INternal Communications: Recruiting & Retention

As I mentioned in my previous post, good internal communications is key for optimal execution of business tasks. Ultimately the quality of an organizations communications can make or break it. An important part of internal communications is recruiting. The most successful organizations have excellent recruitment and retention strategies, which allow them to pick employees from the best of the best.

According to eHow’s article, “Reccomendations for Recruiting and Selecting Employees,” recruitment efforts must be planned out in advance in order to reach a wide range of potential employees and to ensure the potential employees will be qualified and interested in the job. In addition, a public relations practitioner should make sure to publicize the criteria for the position(s) and the fact that the business offers and expects new employees to grow. Also, those who hire the employees should gauge how motivated the potential employees are.

Closely related and intertwined with an organization’s recruitment efforts are its retention strategies. According to a ManagerWise.com article, replacing a typical employee can cost anywhere between $7,000 and $14,000. For more high-paying and high-demand jobs, like a critical care nurse, it can cost $185,000.  This is a great reason why it is so important to have effective retention strategies–it saves money! ManagerWise.com has a 5-step strategy for high retention rates, PRIDE:

P - Provide a Positive Working Environment
R - Recognize, Reward and Reinforce the Right Behavior
I - Involve and Engage
D - Develop Skills and Potential
E - Evaluate and Measure

Overall, I think this is a good plan that can be applied to many businesses. However, I think these steps should be personalized for each organization. In general, it’s important for all businesses to consider creating a sound retention and recruitment plan. After all, if a business’s recruits effectively and hires employees that are a good match, then it will have a good chance that its employees will stay with the business.

Is this PR? Inside the VERB Campaign »« PR in INternal Communications