Finding great employees is difficult. Keeping them is tougher. Why? It goes back to the 80/20 rule, which plays a part in every aspect of life. Only the top 20% of the workforce can be considered the best, and everyone is competing for that same talent pool (unless you’re content with being mediocre). Let’s look at some of the factors that help or prevent you from consistently finding the top 20% of the workforce.
1) It could be you (if you’re willing to be honest with yourself – and we suggest you are because you’ll be better for it). Hiring is a mindset. I have close friends who constantly gripe about their employees. It’s tough to look in the mirror and ask yourself, though – am I really someone great to work for? Leaders are inspiring. If you don’t consider yourself the leader of an important mission, regardless of if you’re the only employee your law firm has, that’s the first problem. Too many business owners have the wrong mentality about hiring. You’re not entitled to have people spend their entire lives helping you reach your goal. You can have high expectations of your employees – and you should – but the reward has to be working towards a great mission and with people who care. There’s nothing wrong with being tough and inspiring, and kind. Lead the mission, then inspire others to join the mission. If the mission drives them, as long as you (the owner of the business) aren’t crazy, you’ll have a big advantage over your competitors. The next step is to develop systems and procedures that help your employees perform better, with objective metrics (scorecards) and feedback. It’s a long process, and we’re going to help you with more resources on core values, scorecards, employee reviews, and more later on. For now, understand (respectfully) that if you change your mindset on hiring from entitlement to great employees to creating the best workplace that will attract the best talent, you’re going to see vast improvements in your efforts.
2) There are so many options for employees right now. Everyone is hiring. Wages are going up. Oddly, this is the downside of a flourishing economy. You can no longer hire people just because they need a job. That’s a good thing, though, and it takes us back to point number one above.
3) Employees keep their options open. This is especially true for entry-level employees. The less someone is paid, the more likely they are to leave you more quickly. Additionally, and rightfully so, employees are trying to provide the best life possible for their families, just like we (employers) all are. Have regular conversations with your best employees about what they need to remain happy. You’ll be surprised, but it’s not always about the money. Sometimes it’s flexibility, and sometimes it’s simply feeling appreciated. But unless you have the conversation, you won’t know. One of our clients recently hired a legal secretary away from another law firm. So far, the employee is fantastic. She’s even making slightly less than she was at the other firm. So why did she leave? She had too many files, and her bosses never once asked her how she was doing or checked in with her about work. They took her for granted, so she found somewhere that didn’t.
Takeaways
- If you have a mindset of cultivating an environment that builds a stable of talent instead of complaining about your people all the time, you’ll reap what you sow.
- Competition is stiff, so differentiate your business.
- Show genuine appreciation for your top performers and discuss their futures with them on a consistent basis.
Our Role
What if all of the above were true, but only when applied to hiring high-and-mid-level positions at your firm? This blog is meant to help you learn from our experience in hiring lawyers, paralegals and office managers. But what if there really was a better way to staff your firm with admin positions?
The way we directly help you and your firm are by fixing the high-turnover problem most firms suffer from their lowest-level (but vitally important) positions. We specifically place three positions: marketing assistants, executive receptionists, and administrative assistants. Those are the hardest positions to hire, train and maintain because they are traditionally high-turnover positions. The best part is that 99% of the tasks can be performed virtually (via a computer by anyone anywhere in the world), AND these highly qualified, screened, and tested virtual employees come at a fraction of the cost because they’re overseas (and many times they have twice the work ethic and talent).
Don’t take our word for it – watch this video from one of our clients to see how incredible it is when you tap into the “A” players in other markets that no one is looking for.
We’re not sharing this information for our health; we sincerely want to help you. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
For more information about Get Staffed Up, contact us HERE and subscribe to our mailing list HERE.
