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/