Need to Fill Empty Positions? Start by Taking Care of Current Employees

We’re living through one of the biggest labor upheavals in modern history. Employees are leaving their positions in droves, and employers are scrambling to fill empty seats with qualified employees. And for good reason. When roles go unfilled, remaining employees start feeling undue levels of stress and can quickly burn out. “You’re leaving your people out there short-handed, to do the job of others, and as soon as that starts to happen, it’s almost like a leak,” Tony Hoffman, vice president of recruiting at Orion Talent said. “The more strain it puts on the remaining players, the more it causes residual attrition. You end up losing players that you’d like to retain because you can’t fill the gap or void of the missing player quickly enough.” It behooves leadership to fill open positions quickly with qualified folks, but that can be a laborious, time-intensive process. One possible solution is to invest more in current employees. If your people feel well taken care of, they’ll recruit for you. This maximizes your reach by taking advantage of their professional networks. “Where’s the best place to identify and find talent? It’s going to be the referral network of your current employees,” Hoffman said. “They’re a promoter for your company, and they’re going to be connected to people in similar industries and in similar roles, which feeds directly into your referral network.”