Across industry sectors, talent poaching has become more prolific in an age where differentiating oneself is non-negotiable, given the global economic climate.
“While the IT companies are famous for poaching highly-skilled employees from competitors, the advertising agency is too faced with the dilemma of having to thrive amid a skills dearth and so looks for ways to attract and retain specialised skills,” said Alison Deeb, CEO of The Jupiter Drawing Room (TJDR) Johannesburg.
Deeb notes that TJDR (JHB) is particularly concerned with establishing a conducive and fulfilling work environment for its employees. “We have had a lot of people who have left TJDR (JHB) for other agencies and then returned to us – this indicates to me that our leadership style and work culture is a big draw-card in working for the agency.
“Every organisation has a right to look for and recruit top talent, and every person has the right to look for great career opportunities. So we aim to retain our staff by focusing on things like growth, learning and opportunity. Of course, compensation is important, but we find it is not the only thing that retains and attracts talent,” said Deeb.
Sameeha Muthen, TJDR (JHB) HR director, says that the ‘softer’ stuff goes a mile in keeping employees happy: “We try to give employees a little more than they need. On their first day, we arrange an orientation tea and ensure that their workstations are sorted. It is amazing to hear that some companies do not even have a workstation organised on employees’ first days,” said Muthen.
According to an article by online site Management Study Guide, today’s up-and-coming employees from the millennial generation (born after 1980) require more attention from their employers to keep them engaged. “If we look at case studies – Procter & Gamble is a good example – employees are less likely to be tempted by ‘poachers’ if they are given due and consistent recognition.
Moreover, because millenials are social media obsessed, a company can create camaraderie and maintain morale by using technology to encourage employees to congregate around similar interests and keep them interconnected,” said Deeb.
According to Muthen, some of the things TJDR (Johannesburg) does for its staff include:
– Apart from development and growth opportunities, the agency focuses on staff’s overall wellness with regular wellness days;
– Assistance with tax;
– The awarding of a long-service award after five years;
– Recognising achievements with spot bonuses and making a point of announcing excellent service;
– Additional leave days after three years of service plus we close over Christmas and New year without deducting these days off leave schedules.
