5 ways effective communications help companies combat labor shortages

With nearly 10 million job openings in the U.S.*, nearly every industry is feeling the impacts of the U.S. labor shortages. Communications can have lasting, bottom-line-impacting efforts on an organization. Here are just five examples of how:

1. Define the employee value proposition: Articulate what makes your company unique; what is your purpose and how does it impact the world; what your culture looks and feels like; and why—of the 100+ jobs available—someone should consider one at your company. Then take this value prop and make it visible to the world: website, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, job postings, boilerplate, etc. Too many company sites are shareholder focused, when today it’s all about the employee.
2. Clear and well communicated vision: Data consistently tells us that when employees know the company vision—and know how they impact that vision—they are more engaged and less likely to leave. Highly engaged employees are more productive and higher-performing. They have fewer absences and positively impact others in the organization. (Oh, and they don’t leave.)
3. National and local media outreach strategy: At sites where turnover is high, leverage local media to recruit. Local media crave data and employment stories. Nationally, tell the story about how to navigate the shortage and how you’re working to keep product on shelves and in people’s homes. (Tip: National media also loves buying behaviors.)
4. Employee advocacy: When buying a product online, do you look at the reviews before you buy? Me too. Harness the power of your workforce to recruit new talent. Enable your employees to be ambassadors and tell their trusted networks all the reasons why your company is a great place to work.
5. Rankings & Awards: it’s not an accident when companies consistently win awards and are ranked. Develop a program to target ideal awards/rankings, develop win-worthy content for submissions, win and celebrate. 

Want to know more? www.kirkpat.com

By: Katie Regan

*https://www.marketwatch.com/story/will-unretirement-solve-the-labor-shortage-11644855860