By Kim Anania
This year, we celebrate 15 years in business at KMA Human Resources. When I look back over the blur of the past decade and a half, it’s overwhelming to think how KMA has grown from a 12-point business plan back in 2007, to a start-up with a ton of heart, to the enterprise that it is today with a team of more than 40 professionals spread out across New England and beyond, all dedicated to providing above and beyond service to our valued clients.
Since day one at KMA, we have always believed in the power of the employee. It’s at the core of everything we do. Now, as business leaders shift to the current workforce supply and demand imbalance, they must put the human at the center of every business decision.
Here are five challenges we’re seeing a lot of, and employee-centric ways of approaching them.
- If you’re having a difficult time filling open positions, consider your internal hiring practices. Is your process as nimble as it could be? Keeping things moving along swiftly, and communication lines open shows candidates that you respect them, and can make you more attractive in today’s fight for talent.
- If you’re struggling with high turnover, make sure you’re making compensation decisions that are aligned with the market, and equitable within your own internal pay structures.
- If your employees are exhibiting signs of burnout, enact policies that address work/life boundaries – particularly important with a remote/hybrid workforce. Keep in mind that leadership needs to model the desired behavior – culture comes from the top.
- If employee engagement and/or performance is an issue, do you have consistent listening tools in place? Pulse surveys, for example, can give managers real time insights into their employees’ concerns, difficulties, needs, levels of stress, etc., so they can respond before a problem turns into a crisis.
- If plans to bring your remote/hybrid workforce back into the office are being met with resistance, patience and understanding is key. At the beginning of the pandemic, we all commended our teams for being flexible, and leadership needs to be flexible now in allowing time to readjust. A gradual approach might be needed to remind employees of all the joys and advantages of working together face-to-face.
Let’s finish out the second half of 2022 strong, and since we’re in the age of the employee, remember that KMA is here to help you manage yours.
As always, we are recruiting for our clients and have some excellent opportunities for you to browse here. We’re also looking for new talent to join the KMA team.
If you’re ready for a new start in your career (or simply ready to explore the idea), we would love to hear from you. Reach out to me anytime!
Kim Anania
President and CEO
KMA Human Resources Consulting