Downtown in Business hosted a very special lunchtime event at the superb Colmore Club, situated at the heart of Birmingham on Colmore. The event discussed how to become leaders in recruiting, training and retaining staff in an increasingly competitive business world.
David Hillian of Grant Thornton kicked off proceedings by discussing the impressive initiatives Grant Thornton have launched over recent years, such as flexible working and allowing casual attire in the workplace. David also reiterated the importance of truly understanding the motivations of your most valuable assets, staff. David explained that in a recent survey out of the top 10 motivations in the workplace, money ranked 7th most important and stressed the importance of making people feel valued. Through this, an organisation is much more appealing to work for to new and existing employees.
Ruth Forster of Wagstaff recruitment then went on to discuss how to recruit the best staff by matching them to the cultures of the company, emphasising that skills can be trained and developed if the person is the right fit but also discussing how important it is for a new team member to understand and buy into the culture and environment they work in.
Ian Harrison of Growhouse discussed how to best train staff, insisting that the values and morals of the organisation need to be understood and implemented from CEO right the way through to an apprentice in their first working environment. Ian also explained the importance of managers being true leaders by encouraging and supporting their staff in identifying development opportunities and making employees feel valued.
Amardeep Gill of Trowers & Hamlins concluded the session by discussing how to retain staff. Amardeep explained that the attitude towards retaining staff has to change and organisations need not fear any member of staff moving on but should be conscious of people moving on for the right reasons. Amardeep insists on creating environments where employees feel their skills are being put to use in the best possible way and also understanding their personal motivations. Amardeep believes all employees should become ambassadors of your organisation and believes this can be achieved by understanding and implementing relevant development initiatives.
David Hillian said following the event “ I have been involved with Downtown in Business for the past 2 years and thoroughly enjoy the events they produce. It gives like- minded businesses the opportunity to share best practices and experiences on a whole range of different topics. Today is a particularly important topic as people understand the current skills shortages in the workplace and potential costs to an organisation, not just monetary but brand also when organisations fail to recruit, train and retain their employees in the correct way.”
