Episode 326: Culture Club: How to Attract Top Talent with a Winning Workplace Culture

In today’s fast-paced business world, companies are constantly looking for ways to stay ahead of the competition and attract the best and brightest talent. However, many people today ignore the power of creating a winning workplace culture as a key component of attracting top talent. A strong workplace culture not only attracts top talent, but it also increases employee engagement, productivity, and overall business success. In this episode, we will explore the importance of workplace culture and the strategies that companies can use to create a culture that attracts and retains top talent. So sit back, relax, and let’s dive into the world of attracting top talent with a winning workplace culture.

Topics Discussed and Key Points

What is a destination hire group?
How to attract top talent with a winning workplace culture
Why it’s important to include company values in hiring and onboarding
A strong company culture is built on a sense of community and belonging
The four blueprints of team meetings
How to encourage a sense of belonging and community
Work-Life Balance
Why open communication is essential for building trust and a collaborative work environment
It is an employee’s world right now

Biggest Takeaways

[00:02] Introducing today’s show

[01:08] Destination Hire Group

[04:45] The importance of building a successful workplace culture for any business

[04:57] Company values and what they should communicate

[08:16] Attracting top talent

[12:34] Emphasizing work-life balance

[15:35] Encouraging open communication

[17:38] Recognizing employee’s good work

Notable Quotes

[00:00:16] “You can be in the camp where you can say there’s no one to hire or no one’s going to do it as well as I am, or people don’t stay with me long or there are so many things that we could say. But the one thing that we can control within the whole entire hiring gauntlet is our own mindset.” [00:00:35]

[00:04:45] “Building a company culture that people want to be a part of, it’s a very important aspect of creating a successful and sustainable business.” [00:04:54]

[00:05:00] “Your company values should reflect your beliefs and behaviors that are most important to your organization. These values should be clearly communicated to your employees and incorporated into every aspect of your business, from hiring to onboarding to decision-making day-to-day interactions.” [00:05:20]

[00:08:17] “If you foster a sense of community, it’s going to really attract people. People want to belong. Maslow’s hierarchy of Needs is like we want to belong.” [00:08:28]

[00:12:36] “You might be a glorified workaholic. You might work from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. at night, but if you expect your employees to do that, that’s not going to be good. So you really want to emphasize a work-life balance.” [00:12:50]

[00:14:44] “People do not want to be slaves. They don’t. You might be a slave to your business, but they can’t be.” [00:14:51] [00:15:11] “Sometimes when we’re workaholics it’s because we’re running from something in our life or we’re in survival mode and we’re afraid. And a scarcity mindset. We’re afraid we’re not going to ever have enough. And we need to stay busy. And if we don’t stay busy and we slow down and stop, something is going to eat us and we will die.” [00:15:29]

Call to Action

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Transcript

Welcome to another episode of Bella in your business, we are going to continue the hiring conversation. You’re gonna hear a lot about that this year because I am determined to help elevate this industry this year on hiring.
You know, you can be in the camp where you can say there’s no one to hire, or no one’s going to do it as well as I am. Or people don’t stay with me long. Or, or or or there are so many things that we could say. But the one thing that we can control within the whole entire hiring gauntlet is our mindset. And that’s why I’m going to be pouring into you constantly this year. And while I’m dedicated to it, it’s why right now we’ve got a group called destination hire, because you should be the destination that people keep coming back to wondering, are they going to hire me? Do they email me back? Do I get an interview, you should be the destination. That’s why I call it a destination hire. And if you’re missing out, or you don’t know what I’m talking about, this is a two week group. It started on Monday. And every single day I post a minimum of two teaching posts, they’re packed full of value.

And one nicely edited. If I do say myself video, where again, I’m teaching but there it’s exciting. It’s not just a boring talking head. I mean, boring. With me, that doesn’t mix anyways. But if you want to join it, go to a jump consulting dot net forward slash destination hire, the group is only $47. And you get a 20-page PDF full of stuff like job descriptions, training schedules, text messages, questions to ask, job offer letters, job rejection letters, and all kinds of stuff. So I think that, uh, I know that you would benefit from being in that group. And it is super cheap. We have it super cheap because I’m not looking to make money off of it. What? Yeah, no, I’m not, I mean it when I say that I want to help everybody as much as I can. So because of our sponsors, pet care team training, where you can train your staff on video in under two hours.

And get pet sitting and dog walking certification. And because of our other sponsor, Jaz HR, where you can create a job posting on multiple boards, like 15, plus boards, and then also have an incredible hiring process like an interview and onboarding training process. And then also, of course, the jump mastermind, which we talked about here. Because of those sponsors, we’re able to make it such a low price for everybody and make it affordable. So like anybody can access it, right? Because access is key. And then the education and what you do with the implementation, the cost is really just to carry the admin costs, like the guy who edited those videos, or my team who goes and uploads the content, or the emails and all that other stuff that goes into it. Anyhow, we’re gonna get into it today. Last week, if you didn’t listen, we talked about the retention revolution, and how to decrease high turnover rates. And we talked about a bunch of different ways that you can do that. We’re going to continue on to that. And we’re going to talk about how to attract top talent with a winning workplace culture. Now, I know this is like really hard because a lot of us I mean, we all most of the majority of the listeners, all of you have started this business from your blood, sweat, and tears, it started from that very first walk that very first client. And sometimes it’s really hard to get out of our heads and think like we what, what is our workplace culture?

And what are we looking for? So hopefully today, I’ll be able to jog your memory a little bit and into Bella fashion. I’m going to go through my notes here that I have for you. And hopefully, keep this on between like 13 to 20 minutes or so it depending on how many tangents I go on. So let’s get started. So building a go, actually, no, let’s not get started. Have you hit the subscribe button? Have you hit the subscribe button, I would be so grateful if you did. And I also would be so grateful that if anything in this episode struck you or any other episodes, you just hit that share button on Facebook, or your Instagram story, or wherever else you do it. Maybe you’re in a petsitting Facebook group and you’ve found it to be valuable. I do try to make this worth your time and give you valuable information that you can actually go out there and use and as you heard in our last episode. You know, people do go out and implement it and guess what it works. Okay, for real, we’re gonna get going now. So building a workplace culture that people want to be a part of. It’s a very important aspect of creating a successful and sustainable business. And so, the first thing I want you to kind of think about is what do you value. What’s the most important to you?

Does your workplace culture values should reflect your beliefs and behaviors that are most important to your organization, these values should be communicated to your employees and incorporated into every aspect of your business, from hiring, to onboarding, to decision-making day-to-day interactions. And this is something that, you know, even in-destination hire, or when I do intensives, and we build out people’s hiring programs, that’s really where we start. Because that’s what’s going to make you different and attractable versus all the other people that are out there, it’s gonna be what makes you stand out, and what keeps people with you. So not just attract them, but also retain them. So one way to incorporate your company values into hiring and onboarding is to make sure that they are communicated. Now, I used to work for the Marriott when I was in college, it was the worst job ever. It was PBX, which was basically Thank you for calling McDowell Mountain Ranch man, like, how can I help you? Yes, Hold, please. Like, you know, It’d be my pleasure to connect with you. It was terrible. Like I didn’t even have a window in this office. But one of the things that Mary it made us do is we had to carry around this like business card size, with like all of their values. And at any moment, upper management could be like, what’s value number three, it was so cheesy. So don’t do that.

But you want to make sure they’re communicated. And a good way to just start that off the bat is in your interviews. So during the hiring process, it can be like, you can include information about your values in the job description, you can do it on your company website, you can do it by discussing it in the interviews, and can ask candidates questions that relate to your values, to get a sense of where they line up with your company culture. Again, this is so important. And it’s what I do, it’s one of the very first things that we do with every company because you want to say, Oh, everybody has the same questions. And maybe you do use them, but you use them in different ways to find out different things. It’s like, we’re trying to get to the root of something that you value. Once a candidate’s been hired, it’s important to continue to emphasize the importance of your company values during the onboarding process. So there are ways to build this in and I want to like, like, tap you guys and be like, Are you conscious of this? Are you actively putting this into your onboarding procedures? Think about it. Because if you’re not, it’s going to turn into a situation where it will. Well, we told them, This is what we do. I can’t believe it like you have to live it, you have to embody it, it’s not enough to just say it. So you also have to model it to them in your interactions with them. So if you say that you’re compassionate, then you got to be compassionate, you can’t be like off with your head. If they make one mistake in an interview, it’ll help reinforce the importance of your values, and show new employees how they should be incorporated into their work, like your values, right?
The second big thing is to attract top talent. If you foster a sense of community, it’s going to attract people. People want to belong, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs like we want to be long. So a strong workplace culture is built on a sense of community and belonging. Encourage your employees to get to know each other and build a relationship outside of work. You can do this through team-building activities, social events, and other opportunities for employees to interact with each other. Encourage social reaction interaction, and encourage them to get to know each other.

And so create a supportive work environment. Make sure that they feel supported and that they have the resources that they need to be successful. Are you setting them up for success? Encourage them to talk with each other and, and management. You know, is it maybe through regular team meetings, emails, and online platforms, maybe use a Facebook group or slack, there are so many different ways that you guys are keeping communication going. But it is a very important thing. If it is only text messages between you and every single person on your team, there is a lot of room for improvement there. The other thing that’s, you know, something to think about, I know a lot of you are using pet care team training. And one of the free benefits that you get is blueprints of team meetings, and what to do at those team meetings. So something that you know, if you value team and getting together, one thing I always recommend to my clients is that at that onboarding session, you’re like, okay, cool, and get out your calendar because these are when the rest of our meetings for this year are coming up. So maybe you know, this is only February, of 2023.

So maybe we have had one in January, we’ll have one in March, we’ll have one in June, we’ll have one in September. Or maybe there are different dates. But if someone were to come in, in February, the very first thing I would say is put this on your calendar, you know, by doing so what you’re showing them is that you value
the team, you value the community. And so you’re putting your actions where your mouth is. Another way to also facilitate this community is to foster professional growth and development and invest in your employee’s professional growth and development by offering training, mentorship, and other opportunities for learning and growth. This could have helped to foster a sense of community, and encourage your employees to work together towards common goals. For example, again, I have to keep using pet care team training, full disclosure, I’m a co-founder, but the reason is, is because everything well, there are not that many things. But the only other thing that’s out there on the market is like an avalanche of it’s like a library, an endless library with all bunch of different people. And there’s no cohesiveness or like step 123. With pet care team training, it is like two to five-minute videos, where they are upbeat, and they’re fun. And there’s music and there’s like things flying on the screen every five seconds to keep them engaged. And there’s like cheat sheets, and there are quizzes, and there’s, there are all these elements, but the most amazing one is that this person now gets certified in, in, in dog walking or dog training, I’m sorry, dog walking your pet sitting. And if you do the plus one, you can get pet First Aid CPR certified. So how cool is it to let this new person that’s coming onto your team realize that you value education, and you value getting them certified? That is something that they can now like put on their LinkedIn.

It is something that you’re showing that you’re investing in them and that you care about them. Unfortunately, sometimes people come from a scarcity mindset where they go, Oh, my God, I cannot afford $119 for certification. What if they leave me? Well, guess what they’re gonna leave you. It’s just a matter of how long are they going to stay with you. And that comes down to everything that we’ve been talking about what we talked about last time, which is the retention, and what we talked about overall, which is you know, picking the right kind of people. All right, getting back off my tangent now back on the road, the number that like the third thing that can help you how to attract top talent, with award-winning work, like plays culture is emphasized work-life balance, okay? You might be a glorified workaholic, you might work from 6 am until 10 pm. But if you expect your employees to do that, that’s not going to be good. So you want to emphasize a work-life balance, what this looks like is maybe you have slack, and maybe you schedule a send for like the next morning at 8 am. And you’re not sending this and buzzing everybody at 9 pm, everything, every email, every Slack message, all of that stuff can be like sent the next day. All right, that would be one really quick, easy win that you can have right now, to show an emphasis on a work-life balance. But what that does is that that’s also healthy, it’s good for mental health, right? Make sure your employees feel supported in their efforts to manage their work and personal responsibilities. set clear expectations, clearly communicate your expectations for work hours, and availability, and be flexible. When possible. Encourage breaks, encourage your employees to take breaks throughout the day to rest and recharge, and offer flexible scheduling. So consider offering flexible scheduling off it options. So that they can, you know, maybe get their hair done in the middle of the day or go to the dentist in the middle of the day, maybe in between your afternoon walks and evening walks and encourage time off.

This is a big one. And I’m probably hitting a nerve with some people right now. Because you’re like, but well, I need them to work all the time. I don’t have enough people whose problem is that that’s not their problem. That’s the problem you need to hire. You need to be properly staffed. And it’s a conundrum because then you’re like, but there’s no one to hire. Well, how much have we gone through your hiring process? How much have we dissected it and seen where we can improve it? How much have we seen if we’re turning people on or turning people off? How much can we make it better? Okay, so all of this stuff is going to help emphasize a work-life balance, which in turn is going to help with your company culture. People are going to love working for you. People do not want to be a slave. They don’t. You might be a slave to your business, but they can’t be. So I want you guys to understand and draw that line in the sand in your head. Okay, you have to protect that for them. But all of that you also should lead by example. So I would encourage you to get a hold of it if you struggle with that, which a lot of entrepreneurs do. And you know what truth be told it’s a whole nother story. I won’t go down on that tangent. I’m just simply going to say that sometimes when we’re workaholics, it’s because we’re running from something in our life. Or we’re in survival mode. And we’re afraid of and scarcity mindset, and we’re afraid we’re not going to ever have enough. And we need to stay busy. And if we don’t stay busy, and we slow down and we stop, something is going to eat us and we are going to die. Yeah, it’s like that, like, Dude, don’t.

Alright, next, number four is open. Encourage open communication. So open communication is essential for building trust and fostering a collaborative work environment and workplace culture. Encourage your employees to speak up, share ideas, and ask questions. I do this all the time, I literally will present something that I think is amazing, and we’re going to do it. And I get so excited. And my team knows this about me. And then I go, okay, poke holes in it. Tell me what I’m missing.
And like, that’s my way. That’s my vernacular of, of like, okay, I want your opinion too, or where am I wrong? Or, you know, like, what do you think about this, foster an open door policy, make it clear to your employees, that you’re available to listen to their concerns and ideas, and encourage them to come to you with any issues or questions, encourage feedback, solicit feedback from your employees regularly, and make an effort to listen and consider their input? Have regular check-ins? What do you have on your calendar right now? For one on ones? When’s the next time you’re meeting individually with your team? If you answered nothing, I would look into that a little bit.

And then also create a safe place for open communication. So I want like, along with this is also like creating expectations. So how can they communicate with you? When can they communicate with you? And if you’re one of those business owners that are also busy, all the time, so busy, I’m so busy, I’m so busy, is that all people hear from you, I’m so busy. Well, guess what, they’re not going to want to bother you, they’re going to feel like they’re bothering you. If you are putting out this air that I’m so busy, and I’m so unapproachable, they’re not gonna like that is a turn-off for open communication. So it goes back to the whole, like, you know, walking the walk or talking the talk. It’s, it’s, you know, what kind of example are you setting?

So another way to attract top talent with a winning workplace culture is to recognize good work. And so if you show your appreciation for employees, hard work, and contributions to the company, this again, I’m sorry to pet your kid pet care team training is just such a great example, you know, showcasing people online, like, hey, they got certified or they’re double certified. That’s cool. You’re recognizing their good hard work, or maybe a client writes, a testimony about one of your sitters, and you go and blast it everywhere over social media. Maybe you give them performance bonus bonuses, maybe they just did something amazing. And you just kick them a gift card to Starbucks or something. What about maybe time off, gift cards, or training and development opportunities, there are a lot of different ways that you can recognize good work. This also closely goes into employee 100 days, something that we talk a lot about in the mastermind, it’s ways to also build relationships and connections, long-term bonds, essentially, with your employees.

It’s all important. And so I want you to consider all of this stuff. I want you to think about one thing that I said that kind of made you go hmm, things that make you go,
I want you to think about it. And I want you to see if there’s an opportunity for you to just step it up on one of these things. You don’t have to do all of them. But like I said, I am dedicated to helping you step it up and be the best Boston charge that you possibly can build this culture that people want to be a part of. Not as stressed out, overworked, you have to work, I’m not going to you know approve your time off. Because that’s not the way the world is anymore. It is an employee’s world right now. And regardless of that, you just want to be a good boss. You want to be in a good workplace. You want to be someplace where people want to work for people are telling their friends you should get a job here. This place is cool. Imagine that. Imagine that. So think about how you can be in the culture club and how you can attract top talent with a winning workplace culture.

I want to know what stood out to you guys today. I love getting your DMS I love hearing your aha moments or I love
I’ve also heard that you went out and did something, I want you to take a look at how this episode has impacted you, and how you can make changes in your workplace culture to help you. Next time we’re going to be back talking about the top five benefits that attract and retain top job candidates. So last week, we talked all about retaining this time we talked about how we just attract them. Now we’re going to talk about the benefits that attract them. And before you say, Bella, I can’t afford benefits. You’re going to want to tune in next week to hear the different ways I have of expressing this.

Guys thank you so much for listening to another episode of Bella in your business. Please do not forget to hit subscribe, and share it with your friends. Leave us a review. And of course, always feel free to drop in my DM Bella at junk consulting.net and let me know what you thought. And last but not least, if you are not in destination hire yet why not? It’s only $47 Jump consulting dotnet forward slash destination hire. I’ll see you there. And I’ll see you again next week. Bye now