Hiring Climate in Louisville (3 Counties)
Current Labor Market for the Louisville Metropolitan Area and How to Win the Recruiting Race.
Changing the Way Company Culture is Understood: OrgVitals and Incipio Workforce Solutions’ Synergistic Partnership is Revealing Workplace Culture Strengths & Weaknesses
How the startup company is unlocking the formula to an ever-changing work landscape coming up on its first anniversary
Louisville, Kentucky: OrgVitals and Louisville-based Recruiting and HR organization, Incipio Workforce Solutions, are bringing intentional hiring to the forefront and focusing on workplace culture to retain current employees.
Incipio is helping businesses exceed through recruiting, HR solutions, direct hire recruiting, employer branding, team building, and more. OrgVitals is a strategic partner in cutting-edge technology that delivers predictive insights and enhanced analysis to organizations to ensure that its teams thrive within the workplace.
“Culture is ready for its Moneyball moment,” said Dr. Brad Shuck, Chief Data Scientist for OrgVitals. “For a very long time, employee engagement has been the standard for which everybody has aspired to.”
OrgVitals measures organizations by their strengths, growth opportunities, and blindspots that they might not look at or notice in their culture. These three key components are directly connected to its team and the people in the company.
OrgVitals does this by distributing surveys to its client’s employees in order to measure these analytics and deliver actionable data.
“From the get-go, we saw a synergy between what Incipio Workforce Solutions was doing and what we could help leverage for them within culture data. We’re feeding that back into clients and giving them time back in their data to do their best work one on one with their clients,“ continued Dr. Shuck. “OrgVitals has become a backend partner for Incipio. We’ve been able to partner with Incipio with several clients, and deliver a significant return on investment, not just for Incipio but for their end client, and that’s our goal.”
OrgVitals intentionally moves the needle on performance and ultimately saves organizations substantial amounts of money. Additionally, they’re showing companies culture data they’ve never seen before, so, in turn, these organizations can be behind the wheel when it comes to driving workplace culture.
About Org Vitals
OrgVitals was founded in 2021 by Charley Miller, Dr. Brad Shuck and Kristina Rodriguez. Our mission is to help organizations capture data on culture, learn from it and then put this information into action. Additionally, OrgVitals is intentional about cultivating workplace culture and leveraging it as a strategic point in organizations. We’re changing the way work is experienced. For more information on how we can help you make an impact within your organization, book a demo here.
About Incipio Workforce Solutions
Since 2015, Incipio has been on a mission to transform the way companies attract, engage, and delight their team members. Our professional services break down the challenges you face and create manageable goals, obtainable standards, and process improvements to reorganize, revitalize, and redefine what was into what is possible. Comprised of expertise in HR, Recruiting, Employer Branding, and Service, Incipio gives companies the tools they need to manage their employee experience from interview to retirement successfully. For more information on how we can help you and your business, call us at 502-409-4821 or email us at [email protected]
Leveling Up: The Transformative Recruiting Process Incipio Workforce Solutions is Implementing With its Strategic Partners
How the organization is revamping the recruiting process
from beginning to end
Louisville, Kentucky: Incipio Workforce Solutions is changing the recruiting industry with its strategic partners; Grit & Gravel, OrgVitals and UnicusPar. Incipio Workforce Solutions is a strategic partner in helping businesses thrive through recruiting, HR solutions, direct hire recruiting, employer branding, team building, and more.
The growth of Incipio through these strategic partners allows the organization to be a more intentional workforce solution company.
“I believe after almost seven years of being in business, we have finally found partners that are as dedicated and committed to their success, and their company, to partner to be successful together,” said Molley Ricketts, CEO of Incipio Workforce Solutions.
Incipio’s strategic partners have the talent to put the pieces together.
- Grit & Gravel is helping attract and retain top talent with its holistic employer branding efforts including services like custom culture and leadership videos, current employee testimonials, paid and organic social media job management, brand & content marketing, career page and full website optimization & development, and much more.
- OrgVitals measures organizations by inclusion, employee engagement, alignment, communication models, etc., and then determines how they relate to one another to calculate strengths and opportunities for growth and highlight a company’s blindspot.
- UnicusPar is changing the hiring game by matching the right candidates with the right companies the first time without bias through its proprietary assessment and matching technology.
Incipio is being recognized as an organization that provides a different way to recruit and wants to help its clientele and future clients make the difference to transform.
“Until employers really understand the entire market of the workforce has changed, intentional hires to build teams with top talent has to be the focus,” Ricketts continued.
Employers are recognizing that they can’t solely recruit people; they have to have an entire package, from the hiring process to onboarding and continue to build a positive culture where employees want to work.
Incipio continues to make intentional hires, with the help of its strategic partners, to build teams with top talent. The organization’s team members traveled 76,098 miles, devoted 8,583 total hours of recruitment horsepower to employ 409 team members for its clients in 2021.
About Incipio Workforce Solutions
Since 2015, Incipio has been on a mission to transform the way companies attract, engage, and delight their team members. Our professional services break down the challenges you face and create manageable goals, obtainable standards, and process improvements to reorganize, revitalize, and redefine what was into what is possible. Comprised of expertise in HR, Recruiting, Employer Branding, and Service, Incipio gives companies the tools they need to manage their employee experience from interview to retirement successfully. For more information on how we can help you and your business, call us at 502-409-4821 or email us at [email protected]
Hiring Challenges: Solved
If you have been paying attention the past year, most industries and sectors have struggled with attracting talent and keeping talent. All evidence points to a prolonged tightening of the labor market, which is why it is vital that recruiters and the companies that are looking to hire need to think out of the box and consider alternative strategies.
The labor market has been a fluid environment with several challenges over the last few years. As we embark on the new normal following the pandemic and the “Great Resignation,” the challenges faced by hiring managers and recruiters are considerable. Even before COVID-19 rocked the world, recruiters have had to navigate changing demands and challenges. From technological advancements, candidate priorities, remote working, and a later retiring workforce, recruiting these days can be complex. Recruiters and hiring managers must stay ahead of the game and pivot when necessary.
REMOTE WORKING
One of the biggest challenges over the last 18-24 months has been the shift to remote working. While remote working initially required some significant adjustments for some organizations in terms of logistics, technology, work culture, and the ability to manage a team, remote working proved to be viable, productive, and extremely popular in most instances. Although remote work is not feasible for all sectors of the economy, we have learned that many roles outside of the service, hospitality, healthcare, and retail sectors can be done remotely. Remote working has provided flexibility for many employees and has allowed them to balance their work and personal lives. Remote work requires a high level of trust on the part of the employer and work ethic on the employee. Communicating expectations concerning productivity and availability are essential for the remote work environment to be mutually beneficial. With remote working comes the challenges of recruiting remotely.
Recruiters and companies must mirror their current work environment during the recruitment process. It’s time to embrace the virtual recruiting environment. Utilize Teams, Zoom, and other virtual platforms that allow you to be face to face with your candidates virtually. Remote working and interviewing can also benefit employers as it enables them to recruit from a broader and more diverse talent pool. An organization must understand its long-term goals regarding remote working. Many outsourcing companies are familiar with the virtual recruiting process and can assist in sourcing and initial screens.
UNQUALIFIED CANDIDATES
Another recruiting challenge that seems prevalent in today’s environment is the vast pool of applicants applying for open positions but seemingly lack the qualifications that companies are looking for or simply not the right fit for the organization or culture. How and where you advertise your current openings can impact the quality and candidate compatibility to the role you are looking to fill. For instance, certain industry sector candidates may gravitate more toward an Indeed-type platform than LinkedIn. Understanding which platform may suit your needs can be challenging and expensive if you are not familiar with what is available.
Working with an outsourcing company like Incipio may provide the most cost-effective and efficient screening process for your organization, thus allowing you to focus on your core business and leave the screening up to the experts. Creating effective job descriptions and open position listings are also crucial in attracting the best candidates. Clear and concise job postings that list necessary basic skills and qualifications can deter unqualified candidates from applying. Having an experienced screener, whether in-house or outsourced, can also eliminate spending time on candidates that may not be qualified. If you find that many applicants are a bit green for the roles you are looking to fill, designing an apprenticeship program or a “get your foot in the door” approach allows you to train candidates to become the employee you desire.
COMPANY BRAND AND CULTURE
Candidates these days are very intentional about where they are seeking employment. That in itself is not the challenge. Where the challenge lies is in your company brand. Do you have a solid online presence? Is that presence communicating a consistent brand message on your website, social media pages, and job post websites? Company reputation and branding are vital in today’s market. Candidates are purposefully looking for companies that meet their needs regarding flexibility, compensation, growth opportunities and mirror their values regarding sustainability, community involvement, diversity, inclusion, and equity. Now more than ever, in this candidate-centric market, you need to have a clear company brand that is communicated through several avenues. Your company must stand out among its hiring competition if you want to attract the best candidates.
INTERVIEW PROCESS
Are you losing talent before you even have a chance to decide if you want to make them an offer to join your team? Recruiting new team members can take time. A streamlined process must be in place when hiring. According to Dr. John Sullivan, a professor of management at San Francisco State University, the cost of candidate withdrawal is real, and the investment in time and resources may place a drain on your team and finances. There are reasons why candidates choose to remove themselves from the hiring process, and it is crucial to determine why it is happening in your organization. A candidate may choose to withdraw for a few reasons. Some of these might include your application process may be too lengthy, they may have had a chemistry issue with the screener or hiring manager. Additional factors might include the job posting not matching what the candidate was told in the interview process and the interview process being long and drawn out. A key reason for self-selecting out of the process is lack of communication between the candidate and the recruiter or hiring manager.
Your application process must be as seamless as possible. Many candidates will drop out of the process before completing the application if it is repetitive, long, confusing, and not accessible. Making it easy to apply via your phone and utilizing programs that allow a candidate to upload a resume instead of entering in their work history can help alleviate this issue.
One of the primary reasons for candidates to self-select themselves out of the hiring process is the length of time from initial application to offer. SHRM found the average time to fill a position is forty-two days, but candidates generally make decisions within ten days of applying with a company. The very best candidates are more than likely being pursued by other companies, maybe even your competition. Making sure that you move them through the interview process in a timely manner while ensuring they are the right fit can be a delicate balance, especially when juggling core business tasks and recruiting. Outsourcing allows for the focus to be on the candidate and ensuring that they are the right fit.
Follow-through and communication are also key factors in making the hiring process a positive experience for candidates. It is imperative that you communicate throughout the process and set expectations with the candidate. Communicate how many interviews they will be invited to complete should they move through the entire hiring process. Hiring Managers and recruiters must also communicate when they plan on deciding about the position the candidate is seeking.
Successful business leaders understand their core competencies and generally surround themselves with strategic partners. If recruiting, human resource generalist duties, and company branding are not your core competencies, you may want to consider partnering with an organization like Incipio, which will be hyper-focused on the expertise you need in the areas of human resources, recruiting, and employer branding.
Find your next great hire! Call us at 502-409-4821 or email us at [email protected].
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BOILERPLATE: Incipio Workforce Solutions is a strategic partner in helping businesses thrive through recruiting, HR solutions, direct hire recruiting, employer branding, team building, and more! Since 2015, Incipio has been on a mission to transform the way companies attract, engage, and delight their team members. Our professional services break down the challenges you face and create manageable goals, obtainable standards, and process improvements to reorganize, revitalize, and redefine what was into what is possible. Comprised of expertise in HR, Recruiting, Employer Branding, and Service, Incipio gives companies the tools they need to successfully manage their employee experience from interview to retirement. For more information on how we can help you and your business, call us at 502-409-4821 or email us at [email protected]
Retention Strategy for Restaurants and Hospitality Employees
Although it has always been a significant concern, there has been a consistent rise in turnover rates for restaurant employees over the past few years. Findings from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that over 6% of employees in the hospitality sector leave monthly while the yearly turnover rate is 73.8%. The figures by themselves are a cause for alarm, but the impact of the turnover on the hospitality industry is even more significant.
On average, restaurants and other businesses in the hospitality industry lose $5,864 on every employee turnover. If you have 500 employees, with the current average turnover rate in the industry, you can lose upwards of $2 million annually. This is a vast amount of money that you could channel towards more meaningful initiatives such as upgrades and marketing.
While it is a problem that has plagued this industry for a long time, it is only getting worse given the current unemployment rate. If you consider all factors, it is easy to understand why employee retention for restaurants and companies in the hospitality sector is challenging. It is for this reason that we have developed this retention strategy for restaurant and hospitality employees.
Incentivize Long-term Employment Using Benefits
Employee benefits remain a significant factor in retaining your current employees and attracting new talent regardless of your industry. Healthcare and retirement benefits are vital.
Retirement Benefits
Most employees make the decision to work with a company based on the retirement benefits the company offers. Additionally, almost half of the employees decide whether to stay with their current employer after considering retirement benefits. Retirement benefits are a unique incentive to long-term employment. By utilizing the employer match combined with a unique schedule to provide incentives for employees, it is possible to get employees to stay with your company even during retirement. Employees want to know that a company is working towards providing a secure financial future before committing to their long-term futures.
It is clear that retirement benefits are an essential element, but most businesses in the hospitality industry do not offer solid retention benefits through retirement plans. There are lots of challenges such as the increased burden on the human resource department and low employee participation. One of the most common scenarios is a case where a highly compensated employee is usually limited in relation to the 401 (k) contributions as a result of failing the non-discrimination test and poor participation. Often, this culminates in increased turnover rates in relation to the highly valuable employees that can be hard to replace.
Healthcare Benefits
Healthcare benefits are another vital element in avoiding employee turnover. Before deciding to work with your company, almost 46% of employees consider the health care benefits package you offer. This is according to a Willis Towers Watson study, which also indicates that 55% of the employees view healthcare benefits as an important factor towards staying with their current employer.
This should not be surprising considering ever-growing medical costs. Although employees need to understand that their futures are covered, they also want to know that their present is well taken care of. Coming up with a solid healthcare plan remains one of the best ways to achieve this.
Integrate Technology
Embracing technology can help you reduce the turnover rate of your hospitality business in two ways.
Reduces Workload
Naturally, businesses in the hospitality industry feature a constantly busy environment. Employees often have to juggle between different tasks at the same time, which can have a significant impact on employee morale and productivity.
By integrating modern technology into your business practices, you allow some of the tasks to be delegated to automated systems while employees manage the essential tasks. With less work to do, it is easier to keep employees motivated, which contributes to employee retention.
Improves the Overall Work Environment
Effective integration of technology creates a highly efficient work environment. It takes less time to process tickets which contributes to customer satisfaction and streamlines BOH and FOH. It becomes easier to achieve lower employee turnover rates by creating an enjoyable working environment for employees in the hospitality sector.
Retaining Restaurant and Hospitality Employees
The high employee turnover rates continue to plague the hospitality and restaurant industries. Through poor employee retention, companies lose thousands of dollars on individual employee turnover every month. There is an urgent need for lasting solutions to mitigate the impact high employee turnovers have on the industry.
Companies based in the hospitality and restaurant industries need to provide incentives geared towards getting employees to commit to a future with a company. Providing incentives such as retirement and healthcare benefits can have a positive impact on employee turnovers. Similarly, integrating technology into your business practices can also contribute. It reduces the amount of work the employees have to do and provides a comfortable working environment that contributes to employee satisfaction.
Annual Performance Evaluation: Affirmation And Acknowledgement For A Job Well Done The Last 12 Months
Employees are craving feedback from management. In fact, a recent Gallup survey found more than 70% of respondents want feedback on their job performance on a weekly or even a daily basis. Not only is feedback actively desired, if provided correctly it can have an incredibly constructive impact on the workplace. Studies show regular feedback – both positive and negative – leads to lower turnover and increased productivity.
CREATE A FEEDBACK LOOP
Annual reviews alone won’t meet that need for feedback. We have found annual reviews generally are just a snapshot of someone’s performance in the last four to six weeks. Successful companies have a system in place for regular feedback so the annual review becomes a collection of ongoing performance.
TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP
Technology can provide you with reminders for performance notes, goal setting and weekly or monthly reports. There are lots of tools and systems available today that create feedback vehicles from self-evaluation to 360 reviews, which include feedback from peers, management and even clients. Self-evaluation is crucial. How does the employee see how he or she is doing? Does the employee have a clear picture of the yearly goals? Then you can narrow in on what really motivates employees leading to successful employee engagement.
THE RESULT
The goal is to create an effective working relationship. Feedback will help you see what is working well and how you can work even better together. It will help you set goals on a monthly and yearly basis. And importantly, regular feedback will help you in succession planning by identifying high performers who will grow with the company as well as helping you see areas where you may need to look at hiring from the outside.
BEGIN WITH ONBOARDING
An effective feedback process starts with an efficient onboarding program. As we discussed in an earlier blog, successful companies set up clear expectations before an employee is even hired. Employees then have clarity around what they do for their day-to-day tasks and have a clear understanding on how those tasks are evaluated.
The best organizations are made up of people who are motivated by recognition. They are productive employees because they see and hear the value of what they do. As a leader, providing regular feedback is one of the most important things you can to do make sure each person on your team feels valued.
Happy Ever After On-boarding
There is no better feeling than when you go home from your first day at a new job and you tell your family you’re confident you made the right career decision. Top organizations understand it’s in their best interest to make their on-boarding process both welcoming and effective. Here are some things to keep in mind from the new hire’s perspective:
It’s all about Communication
Make sure you reach out to your new employee between the job offer and day one. Hearing from their new employer gives positive confirmation they left their previous role for good reason.
Get Housekeeping Matters Completed Early
Many times half of the new hire’s first day is spent in paperwork.
I would suggest you be proactive and get that paperwork completed ahead of time.
Set Expectations in Advance
When you start a new job, it’s like “drinking out of a firehose.” It is process information overload. Go ahead and get some of the simple expectations out of the way in advance. Answer a new hire’s questions such as: What’s the dress code? Where should I park? Will I be working a full day on my first day? Who are the key players in the organization? Can you provide me with an organizational chart?
Make Onboarding a Team Effort
A new hire shouldn’t be meeting with just one person the entire first day.
A new hire shouldn’t be meeting with just one person the entire first day. They should be talking with a collective group of key players. This will break up the monotony of the day. This exposure to the organization will go a long way to making the new person feel welcomed and engaged.
Save time for Questions
New hires will have questions so make sure your organization has time set aside for discussion. The first day isn’t the time to rush people through a cookie-cutter orientation program.
Make a Plan for 30, 60 and 90 Days
If you set expectations in stages, the new hire won’t be overwhelmed and will clearly see goals and objectives. Have questions prepared for each stage so you can gather feedback on how the new hire is doing. Moreover, this will help you improve your overall onboarding process.
New Hire Success Story? Maybe…
30 % of people quit their job within the first 90 days.
A recent survey shows upwards of 30 percent of people quit their job within the first 90 days of employment. Job turnover not only reflects poorly on a company it also is extremely costly. Onboarding – the process of integrating a new employee into a company – is your opportunity to deliver on all the promises made during the hiring process. It’s your window to make the new hire feel welcome, motivated and to guarantee the candidate experience has put them on a path to happiness and success.
All during the hiring process you were selling your organization – telling candidates they’ll find your organization a great place to work – it’s a family. That had better be what the candidate finds when they step inside the door. Because if you sold them the wrong story, there’s no expectation they’re going to be successful.
Steps to a Successful Beginning
Before the new hire starts, there should be a welcome email. It should explain where they need to be on their first day, the appropriate attire, what they need to bring with them and what they can expect. Make sure all the “first day” paperwork has been taken care of in advance of the actual start date. Have a department lunch the first day so they can casually meet and see the faces of the people they’ll be working with.
So the new hire doesn’t feel isolated, the hiring manager needs to be very intentional on getting the person involved in project teams right away. They should be exposed to the broader landscape of the organization so they can see how their role fits into the company’s overall success. Make sure the new hire knows how they’ll be judged at their annual performance appraisal so it’s clearly understood exactly what is expected of them. In addition, ensure professional development programs are in place to help the employee grow and continue to be challenged.
Consider a Peer Mentor
Setting up a peer mentor program is a great idea. Choose a person similar to the new hire who has done the job or is currently in that role. This is someone who isn’t their supervisor but who can show them around and answer any questions. The mentor should be involved for at least six months in the new hire’s employment. People want to work in places where they are able to create bonds and make friends. The peer mentor program helps you create that bond.
Set up Regular Check-ins
There should be regular check-ins from the hiring manager or the recruiter. Touch base with scripted questions at the end of week one – the end of week two and at 30, 60 and 90 days. Ask how things are going. New hires will be much more open with their recruiter or hiring manager then they will be with their supervisor.
Lower Expectations
Employers should be aware in the first 30 days in particular, they shouldn’t expect the new hire to make a huge, revolutionary impact. The person is just getting acclimated and taking on a lot of new projects and likely dealing with new systems and software. So the onboarding plan should be designed to get the new hire up and running without overwhelming them.
