How to retain highly skilled people in your business?
Here is a story, one I’m sure that may sound familiar to many of you who are recruiting highly skilled, hard to find people from outside your region. You find the perfect candidate, let’s call them Anita. Anita ticks all the boxes, just one problem, Anita lives in Melbourne and the job offer is in Bundaberg. Fast forward a few months Anita relocates and begins working in their new role, and is fantastic at the job, just like you knew they would be. You and the business feel well equipped to support Anita in the role; Anita has everything they need at work. Fast forward; six months in and we’re feeling good, Anita has settled into the team well and performance is as expected excellent job fit, job satisfaction is on track. Nine months in and things still seem okay, performance is still high but something seems off, what could it be? Maybe Anita is homesick? You second guess yourself as Anita moved here with their partner and children, so that could not be it. Twelve months in. Anita quits. At the exit interview Anita says the family didn’t like it here, they missed their friends and activities in Melbourne, they never felt like they belonged.
Does this sound Familiar? Thinking about this story. If Anita’s family isn’t happy, if they don’t feel like they are connected, supported and like they belong in the community, they won’t be happy and if they are not happy, they will not want to stay, and if they do not want to stay Anita is not going to stay either. How could this situation have achieved a different outcome? How can we better support Anita and the whole family? This is what I have learnt…
A whole family approach to attraction and retention refers to a strategy that recognises the importance of not just the individual but also their family and personal life in the process of attracting and retaining talent within a business or industry. This approach takes into consideration that an employee’s ability to perform well and remain committed to their job can be influenced by their family circumstances, work-life balance, and overall well-being. A whole family approach is particularly important when recruiting new resident hires to your business.
A whole family approach to attraction and retention is one of the key drivers that led me to investigate further research of the evidence and eventually create Welcome to Bundaberg. Welcome to Bundaberg is an evidence-informed regional attraction and retention strategy to address workforce shortages in Bundaberg. Bringing together the people of Bundaberg to support new and existing residents, so that we can build a thriving Bundaberg Community for everyone. Welcome to Bundaberg is a community based strategy that links community resources with community connectors for our business and industry partners.
This strategy is formulated from years of combined primary and secondary research to develop an evidence-informed framework to ensure skilled workers stay working in the Bundaberg region. Read more about the evidence and the results Attract Connect Stay is achieving in other regional areas across Australia. The Welcome to Bundaberg resources aim to help businesses and industry to support new resident hires to make connections across neighbourhoods, investigate Bundaberg’s diverse business and industry landscape and connect people with shared interests, skills and passions.