Hiring (and Retaining) Top Talent Today

The current unemployment rate is less than 4%, hovering near the lowest it’s been since the late 1960s. There are now more job openings than unemployed job seekers — a huge shift from last decade’s recession, where more than six unemployed people were vying for each job opening.

Our industry faces even greater challenges due to the lack of awareness that certain areas are growing and expanding despite the high-level perception that print is dying. Wide-format, inkjet, packaging, and labels are growing, and the production technology is state of the art.

Career growth is one of the top non-monetary motivators, and 76% of employees polled value job opportunities that will support their professional development. Top performers also are attracted to employers who acknowledge physical and emotional wellness, financial health, personal goals, and educational training as important.

Values define a company at its core, and are an important aspect when seeking and retaining great employees. Seventy-one percent of professionals say they would be willing to take a pay cut to work for a company that has a mission they believe in and shared values. Additionally, nearly two in five (39%) professionals would leave their current job if their employer were to ask them to do something which they have an ethical or moral conflict with.

Identify your organization’s values, and then put them into concise and simple terms so potential and legacy employees alike can understand them. The way you describe and communicate them can be correlated directly to their prominence in the minds of your people.

One of the most fulfilling aspects of leading any size team of people is creating a pathway to success for them. Be authentic and honest during the interview process, and once the new employee is on board, empower and let them run with their responsibilities. 

Relevant experience at work comes directly from the relationship with the leadership. Ensure your leaders adopt a mentor-first mindset and do not just serve as “managers.” Managers tend to focus on compliance and conformity; established processes tend to be prioritized over people. Mentors, on the other hand, care deeply about the mission and the people they hire.

While PSPs are heavily dependent on capital equipment, and more deeply immersed in technology than ever before; the single most important asset you have is human capital. The profile of today’s workforce is changing, and successful companies in our industry are acknowledging that and adjusting their approach to talent management accordingly. To learn more, visit PrintLink in Booth 9452.