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].

Recruiting: In-House Vs. Outsourcing

RECRUITING: IN-house vs. outsourcing

Hiring and retaining talent is an essential step in building a successful business operation. But let’s face it, recruiting can be difficult, time-consuming, and inefficient. A thriving workforce is crucial to any company reaching its full potential, and the best businesses tend to have the best teams. There are a few strategies organizations can utilize when building and growing their team. Companies can use in-house human resources & recruiting teams, outsource their recruiting efforts, or do a hybrid of the two. Determining which strategy is best requires a closer look at the organization as a whole. Examining areas like company size, expansion plans, cost of recruiting, retention, and employee engagement are places to start. 


The talent acquisition and employee retention game has changed dramatically over the last few years. More and more companies are weighing whether to outsource their recruiting tasks, otherwise known as Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) or keep them in-house. RPO is a strategic plan put in place to work with an outside company like Incipio to manage (in whole or part) a company’s recruiting tasks. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all where recruiting is concerned, and companies need to evaluate their business to assess their organization’s best course of action.

Incipio Workforce Solutions - Hiring, Recruiting, Retention, Employer Branding

Most companies are not in the recruiting and talent acquisition business, and recruiting or growing a team can take a company’s focus away from its core business. Outsourcing recruiting permits company leaders to focus on other aspects of the business while trusting experts to improve recruiting effectiveness, reduce turnover, cut costs, and allow growth. Outsourcing recruiting also allows current human resources teams to focus on current employees, retention, employee performance, and the employee experience, which is critical in today’s market. 

 

When an organization works with a company like Incipio, it can focus on specific hiring needs. A company can also decide which part of the recruiting process they want to be involved with. For instance, hiring managers and upper-level management can enter the process after the initial screening has taken place and the candidate is deemed a good fit. Removing hiring managers from the initial screening tasks that are sometimes tedious and time-consuming gives them more time to focus on their core business tasks. 

 

Different roles or positions a company is hiring for can require different skills or experience on the recruiter’s part, and not all recruiting teams are created equal. When working with an outsourced company, you have access to various experience levels and knowledge that can span industries, positions, technology, and more. Incipio’s CEO, Molley Ricketts, communicates what an RPO can bring to the table when filling multiple positions requiring different skill sets. “Let’s say you have a Vice President of Operations position that you have come available. Well the recruiter that you need for that role, is probably not the same recruiter you have doing your day-to-day work. So you are going to want a recruiter that has more experience in that higher level of work, in recruiting that talent, then the individual that is recruiting for more entry-level or mid-level management roles.” Molley goes on to say, “Outsourcing your recruiting allows you to have a diversified team, without necessarily having to pay for a diversified team.” 

 

Most companies don’t understand what they spend on recruiting, and there is often a misconception about the savings that outsourcing can bring to an organization. In-house recruiting can be costly, and many outsourcing companies have to work with clients to educate them on the actual costs associated with hiring. In addition to the labor costs of recruiting, there are other costs like software, pre-employment testing, and job posting that must be considered. For small businesses, this can especially be burdensome, but according to Ricketts, “being able to outsource it for the needs specifically that you have, is wildly cost-effective. As opposed to bringing someone in-house.” The RPO model can be an investment at first. Still, according to Ricketts, “it is usually within thirty to ninety days that an organization sees the value of having a consistent monthly fee vs. the ebb and flow of recruiting talent to multiple positions and then zero positions because you constantly have someone looking for talent for your organization using an RPO model.” This also allows the current team to continue to focus on their core duties. 

To get an accurate picture of the costs related to recruiting, companies must also look at the costs associated with employee turnover. Many factors contribute to employee turnover. However, a high turnover rate can, at times, be traced back to the hiring process. Utilizing tools like the Cost of Turnover Worksheet, Incipio works with their clients to understand the actual turnover costs and develop a strategy that works specific to that organization. When you work with a dedicated recruiter, who is not spread thin with other HR duties or the current employee experience, the precision tends to be sharper, improving the quality of the hire. Outsourcing companies like Incipio have the expertise and knowledge of hiring and tend to have a wider talent pool to pull as this is the core business model. Outsourcing companies also have an ongoing funnel of candidates they are courting and negotiating with. Having more talent options in the funnel and following the process can undoubtedly increase hiring the right talent. Outsourcing a company’s recruiting can also remove the bias that sometimes occurs. Thus, ensuring that the right candidate is offered the position and not the person that socially hit it off with the hiring team during the recruiting process.

An effective RPO blends technology, industry intelligence, company knowledge, management insight, and recruiting best practices to transform an organization’s talent acquisition function. In-house recruiting tends to share other responsibilities like HR generalist duties, training, benefits coordination, and most outsourcing companies work alongside these team members to complement the process blending knowledge, experience with culture and industry. Outsourcing allows the recruiting team to do what they do best and leaves the human resource department and hiring managers to focus on their core roles within an organization. Thus, setting the stage for growth and profitability. 

 

Incipio has the expertise and resources to give you a better recruitment and selection strategy that pays off. Our recruiting consulting begins by identifying your short-term and long-term goals and the skills needed to get there. Then, we can help you find the right people to move your company forward.

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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]

Employer Branding

 

Do you have an employer branding strategy for your business? 

For as long as competition has existed in the business world, an organization’s reputation has played a vital role in attracting and retaining customers. Reputation, or how others perceive you, can include ideas about products, services, leadership, team members, and prior interaction and exposure. On the other hand, a brand is how you present yourself to the world, reflecting how you want to be perceived or the value you hold. Companies use their brand to connect with customers through various ways, tapping into their emotional and intellectual needs, influencing them to purchase products or use services that the company offers. According to Forbes, some of the most valuable brands in 2020 were Apple (#1), The Walt Disney Company (#7), Nike (#13), Starbucks (#37). What is it about these brands that influence consumers to gravitate to them? 

Employer branding is similar in that it communicates a company’s vision but relates to current and potential candidates rather than products and services. This type of branding defines what makes the company unique and desirable and outlines the company culture and values. According to the Society of Human Resource Management (S.H.R.M), the concept of employer branding or measuring what employees see as value is increasingly becoming more critical. The industry measurement to gauge employer branding is called an employee value proposition or EVP, which essentially “is part of an employer’s branding strategy that represents everything of value that the employer has to offer its employees.” 

 An effective employer brand communicates why an organization is a great place to work, creating a sense of pride for those that are a part of the team, and inspires potential talent to seek out a company for employment. 

Employee experience is so much more than well-crafted talking points, more than Dress Down Fridays, Happy Hour Thursdays, and other company perks. Employer branding is about the overall experience of working for a specific organization. Looking at factors such as company values (sustainability, work-life balance, community involvement), innovation & technology, autonomy and ownership given to employees, remote working options, the effectiveness of leaders, performance feedback, and an employees ability to reach their potential within the organization, to name a few. Over the last few years, numerous websites and publications have popped up that rate employer branding or “Best Places to Work” by measuring different categories via anonymous surveys and reviewing company programs and policies.  

Essentially, employer branding gives a peek into what it is like to work at an organization. Employer branding done right provides a glance into what employees expect in their workplace but also communicates what is expected as a team member. In this highly competitive employment landscape, this type of branding and measurement is crucial. LinkedIn Employer Brand Statistics Report states that 72% of recruiting leaders worldwide agreed that the employer brand has a significant impact on hiring. Yet, only 55% of small to mid-sized businesses have a proactive brand strategy in place. The concept of employee value proposition or employer branding is no longer an out of the box concept, it is an expectation of most candidates seeking employment. 

The same LinkedIn report states the #1 obstacle candidates experience when searching for a job is not knowing what it’s like to work there. They trust current employees three times more than the company itself to give a more accurate picture of what it is like to work there.

When an employer brand is executed properly, a business will see positive impacts resonate across many recruiting and retention bottom-line numbers. LinkedIn research states that a strong employer brand reduces turnover by 28% and cost per hire by 50%. 

 Creating and executing an employer branding strategy takes time, introspection, and flexibility. Deciding who or what department is to oversee the process and execution will depend on several factors, such as the size of an organization, type of industry, the vision of the organization, the buy-in of the concept, and the company’s leadership. Sometimes having a third party assist in the process can provide an unbiased look at the organization and can help streamline this process.

 

Implementing a successful strategy starts with the following:

  • Defining and understanding your recruiting goals (some suggestions below)
  • ↑ Applicants
  • ↑ Application completion rate
  • ↓ Cost per hire
  • ↓ Time to hire 
  • ↑ Employee retention
  • ↑ Offer acceptance rates
  • Build trust
  • Defining your candidate 
    • What is their persona
    • What motivates them
    • What is their job search behavior
    • What channels do they use to find companies hiring
    • Who influences their decision
    • What personality type are they
    • What are their goals
    • What skill sets do they have
  • Design your Employee Value Proposition
    • Compensation
    • Upward mobility
    • Environment
    • Culture
    • Values
    • Benefits 
  • Build Engagement among current Employees
    • Up to date Social Media profiles that include a place of employment
    • Encourage employees to share their experience working for your company
    • Highlight employees in blogs, social media
    • Conduct company reviews
  • Set up the proper Recruiting Tools & Channels
    • Social Media
    • Website
    • Blogs
    • Workshops
    • Outsourcing
    • CSM systems 
  • Measure your results.
    • Using recruiting and retention metrics
    • Touching base with the employee base
    • Touching base with candidates throughout the process and afterward. 

A company’s reputation matters now more than ever. Communicating your employer brand effectively shows the value you bring to the table. Understanding this allows a company to attract talent in a creative way that has a lasting financial impact. Employers no longer have the upper hand in recruiting talent, the candidate is the one in the driver’s seat, and organizations that don’t get with the program will be left in the dust. 

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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]