Employee advocates, the new job advert

If you advertise a job in your business, do your employees help share the advert? Do they recommend the job to anyone else in their network?

If not, something’s wrong, and you need to do something about it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that your entry level staff should be pushing your board level role to their friends, but if they’ve not enthusiastic about jobs within their range, they are not employee advocates – and this is the bit that should worry you.

If your employees aren’t an advocate for your business, you need to ask some serious questions. Are they right for your business? Maybe they’re not, but the other question you should ask is, is your business right for them?

Do they need more support? Are they adequately trained to do the job they’re doing? Are you providing enough feedback? Are they having issues with other colleagues? Speak to them, find out what they need. A happy, engaged employee is worth ten times that of a bored, disengaged member of staff.

Positivity breeds enthusiasm, which in turn leads to productivity, and ultimately, profit.
Maybe you need to look at your office space – is it fit for purpose? Would a more open plan environment work better for your employees, or do you need to add some walls to provide quiet working areas? Is the coffee good enough? That might seem a joke, but you’d be surprised how many people rate their job on the hot drinks, or lack of, that they have during the day.

Employee advocates not only make the working environment better, but will help with your recruitment, finding more good candidates for you.

A lack of enthusiasm from your staff around getting new people in to the business should set alarm bells ringing. Why don’t they want everyone they know to work with them?

Maybe you’re the one not sharing the new position. If so, perhaps it’s time to make some changes at work, or look for those friends that are shouting through their network to find new employees.