War for Talent: What Small Businesses Need to Know

The war for talent is a hot topic that we’ve talked about a lot here at Pebble. It’s been said over and over again: Finding and retaining skilled employees is the number one challenge facing small businesses today. The war for talent has gotten so real that even big companies like Google and Facebook are releasing their internal strategies to combat the shortage of qualified job applicants. What does this mean for you as a small business owner? Well, if you have any aspirations of growing your small business past its current size, you need to know what these big companies know — finding and keeping great employees is essential to company growth. In this blog post, we’ll give you some expert advice on how to win the war for talent as a small business owner.

Employee recognition is always the best place to start when you’re creating a culture fit for growth. It’s important to recognise the employees who are already on your team for everything big and small that they do to help your company succeed. Small business owners are often busy running the day-to-day operations to take a moment to recognise certain things employees do, but this can lead to an employee retention problem down the road. If you want to win the war for talent, make it a point to recognise your team members often. You've probably heard of the saying, "little and often" before, employee recognition doesn’t have to be anything extravagant, it should be consistent and it should come from the heart. For example, if one of your employees gets a great review from a client, use that opportunity to acknowledge the employee for their hard work. Good employees want to feel like their efforts are being recognised and acknowledged. Providing employee recognition regularly will go a long way towards creating a culture of employee retention. 

Employee recognition is an important tool for any business, and it goes beyond just paying them more money. Recognition can be used to reward employees for a job well done, to encourage positive behaviour, and to show appreciation for their contributions. There are many different ways to give recognition, and the best approach will vary from business to business. However, some common methods include giving awards, hosting events, and flexible working arrangements. Whatever approach you take, it is important to make sure that your employees feel appreciated and valued.

Providing incredible leadership is often easier said than done. Many small business owners find themselves struggling with ways to lead their teams in a way that feels authentic to their style. However, if you want to win the war for talent, providing incredible leadership is a must. While every small business owner is responsible for setting their own culture, this can sometimes lead to unorganised and unstructured company culture. To win the war for talent, you need to provide an environment that is both inspiring, organised and consistent. One of the best ways to do this is by arranging all necessary training for your management team, ensuring they have the skills required to manage the people they are responsible for at work. Creating an employee handbook. An employee handbook is a great place to outline company policies, provide a company timeline for growth, explain the do's and don'ts and even outline your values and show what support you have in place for your employees. If you are struggling to find the time to create an employee handbook, some companies offer this service, such as HR Consultants. Providing an employee handbook will help you to create a structure for your company culture and will help you to win the war for talent by providing robust leadership.

Employee empowerment is a growing topic amongst small business leaders, but many have very little understanding of what it means to provide employee empowerment. At its core, employee empowerment is providing your team members with the training and support they need to excel in their jobs. This is reflected in Pebble's motto, 'be who you want to be' Small businesses often struggle with this concept, as they often lack the resources needed to provide this type of support to their employees. Employee empowerment is a key ingredient in the recipe for a successful business. 

When employees feel empowered, they are more likely to be engaged and productive. They are also more likely to stick around, which can save you money, time and effort in the long run. So how can you encourage employee empowerment in your own business? Here are a few ideas:

- Encourage employees to speak up and share their ideas.

- Give employees the autonomy to make decisions and take initiative.

- Provide employees with the resources and support they need to be successful.

- Recognise and reward employees for their accomplishments.

- Help employees see the big picture and how their work fits into it.

If you can do these things, you will create an environment where employees feel empowered to do their best work, and that's good for everyone.

While employee empowerment is about providing support for your team members, a coaching culture is about leading by example. If you want to win the war for talent, you need to demonstrate your passion for what your company does. You need to show your team members that you are invested in their success and the success of your company. This can be done in many ways, but one of the most effective ways is by consistently leading by example. If you want your employees to feel invested in growing your company, you need to be invested in growing your company, too. Being a passionate leader who is invested in the success of your team members will go a long way towards helping you win the war for talent.

The war for talent is real, and it’s an ongoing challenge for every small business owner. Finding and retaining skilled employees is the number one challenge facing small businesses today. Small businesses often struggle to compete against larger companies in the war for talent as they lack the financial resources and benefits that are often offered by larger companies. However, with a great hiring strategy and a focus on creating a consistent approach to employee recognition, incredible leadership, employee empowerment, and a coaching culture, smaller companies can win the war for talent, attract the right people and grow their businesses to the next level.