How Can Small Companies Create a Big Brand Image to Retain Top Talent?

Our company hires only the best of the best, although it is a small company and there aren't many benefits given to employees. This becomes a problem as we only end up with people in between jobs, and as soon as they find a bigger company, they shift.

Any way to make our company brand seem big to retain these employees? I am asking for low-cost ways your company creates an aura of a great company. I am sure there are things people have done - please do share.

Dear Anand,

Recruitment and retention of employees pose a challenge to almost every industry. I have to agree that with small setups, it becomes more difficult. However, based on my own experience, what works for big companies does not necessarily work for smaller ones, and vice versa. I have come across many competent professionals who enjoy working in smaller organizations and are quite satisfied. An informal, close-knitted working atmosphere needs to be built. Try having a flat hierarchy; having too many layers in a small setup doesn't work. Inculcating a sense of belongingness in employees is crucial. Small events like celebrating employee birthdays, giving a day off or half-day on anniversaries and major festivals together can have a positive impact. Since it is a small organization, such gestures won't cost too much. Acknowledge and appreciate their work; this is a crucial aspect. A word directly from management can work wonders. Avoid having too many policies, and attend to their complaints immediately or as soon as possible. Basic amenities, such as ergonomically designed chairs, should be of superior quality.

Dedicate one day or a few hours on any given day to their professional or personal development; this conveys the message that you care for your employees. Consider arranging training sessions where an employee takes charge and delivers the training. While money is a primary attraction, the environment conducive to an employee's growth also plays a significant role. In the long run, consider introducing benefits like insurance, meal vouchers, etc. These are some initial thoughts I have on this matter.

Thank you.

Dear Anand,

I understand what you are trying to implement. Can you sit with the management and ask them to brief on the vision? Because to grow big, they need to think big! The benefits must be provided to employees as the company grows. It's about giving what other companies offer, yet providing a unique challenge with the roles they handle - something that no other companies can offer.

Discuss with your management and see what best can be done regarding providing extra benefits. Conduct research in your industry and identify what benefits other companies provide that your company does not. Then, aim to exceed those standards.

Thank you.

Dear Anand,

Love,

Know the advantages and disadvantages of a small company. Exploit them smartly. Secondly, do not opt for the best of the best employees, but recruit people with fewer qualifications but enough intelligence and good attitudes. Also, know their family background and give a chance to needy people, rather than selecting from the upper middle class and above levels of society. Train them well, and I am sure they will give better output and will hardly think of giving up the job. Also, ensure that the environment and culture of the company are based on love rather than dead rules. I believe that if the company is truly a progressive group and the management is visionary, there will not be any problem retaining good people. This is a general reply, but more specific guidance can be given if you can provide further details. You may write me at sns1300@yahoo.com.

His Blessings,

Sharad Shah

Anand,

You will be surprised to know that there are many employees who would love to work in a small company rather than the so-called big companies. The reason is simple - you get to work in a wider area and increased responsibilities instead of a narrowly defined area and fewer responsibilities, as is the case with big companies.

I agree with whatever Shalini has mentioned about the type of culture that you have to build in a small company. If you take care of your employees, treat them in a very fair manner, do not discriminate, respect them, and involve them in decision-making, you will notice that the employees will reciprocate and stick with the company. You should also take care of the employees' career and growth.

I have also experienced that if you take care of the employees' family, there is always pressure from the family against change. For example, send a bouquet on the spouse's birthday and a cake on the employee's marriage anniversary. You can also earmark a day during the year when the family members can visit the company. You can have a small party for them. In all your outings, invite the employee's family also.

A couple of these low-cost things, and you will observe a lot of change in the employee's attitude towards the company. After all, money is not the ONLY motivation for change.

Thanks, Shalini and everyone. I understand what you guys are saying - we do have a tight-knit team, but these folks are really talented people, most from top universities. It seems that these people don't feel a sense of belonging to the company.

An idea I was reading about is giving shares of the company as a performance reward - making these people feel part of their own company. Something else that seemed helpful was organizing company lunches and giving the team leader a weekly fund to order in food for the team whenever they are working late.

Do put in any other ideas you may have used.

Dear all,

By this time, Anand should have received the answers. I would like to share a few words related to our discussions. Let's continue to motivate all the employees in whatever ways possible and enhance their sense of belonging. Set small target levels for the employees and reward them for achieving these goals. Currently, I am occupied with some related projects, and it is proving to be effective. You can also give it a try.

Thank you.

Hi Anand,

You have seen the responses. You might have noticed that almost all have focused on the employees' welfare and suggested various incentives to retain them. And you are still looking for more, that too low-cost options!! Can't you see all these are peripheral? These and more of the same would hardly make a dent in their loyalty, my friend.

LEADERSHIP. That's what you should exhibit right now, to make them all stick with your company like glue. First up, put yourself in their shoes and try to crack what they have perceived of themselves and their positions in your company. Why did they join your company in the first place, knowing fully well that yours is a small company that hardly gives any benefits? Also, what did you offer/promise to attract the "best of the best"? If these guys leave at the first opportunity, obviously, you have failed to deliver on your promises. Or, you have failed to live up to their expectations which they had while joining your company. Think, analyze, and customize your strategies to retain each stalwart in your company, individually. You may be in for big surprises!!

You must turn to introspecting yourself too. Where are you now? Where are you headed? Perhaps all these talented guys looked up to your company to become the next Infosys/Apple/Google or such other tiny acorn to mighty oak stories. Best of luck!! If my response has made any sense to you and you have made any headway, I'd be glad to know.

Srienivas

Dear Anand,

Please go and watch "Chak De India"! Apart from what others have said, can you provide your employees with a "sense of purpose"?

Regards.

I have worked for a small to mid-sized company, and what I did or proposed is as follows:

Staffing: When recruiting top talent, I highlighted the following unique selling points (USPs):

1. Small team - fostering a family-like environment.

2. Technical expertise - offering a broader scope of work to enhance learning through various methods and techniques, an opportunity often limited in larger companies with narrower specialization.

3. Appraisals/Reviews: Based solely on performance, as in a smaller setup, colleagues besides the manager are closely observing your contributions.

4. Niche segment - Operating in a specialized market and consistently securing new projects.

5. Stability Index: Demonstrating to prospective employees a stability index that showcases greater stability compared to larger corporations.

6. Engagement activities: Introducing the prospective employee to the organization's employee engagement initiatives and the benefits employees derive from them (e.g., certifications, picnics, recognition and reward programs, celebrations, etc.).

The objective is to professionally and accurately present the organization and communicate its USPs effectively.

Retention:

1. Individual attention - An advantage of working in a smaller firm.

2. Rigorous efforts by the HR department to ensure employee satisfaction through biannual Employee Satisfaction (ESAT) surveys and addressing observed indicators.

3. Grievance resolution: Immediate resolution within 24 hours of being raised.

4. Emergency leave procedure: Providing additional leave for employees hospitalized beyond their allocated leaves.

5. Medical insurance + Accident policy: Providing support for employees' health needs and their families.

6. Internal HR activities promoting teamwork and fostering strong relationships among employees.

7. Employee consensus: Involving employees in decision-making processes that directly affect them.

etc., etc., etc.

Anand,

I would suggest going through all the recent exit interview questionnaires. If you do not use them, please implement them straight away.

Whilst I agree with most of the suggestions posted by the members above, there is more than meets the eye for a practical problem like this. You may have to do a bit of homework.

Make sure your salaries are on par with the big players.

Ensure the benefit structures are in line with the appraisals, for example, proper increment plans, etc.

Make sure there are enough low-budget employee welfare benefit plans like health insurance, extra holiday buyout plans linked to continuous service, etc.

If interested in implementing the above, you may have to revisit your reward structure. If you discover that the salary/package structure is equivalent to your competitors, the problem could be something else other than remuneration, and you should tread carefully to deal with the crux of the issue, like a problematic/bullying manager, etc. One way of dealing with this is regular (ideally quarterly) employee satisfaction surveys, which could be a confidential survey.

I believe that you don't have to shell out extra bucks to make an employee feel a part of the team. None of the big players out there are going to spend their time celebrating birthdays of the team! I am not contradicting it, but I am not in full support of it either. Remember, you cannot stop a job hopper to whom the grass is always greener on the other side!

"You can buy a person's hands but you can't buy his heart. His heart is where his enthusiasm, his loyalty, his dedication, his love is. It needs to win."

To travel in the outer world "DOING" is the key, but to travel in the inner world "BEING" is the key.

Work at creating a company culture that is inviting, open, professional, innovative, and creative. Establish a strong training and educational process. Ensure that your entire team supports your onboarding agenda and works diligently to make it happen.

Most of all, be a company with integrity and strong values. You will stand out from the average.

Dr. Marc

PS 63:7

Dear Shaliniji;

Love;

On the basis of one or two symptoms like a headache or fever, one cannot diagnose Swine Flu and start prescribing medicines. My reply is just a general response based on common sense only. I simply provided some general solutions to the general question.

I am not an HR professional but am closely associated with several small and medium-scale companies, providing them consultancy in the areas of marketing, patent registration, and setting up new projects in food processing and tourism.

During my years of experience with SMEs, I have worked with successful and failed companies, and analyzed the reasons for their failure or success. From my observation, the main reason is the mindset of the top management or the promoter.

If there is a high rate of employee turnover, the mindset of the management is more responsible rather than the HR policy. All policies are approved by them. If they are not visionary people, HR cannot do much as HR personnel may not prefer to debate or conflict with top management. Therefore, as a consultant, I always prefer to help, provided the problem is recognized by the management.

Additionally, I have noticed that some people pose hypothetical problems or situations just to engage in discussions and enjoy reading others' minds and views. If this is part of the learning process, I welcome it. However, if it is just for amusement or to keep others busy, it may not yield good results. I hope people participate here with good intentions.

His Blessings;

Sharad Shah

Mr. Sharad,

I completely support your views! I just intended to have more clarification, so I asked you. Well, your second observation is quite true as well. Also, at times, I have even observed problems or issues being literally picked up from other forums and replicated here - having the same words, commas... copy to copy.

Nevertheless, thanks for sharing your views. Indeed, the root cause has to be found first, and then other things should follow.

I hope by now Mr. Anand would have got plenty of ideas in his mind, and we all would be glad to finally read his concluding comments.