The competition for talent is now very strong in some markets, so what can you do to make yourself standout as an employer? What attracts one person to work with one company, can be very different to what attracts another person, however these five things never really change for high performers:

1. INNOVATIVE CULTURE

Businesses which implement new trends, early and are ahead of the curve with new technology, are more likely to be attractive to not only millennials, but to all generations of workers. To know that your company is one of the most forward thinking, progressive and cutting edge in your industry, makes people feel proud. It also can reduce workloads, wowing staff with simple time-saving technology and advantages in their job that they may not enjoy elsewhere.

2. TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

No matter how experienced an employee is, high performers crave development. They seek opportunities to grow, learn and be better every day. If you give them the space to do this, as well as mentoring and structured training, then you will be repaid in productivity many times over. If you do have a great training and development structure and want to attract high performers in the first place, then highlighting this as a benefit to candidates, can often be more important than salary.

3. POSITIVE TEAM ENVIRONMENT

Most people like to work with colleagues and managers that they like. High performers tend to like working with other high performing staff and working in a positive team environment! This can be as simple as having managers who regularly celebrate the wins and coach and develop their team by highlighting great activity, teamwork, ethics or initiatives.

4. AUTONOMY

High performers don’t like to be micromanaged. They like clear direction and clear processes. If there is unreliability in their environment, such as an employee or manager who doesn’t do what they say they will do, or isn’t accountable for their actions, this can be incredibly demotivating. If you wish to attract and retain high performers, then ensuring a culture of clarity, accountability, clear objectives and clear direction will help them work towards achieving their (and your) objectives.

5. CAREER DIRECTION

If a high performer can see where they are heading with an organisation, then they are more likely to join and be retained. They won’t sit back and expect you to ‘promote’ them when a role comes up, but rather they will want to work with you to identify a pathway that they can work diligently towards and to prove their worth. Give them an idea of what’s possible and this can provide mountains of motivation. As much as you’d like to think that employees live to achieve your business goals, they don’t. If you motivate them through linking their short terms goals to their long term goals, then you can quietly ensure that these align with your business goals. Do this and you can expect high performance!

Erin Devlin is the Managing Director of people2people Recruitment Victoria and manages a team of high performing consultants in Melbourne. If you’re an employer, consultant or candidate who’d like to learn more, contact Erin on 03 9098 7420, or you can speak with one of the people2people team on 1300 338 546.