Changing Times in Human Resources: Leaders Share How They’re Building a Strong Recruitment and Retention Strategy
Earlier this month at our annual member-owner meeting, we heard directly from Marymichele Delaney, Chief Human Resources Officer (shown on the left) at the College of the Holy Cross, and Kristen Jadul (middle), Executive Director, Human Resources at Bentley University, about their respective school experiences and what they’re doing to address some of today’s common challenges in the workplace. After the conversation, led by Teri Weber, Senior Vice President at Spring Consulting Group (right), Kristen and Marymichele agreed to share what is working on their campuses with all our readers.
Since COVID-19, Marymichele and Kristen agree that the workplace has changed in many ways. Their roles as Human Resources leaders mean they must continue to adapt to these changes and make it a better environment for long-time faculty and staff and attractive for successful recruitment. While each campus has its own approach to specific initiatives, both are finding success.
How do Marymichele and Kristen know that what they’re doing is effective? That leads to their first piece of advice.
Engage with your employees.
One of the best ways to know how your employees feel is to ask them! It sounds simple, but whether you use quick surveys or more comprehensive engagement tools like those offered by the highly respected Gallup organization, receiving direct feedback on virtually any topic provides valuable information, including benchmark data. Surveys also can help prioritize what you do next on behalf of your faculty and staff. A follow-up survey, months or even a year later, gives you real data to determine whether what you implement is worth continuing, altering, or stopping.
“Recognizing that behavioral health is a real issue across the country, we used employee surveys to help us better understand what available benefits our employees knew about and which they didn’t,” notes Kristen. “Surveys enable us to refine our strategy and provide greater support to employees. One example was the lack of knowledge about the benefits included in our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). So, we brought a representative from our EAP on-site weekly for faculty and staff. The onsite EAP counselor attended department meetings to highlight what the EAP offers, as well as provided onsite counseling sessions to make access to services convenient. The survey results also inspired us to work on developing a recommendation to offer designated mental health, or wellness days, for employees to regroup and disconnect from their work responsibilities.”
Marymichele says that using data collected from her school’s employee engagement survey has helped her team know what their employees do, want, and care about. Realizing your employees’ priorities and needs helps build benefits that encourage employees to stay.
Be flexible with benefits.
Flexibility means many things to many people. But it’s safe to state that the world has needed to become far more flexible since the pandemic. This holds true for school campuses.
Marymichele and Kristen share that creating a more flexible workplace is important for both retention and recruitment.
At Holy Cross, Marymichele clearly states, “We don’t want people to be stressed out, burn out, or leave. Flexibility in a hybrid work structure, whenever a job allows, was a key change to our Human Resources policies. We’ve even implemented a four-day summer work week, which is being very well received.” Many studies show that employees who are happier at work are more productive or get more done. Kristen seconds the need for flexible schedules, recognizing that each department has different needs and should apply what works for them.
Kristen and her team are also being flexible in terms of the types of benefits being offered on-campus. “In addition to our traditional benefits, we are offering convenience benefits. We recognize how busy our faculty and staff are and are trying to think creatively about how we can make it easier for them to access services. A few examples include laundry services, car detailing, and even mani-pedis. They don’t cost the school anything to bring to campus and can add value to our employees’ lives. If there’s no interest, we can discontinue.”
Commit to an onboarding program.
According to Zippia.com, employees who attend a structured orientation program are 69% more likely to remain at the company for at least three years. That’s why investing in onboarding is valuable when it comes to retaining employees. Marymichele says onboarding is a priority at Holy Cross, even adding a mentor program for new hires. She notes, “This program introduces new employees to a specific person to help them acclimate to the campus. We have a little funding available to encourage coffee breaks together. It’s important for new hires to feel connected to their new community.” Marymichele adds, “Offering a referral bonus also inspires employees to recommend possible new hires.” Referrals from employees who know these people well are often the best matches, indicates research highlighted in the Harvard Business Review. So, it’s a win-win.
Communicate, communicate, communicate.
Communication is always vital to the success of every organization. When implementing change at any organization, it’s especially important. Kristen and Marymichele strongly agree, and both incorporate regular communications into their Human Resources strategies.
About a year ago at Bentley, Kristen implemented Benefits Spotlight, a weekly newsletter. In it, they highlight one benefit of greater exposure. It’s become a regular series that employees have come to expect.
At Holy Cross, Marymichele notes that in-person Town Hall Meetings are proving to be a valuable way to communicate important updates (sessions are recorded for those not on campus that day). Additionally, she and her team take full advantage of sharing content via LG screens throughout the campus, such as highlighting available resources for behavioral health and wellness offerings. Biweekly newsletters are another valuable communication vehicle for distributing information. “There is clearly a need for these communications, as our open rates are averaging 70% [a very above-average rate],” says Marymichele.
Despite the many challenges facing organizations, especially for the Human Resources departments, Kristen and Marymichele are both finding ways to effectively implement change to improve the workforce at their respective schools. By thinking strategically and creatively, and collaborating closely with their teams and other school leaders, they’re successfully strengthening their best-in-class workforces.
