This was an article that I had received and which talks mainly about practices at Cisco.
RECRUITMENT & RETENTION: Fascinating ways to attract & retain talent
Amidst layoffs and cost-cutting, the top priority for organizations is the attraction and retention of the right talent. How can progressive organizations innovate ways to attract and retain talent?
Finding the right talent is as difficult as retaining them. Organizations try all ways - even poaching candidates from competitors - to get the right talent in. In times of economic uncertainties, it becomes all the more important to retain talent to keep the show going, if not excel. While some organizations are using pay cuts and sabbaticals to protect employees from layoffs, progressive organizations are using innovative ways to attract and retain the right talent and making profits by cutting hiring costs.
At Cisco
The online recruiting at Cisco is a well-planned tool, which also takes into consideration applicants' concerns. Recognizing the fact that most applicants post their resumes from their workplace, they installed a 'panic button' saying - 'Oh! My boss is coming!' on their website, which immediately pops a page containing '7 habits of highly successful employees' on the screen. Such simple gestures create a sense of solidarity in the minds of applicants even before they join the organization.
To attract the ideal recruitment targets - employees of competitors - they organize focus groups to discuss issues like how they spend their time outside the office and what would make them consider quitting for another job. The focus group participants are even paid for participating in the discussions. Another innovative program at Cisco is the 'Make Friends @ Cisco' program. The organization advertises in the local movie theaters a phone number for candidates to call up and register into the program. The profile of each registered candidate is analyzed to pair up with a similar profile of an employee at Cisco. The program that enables both the candidates and the existing employees to share ideas aims at attracting talent through networking. In the year 2000 alone, the 'Make Friends @ Cisco' program helped them recruit 800 employees.
Even while acquiring other businesses, Cisco takes every care not to lose existing talent. When Cisco acquires another company, the HR practices are given as much importance in due diligence as legal and financial matters. The businesses they buy are carefully scrutinized to analyze the culture, management practices, and pay systems and are not acquired unless they match Cisco's standards. The senior HR officers at Cisco are empowered to veto any acquisition, and the organization abides by it.
As there would be no second chance to create a first impression, Cisco ensures the creation of a positive impression from the very first day. A phone, email, and business cards are made available to new employees the day they join, and each is assigned to a 'mentor' immediately. The innovative practices of Cisco have paid off. Their cost per hire is 40% less than the industry average; the number of new recruits rose from 2000 to 8000 annually, and the time taken for filling up a vacancy reduced to 45 days from 113 days in 1998. In 1999, when it acquired about 20 businesses, it lost only 7% of its 31,000 employees.
From India, New Delhi
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)
8RECRUITMENT & RETENTION: Fascinating ways to attract & retain talent
Amidst layoffs and cost-cutting, the top priority for organizations is the attraction and retention of the right talent. How can progressive organizations innovate ways to attract and retain talent?
Finding the right talent is as difficult as retaining them. Organizations try all ways - even poaching candidates from competitors - to get the right talent in. In times of economic uncertainties, it becomes all the more important to retain talent to keep the show going, if not excel. While some organizations are using pay cuts and sabbaticals to protect employees from layoffs, progressive organizations are using innovative ways to attract and retain the right talent and making profits by cutting hiring costs.
At Cisco
The online recruiting at Cisco is a well-planned tool, which also takes into consideration applicants' concerns. Recognizing the fact that most applicants post their resumes from their workplace, they installed a 'panic button' saying - 'Oh! My boss is coming!' on their website, which immediately pops a page containing '7 habits of highly successful employees' on the screen. Such simple gestures create a sense of solidarity in the minds of applicants even before they join the organization.
To attract the ideal recruitment targets - employees of competitors - they organize focus groups to discuss issues like how they spend their time outside the office and what would make them consider quitting for another job. The focus group participants are even paid for participating in the discussions. Another innovative program at Cisco is the 'Make Friends @ Cisco' program. The organization advertises in the local movie theaters a phone number for candidates to call up and register into the program. The profile of each registered candidate is analyzed to pair up with a similar profile of an employee at Cisco. The program that enables both the candidates and the existing employees to share ideas aims at attracting talent through networking. In the year 2000 alone, the 'Make Friends @ Cisco' program helped them recruit 800 employees.
Even while acquiring other businesses, Cisco takes every care not to lose existing talent. When Cisco acquires another company, the HR practices are given as much importance in due diligence as legal and financial matters. The businesses they buy are carefully scrutinized to analyze the culture, management practices, and pay systems and are not acquired unless they match Cisco's standards. The senior HR officers at Cisco are empowered to veto any acquisition, and the organization abides by it.
As there would be no second chance to create a first impression, Cisco ensures the creation of a positive impression from the very first day. A phone, email, and business cards are made available to new employees the day they join, and each is assigned to a 'mentor' immediately. The innovative practices of Cisco have paid off. Their cost per hire is 40% less than the industry average; the number of new recruits rose from 2000 to 8000 annually, and the time taken for filling up a vacancy reduced to 45 days from 113 days in 1998. In 1999, when it acquired about 20 businesses, it lost only 7% of its 31,000 employees.
From India, New Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Hi Swapna,
Good insight into the HR practices at Cisco. I know some of these practices are being followed by small and medium-sized companies too, but since they are not too well-known in the market, these strategies don't work for them.
UNS.
From India, Pune
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Good insight into the HR practices at Cisco. I know some of these practices are being followed by small and medium-sized companies too, but since they are not too well-known in the market, these strategies don't work for them.
UNS.
From India, Pune
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Hai Swapna Thanks a lot Nice information you shared with us The information is good and make us to think some what innovative. So , that we can recruit in different way Keep Sharing
From India, Bangalore
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
From India, Bangalore
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Hi , Really a gr8 post. I appriciate the pop up stuff the most. Really worth reading 100 times. tHANKS FOR THE POST SAPNA. Look forward for similar posts in future. Regards, Santosh Verma.
From India, Bangalore
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
From India, Bangalore
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Dear Swapna,
That was a wonderful post - very informative. The techniques for recruiting, focus groups, pop-up stuff, and making friends are amazing and innovative. It's something definitely out of the box and too good to understand all these.
Thanks once again.
Sari
From India, Hyderabad
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
That was a wonderful post - very informative. The techniques for recruiting, focus groups, pop-up stuff, and making friends are amazing and innovative. It's something definitely out of the box and too good to understand all these.
Thanks once again.
Sari
From India, Hyderabad
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Hello,
Simple, cost-effective, and very innovative techniques...
As discussed in the article, creating a sense of belongingness on the day of appointment is very effective in creating a positive feeling about the organization. Thank you very much for your post.
Regards,
Natasha
natashapb01@yahoo.com
From India, Hubli
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Simple, cost-effective, and very innovative techniques...
As discussed in the article, creating a sense of belongingness on the day of appointment is very effective in creating a positive feeling about the organization. Thank you very much for your post.
Regards,
Natasha
natashapb01@yahoo.com
From India, Hubli
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)Join Our Community and get connected with the right people who can help. Our AI-powered platform provides real-time fact-checking, peer-reviewed insights, and a vast historical knowledge base to support your search.
Talent Attraction & Retention Factors for Micro Small & Medium Size Enterprises.pdf
Effective employee retention strategies-BPO. doc