember that you want to avoid adding toxic people into your team because this behavior spreads when unchecked.
In closing, your organization’s workforce has a direct impact on its success. Whether financially, performance-based, or growth-related, the people inside the walls are the driving force of the business. This means that as a recruiter, you have a truly significant role to fill. Whom you hire can be either a positive or a negative force in the company. Your candidate can be either someone who contributes to the team’s success or demise. Therefore, recruitment plays one of the most decisive roles in creating and maintaining a positive environment at work.
About the Author
Lisa Davis is a published author and contributor at contentcampfire.com. With over 17 years of experience in corporate training and career development, Lisa shares her wisdom and expertise through her published articles. Lisa also provides professional career coaching and training consultancy services for several businesses in the Midwest.