How to keep the best talent for your bustling start-up

As anyone will testify, life as a start-up is tough. Without delving into all of the frightening statistics about the number who fail in their first years, we could reel off the difficulties about recruitment and even marketing during those initial months and years.

For the purposes of today, we are going to focus on the former. Recruitment is difficult for any business, but when it comes to a small start-up, things get even tougher. Suffice to say, you don’t have the big budgets available, and this means that one of the biggest ways to lure that elusive talent into your business evaporates.

Fortunately, there can be more to it than that. There are other ways in which the modern-employee can be tempted and through today’s post we will investigate them.

Feeling part of a team

It sounds simple, but some employees just want to feel valued as part of a team. In big organizations, the “corporate culture” can take over. What this means is that individuals do not feel as though their efforts are appreciated, and they struggle to make a difference.

This is where small companies can take advantage. Whether it is through London team building company Team Tactics, or through more subtle day-to-day activities, just showing that they are part of a team can be enough to convince some people that start-up life is for them.

The rise of flexible working

Once upon a time this would have been frowned upon. In fact, it would have almost been laughed at. Employees were handed set hours, and this was the end of the matter.

Now, things have turned on their head. For childcare and even commuting, workers need a much greater degree of flexibility. This has been echoed through various government initiatives through the world – some of which legally force employers to at least consider flexible working.

Nevertheless, some companies are still reluctant. To entice the best talent, offer this benefit from the start.

Make meaningful jobs

Sears conducted one of the most interesting employee feedback questionnaires even conducted several decades ago – and the results still stand today. It was found that rather than money being a principle motivator, people feeling as though they could make a difference was much higher.

For a start-up, with much fewer people, this is something that you should be able to implement instantly. Make sure every member of your business can make a difference – and make sure they know this.

Training is no longer a fad

Admittedly, if budgets are tight in the short-term, this final point won’t be considered. However, you should never really put training to bed – it should always be invested in for the good of you, and indirectly your employees.

A myth about employee training is that it can give people the skills to seek employment elsewhere. This is only going to be the case if the training isn’t suitable though; it must be targeted at their current job, or one that you want them to perform in the future. By investing in this benefit, you’ll find that internal promotions are much more common, and employees will feel a sense of worth as though you are constantly investing in them.