I recently read an article by Guy Hayward, CEO of Goodman Masson and it really resonated with me. As there are more and more demands on your time the temptation to use computerised systems, apps, and mail merge is great but I still believe that the personal touch makes more of an impact. We might be seen as “old fashioned” recruiters but we keep in touch with our candidates with personal messages and calls.
IT’S OFTEN THE small things that make a difference. Before the glorious invention of the text message – just showing my age! – I remember receiving a call at home on a Saturday morning. It must have lasted all of 30 seconds. It was my then boss calling to say thank you and well done on a great week at work. I still remember how it made me feel… it felt good, really good! And in a world where businesses are becoming increasingly creative in their approach to how they look after their people, we shouldn’t forget that it is maybe the small things that matter most. Does it start with the offer letter? A note written by a line manager, not a mail merge from a central HR system, sets the tone perfectly for what is ahead – an on-boarding period littered with detail, detail that is so often overlooked. A welcome booklet, business cards (and stationery) waiting for you on your first day; your Outlook calendar already filled with meetings with the senior management team and other key stakeholders; and my favourite, a day one team lunch.
I guess it then becomes all about the continued experience of feeling wanted. There really is so much that we can do. And it’s more than just a fruit basket once a week. Every day at Goodman Masson we supply cereal for breakfast and on Friday we add in hot bacon rolls to complement the daily fruit delivery – we are told it’s one of our best perks. I also like what boutique florist Appleyard London does. Every pay-day the business picks up the lunch tab for everyone and doubles the length of the lunch break. Estate agency Paramount Properties offers its employees complementary monthly reflexology sessions and massages throughout the year; the fact its people don’t pay for it must make a difference. We subsidise our masseuse; maybe we need to take Paramount’s lead. We also bring in the office barber and beauty therapist once a month. And what’s better? Free tea or coff ee or the welcome addition of a Nespresso machine? And then there is the world of unexpected rewards and the impact they make – Easter eggs on people’s desks; chocolate advent calendars on
1 December. Recruiter Opus Professional Services sends their people to a villa in Italy, free of charge. Dunelm, Affiliate Window, Shoosmiths and many more firms off er their people the day off on their birthday. Surely everyone should! Swinton Insurance gives its people a free day off at Christmas to go shopping… I love it! Gaming firm Jagex offers free bicycle repairs in the offi ce and Keller Williams has a free-to-use chiropractor. Th e list is endless. But is it as good as a Saturday morning phone call to say thank you – or in today’s world, a Saturday morning text? You decide! ●
