Finding Your Organization’s Cultural Match

Today, I have some thought-provoking points for you to consider regarding the employee shortage.

Each day, 10,000 baby boomers retire from their careers, and many millennials are starting to join the workforce. However, coaching and teaching this new generation takes time, so they aren’t a direct replacement for those who are rapidly retiring. Because of this, there is an employee shortage, and experts say that the shortage is only going to get worse before it gets better.

Some people may not realize that there are additional changes happening which also impact the workforce. We engage in thousands of conversations, and we’ve been hearing about many trends that people are looking for in their next opportunity. They’re looking for professional growth, competitive compensation and benefits, and the opportunity to be an integral part of an organization. They’re also looking for companies to help them find a work-life balance, meaning they might be looking for telecommuting or a compressed work week.

Additionally, individuals are looking for organizations that are engaging with them from the first point of contact, through the interview process, and into hiring.

What about organizations that aren’t able to accommodate this?

We all know that there are positions within the industry that won’t allow telecommuting or a compressed workweek, but there are other things that people can do, like engaging from the first point of contact.

When we are out recruiting, we’re not just checking tactical boxes; we are trying to find the cultural fit. It is quite possibly the most difficult part of recruiting, but it is also the most crucial. I’m sure some of you have had experience with having the wrong cultural fit on your team or in the organization, and you know how detrimental and distracting that was to the team.

“Finding a good cultural fit is quite possibly the most difficult part of recruiting, but it is also the most crucial.”

Cultural match is extremely important, so I encourage hiring managers to spend some time considering what type of culture you want to cultivate and to put verbiage around it. Who is going to be the right fit, and why? Be able to speak to that internally and externally as well.

If you are engaged with recruiting firms to help you find talent, make sure that they are looking for cultural fits. The same goes for internal hiring; your HR team should know exactly what your culture is and what works for you, your team, and your organization.

While finding top talent isn’t easy, I hope these talking points offer a little bit of insight to you about your hiring process.

If you have any questions about this, feel free to reach out to us. We’d be happy to help you.