How to Rehire Your Stars in January 2015 — Before the Competition Does

You may have noticed that it’s eerily quiet in the recruiting and hiring sphere right now. Sure, there are still resumes flying around and job ads going up, but resumes are spending a little more time than usual in recruiters’ inboxes or on hiring managers’ desks as thoughts turn toward planning, headcount budgeting, and the approaching holiday season. The end of seasonal hiring pushes will soon suck whatever life remains out of the 2014 talent market.

A special thank you goes out to this month’s Leadership Sponsor, Zoho Recruit . Please visit their site to understand how their quality services can elevate your recruitment practices.

 Of course, this quiet holiday recruiting period is a chance for a rest, but it is also the calm before the storm: the January hiring rebound, when budget- and idea-rich employers are unleashed on the recruitment market with a vengeance, looking to find top talent to help them realize their commercial dreams. There is a widely acknowledged rush to find new talent in January and February, which means that, ironically, those same employers searching for talent are at a greater risk of losing their staff to the competition. This is why I think that employers should be rehiring their stars in January 2015 before the competition does.

By rehiring, I mean reengaging them in your business so they feel like a fresh, new employee again. This should make them much less prone to accepting tempting offers from the competition. Why should they accept a new external role when they already have a brand new internal role?

What can employers do to rehire and reengage their stars? Here are three main steps:

1. Fight Ideas with Ideas

Talent can be drawn to the new visions of prospective employers and the idea that they can make the first footsteps in the sand. This situation doesn’t have to be unique to new-hire scenarios. Have your leaders create and deliver an inspiring new or updated vision for 2015 and beyond to stir and excite your employees and replicate that new company feel. Make them feel that they don’t want to miss out on the exciting plans for coming year.

2. Refresh Their Role

Some of your stars or good employees may be in the process of stagnation or decline, putting them at risk. Use the annual appraisal process to really engage with your staff and really find out what their goals and aspirations are. Use it to redesign, rebrand, or reengineer their role in line with their aspirations. A new title or promotion may help, too. This can help to reengage them into their role and effectively revitalize and rehire them, making them far less prone to being tempted away by the competition.

3. Upgrade or Readvertise Your Perks

One of the things that staff enjoy about moving to a new company is the idea of new perks and benefits. Why not introduce a new perk in January, such as enhanced flexible working, home working, casual dress code, or whatever you feel will be appealing to staff. It might just be that you need to simply readvertise some of your existing perks that employees aren’t aware of, or benchmark them so employees properly understand the value of what they have and stop taking them for granted. An exciting new perk can be another great way of creating that “new-company feeling” in January 2015.

These are just a few ideas for what employers can do in 2015 to create that new-hire feeling, which can help your organization to retain stars during the busy first quarter new-hiring period, when competitors will be circling like vultures, trying to poach your top staff.

A special thank you goes out to this month’s Leadership Sponsor, Zoho Recruit . Please visit their site to understand how their quality services can elevate your recruitment practices.