HR directors are always discussing how best to assess and select candidates to make sure their organisations get the right people in place at the right time - particularly important in the current economic climate whereby employers want staff to feel engaged and give their best effort.
So is offering future employees sweets and champagne during the selection process a good way to go about this? That's exactly what Nando's restaurants do, according to HR director Julia Claydon.
Claydon told delegates at the annual CIPD conference in Harrogate that creating the right culture and employer brand for staff from day one was crucial to get staff interested in and dedicated towards working at the company.
But at her company, that means that during the assessment process, hopeful employees eat the speciality chicken at lunch time, are offered sweets during the day as they meet different trainers and interviewers, and even get a glass of bubbly at the end of the session.
So even if they don't go on to work at the chicken chain, they will have at least had a good 'experience' of the firm - perhaps even enough to tell their friends and family to go back and eat there.
She said: "Our job as HR professionals is to support the creation of the right environment to allow engagement to happen,"
But is the sweets and champagne tactic really a clever marketing scheme, or just a load of bubbles?
Comments (1)
I guess word of mouth isn't just for your customers.
Potential employees who are not hired will walk away with something good to say about the company and not trash talk it to any of their friends and families.
Very good idea! I will have to let me friends in HR know about this.
-Justin
www.championassistants.com
Posted by Justin Gough | September 19, 2008 6:49 AM
Posted on September 19, 2008 06:49