Reality Check: Is your business a desirable place to work?

(Time to read this insightful Blog article is about 1 minute)

The biggest and most important battle in every business today is the battle to attract, engage and retain talent.  If you have the right people, you can get everything else you need.  Below is a 10-point Reality Checklist that I created for a Biz Coaching client recently. Use it to calculate your ‘Are we a desirable place to work’ score out of 100. 

Are we a desirable place to work?

Note:  Give your business an honest score from 1 to 10, with 10 being excellent, on each of the 10 factors listed below.  Then add up your total score out of 100 maximum possible points.  For a more accurate assessment, have all leaders and managers and a cross section of front-line staff complete this Reality Check.  Compare the scores and look for similarities and discrepancies in perception.

1. Is our industry an attractive, interesting and ‘in’ industry for smart people who want to get ahead and build a career?    Score ___ out of 10.
2. Is our company fair, decent and ethical?   Score ___ out of 10.
3. Is our pay and benefit package competitive for the quality of people we need or want to attract, engage and retain?    Score ___ out of 10. 
4. Have we created an interesting, welcoming, uplifting, diverse and rewarding culture with flexible working conditions?  Score ___ out of 10. 
5. Do our leaders and managers exhibit clarity and consistency in their words and actions?   Score ___ out of 10. 
6. Are our leaders and managers capable, effective and fair?  Do they coach and grow our team and encourage input, or do they micro-manage and dictate?   Score __ out of 10. 
7. Do our leaders and managers listen intently and communicate effectively?   Score ___ out of 10.    
8. Are our leaders and managers decisive with a clear and shared vision for where the business will be in 3 to 5 years, and an effectively communicated Plan to get there?  Score ___ out of 10.
9. Do we appropriately reward excellent team and individual performance?  And do we deal consistently, quickly and fairly with non-performance?    Score ___ out of 10.
10. Are we in a desirable city and location, with a large talent pool?   Score ___ out of 10. 

Our total score out of a possible 100 = ______.

What does your score tell you about how self-aware your leaders and managers are and where you must improve to become a more desirable place to work?  Who will take charge of this important project?  By what specific date will the 1^st progress report be given and to whom?  

For more info about booking Donald to deliver his bottom-line management and marketing insights at a Management Conference or Corporate Event…or to discus our Business Coaching program, contact us at donald@donaldcooper.com or by phone at 1-416-252-3703 in Toronto, Canada.