Although Employees are Key to Business Performance, Most Organizations Still Struggle to Build an Engaged Workforce

Recent Survey Results Point to the Value in Relationship-Based, Candidate-First Talent Acquisition in Improving Employee Engagement

HANOVER, Maryland, Jan. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Allegis Group, the global leader in talent solutions, today released a report highlighting the key talent acquisition practices that enable organizations to build engaged workforces. Based on a survey of more than 1,000 employers and nearly 7,000 candidates and employees around the world, "Stepping Up: Workforce Practices That Raise the Bar on Business Performance" reveals that a minority of organizations are achieving strong business impact through an engaged workforce committed to delivering positive outcomes.

Allegis Group also found a strong, positive correlation between organizations committed to talent best practices and their ability to fill open positions quickly, attract and retain top-quality talent, and optimize costs. Organizations that perform well in all three areas are identified as high-performing talent organizations in the report and amounted to just 6.6 percent of total respondents. The talent management strategies that successful, relationship-focused employers adopt provide a roadmap for all organizations seeking to build a committed, engaged workforce.

Report Highlights
Building relationships through great candidate and employee experiences is essential to developing an engaged workforce, yet less than a third (31 percent) of employers report they are very satisfied with their recruitment process. A lack of prioritization of the candidate experience creates several issues for employers, including an inability to find great talent (74 percent of respondents), an inability to achieve business objectives (65 percent of respondents), a poor employer reputation online (57 percent of respondents) and greater recruiting costs (53 percent of respondents).

Allegis Group found that successful organizations consistently apply a relationship-focused approach to four fundamental phases of talent acquisition: job definition, sourcing, screening and onboarding.

High-performing organizations optimize job definitions and create descriptions that set the stage for positive employee relationships.

• Provide relevant job information: Seventy-two percent of high-performing talent organizations always provide accurate, up-to-date job definitions, versus just 20 percent of all other respondents, and 65 percent always align job descriptions with an onboarding 30-, 60-, 90-day plan versus 16 percent of all others.
• Prioritize and streamline job requirements: Allegis Group found that high-performing talent organizations are more than three times more likely (69 versus 23 percent) to always clarify must-have and nice-to-have skills and requirements in their job descriptions.

Align sourcing strategies to connect with talent on their terms.

• Train and promote within: Seventy-eight percent of employers and 83 percent of workers believe human resource teams need to make internal job openings more visible to all employees. Further, 81 percent of employers and 83 percent of workers agree management should do a better job of encouraging employees to apply.
• Embrace digital acquisition tools: High-performing talent organizations are nearly three times more likely (64 versus 22 percent) to always ensure prompt responses to submitted applications. Innovations in digital recruiting technology, such as boosting data intelligence and automating many high-volume, low-value activities, help employers improve responsiveness, and high-performing organizations are three times more likely (55 versus 18 percent) to employ such methods.
• Personalized communications: High-performing talent organizations are more than twice as likely as others (55 versus 21 percent) to always provide personalized responses to applications.

Establish screening processes that boost the candidate experience.

• Eliminate bias: High-performing talent organizations are more than twice as likely as others (89 versus 42 percent) to always take steps to eliminate unconscious bias during screening.
• Facilitate two-way communication: A candidate should be given a chance to respond to any concerns about their qualifications; however, only 25 percent of surveyed employers always share their concerns with candidates, with high performers being much more likely to do so (67 versus 23 percent).

Treat onboarding as the foundation of a great employee relationship.

• Be ready on day one: High-performing talent organizations are more than twice as likely (72 versus 33 percent) to always engage new hires in a community of peers and helpers during the onboarding process, are always prepared for the new hire's first day (77 versus 35 percent) and always set clear expectations in the onboarding process (75 versus 32 percent).

"The results of these findings confirm what we have long known as a leader in talent solutions: a great employer-employee relationship begins with great relationship-based talent acquisition best practices," said Andy Hilger, president of Allegis Group. "In order to attract top talent, employers need to establish trust on all fronts by better understanding and prioritizing the employee relationship."

Get a free download of Allegis Group's "Stepping Up: Workforce Practices That Raise the Bar on Business Performance" to learn about the importance of a fair and transparent playing field between candidates and employers, as well as key talent management practices related to job definition, sourcing, screening and onboarding at https://www.allegisgroup.com/insights/talent-acquisition-strategies.

About Allegis Group
As the global leader in talent solutions, we take pride in what we do, connecting great people to great opportunities, helping businesses win and careers soar. Today, with $12.3 billion in revenues and 500+ global locations, Allegis Group and its network of specialized companies provide a full suite of complementary talent solutions that solves nearly every workforce challenge to empower business success while consistently delivering an unsurpassed quality experience. Our companies include Aerotek; TEKsystems; Aston Carter; Allegis Global Solutions; Major, Lindsey & Africa; Allegis Partners; MarketSource; EASi; The Stamford Group; and Getting Hired. Learn more at www.AllegisGroup.com.

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