What Makes an Ideal Employer?

My career goal is to start my own business, so it’s crucial for me to identify characteristics of a great employer.  A global study by Hewitt Associates described five characteristics of best employers around the world (Baumruk, Marusarz, & Looi, 2009). Two of those characteristics I believe to be most important are inspired leadership, and focus on growing talent. 

Inspired leadership means that the leaders of an organization know that their greatest asset is their people (Baumruk, Marusarz, & Looi, 2009). Good employers will speak with employees daily and create a culture where employees are encouraged to give feedback and suggestions.

Hewitt’s best employers place more attention on identifying potential talent and ensure that it receives the right training, development, and opportunities (Baumruk, Marusarz, & Looi, 2009). Forbes also explains why it’s better to promote from within a company rather than hiring from outside. External hires usually get paid more but also receive significantly lower marks in performance reviews (Adams, 2012 ). This means that it’s less expensive for employers to seek out talent from within the company, and they’ll be rewarded with better quality employees.

The best employers in the world share certain characteristics. Inspired leadership and focus on growing talent are two of the most important. Leaders must appreciate employees and value their feedback. They must also recognize talent and foster that talent into something that will benefit the company in the future.  

References

Baumruk, R., Marusarz, T., & Looi, P. (2009). What makes a best employer? Insights and findings from Hewitt’s global Best Employer study. Talent and Organization Consulting. Retrieved from https://ceplb03.hewitt.com/bestemployers/canada/french/pdfs/bestemployer.pdf

Adams, S. (2012) Why promoting from within usually beats hiring from outside. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/04/05/why-promoting-from-within-usually-beats-hiring-from-outside/

What Makes an Ideal Employee?

Forbes published an article that listed 15 characteristics of an ideal employee (Sundheim, 2013). Of these characteristics, two that I find most important are honesty and passion. A professional employee will have a variety of quality characteristics. However, every employee should at least have these two.   

First, is honesty. Employees can be extremely skilled or talented, but that means nothing if an employer can’t trust them. An article published by New Hampshire Business Review says it’s easier for employees to perpetuate dishonesty through emails, texts, and social media now more than ever (Casolaro & King, 2013). The article also stresses the importance of a written company honesty policy. This ensures that all employees have the same idea of what is expected of them. If a company hires honest employees, less time can be spent on developing strict policies and training. 

The second characteristic, passion, means the employee is motivated by much more than money. While money is a great motivator for all of us, it shouldn’t be the only reason we pursue a goal. The Ken Blanchard Company performed a study that looked at factors linked to employee passion (Ken Blanchard Companies, 2006). It also states that the benefits of a passionate employee include long-term commitment, peak performance, and low turnover. 

Honesty and passion are two critical characteristics that employers will look for in all employees. Hiring honest and passionate employees will create trust within the workplace while increasing performance and employee retention. 

References

The Ken Blanchard Companies (2006). Employee passion [White paper]. Retrieved from http://www.kenblanchard.com/Leading-Research/Research/Employee-Passion-the-New-Rules-of-Engagement

Casolaro, N., & King, R. (2013, March 22) Honesty is the best employee policy. New Hampshire Business Review. Retrieved from http://www.nhbr.com/March-22-2013/Honesty-is-the-best-employee-policy/

Sundheim, K. (2013, April 2). 15 Traits of the ideal employee. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensundheim/2013/04/02/15-traits-of-the-ideal-employee/