As Minnesota hits record-low unemployment rates of nearly 3.4%, local employers are scrambling to fill desks with great urgency. While DCM Services, LLC (DCMS) is no exception to this trend, it’s the culmination of proactive recruitment through digital innovation, in tandem with internal development and retention efforts which have prevented the hemorrhaging of employees currently seen elsewhere. Here’s how a holistic Human Resources strategy is growing DCMS in record-low unemployment.
Proactive recruitment through digital innovation
As communication generally becomes more fragmented and casual in nature, DCMS has recognized the need to connect with potential candidates in a myriad of less traditional channels. Implementing a suite of technology applications has proven successful in nearly every stage of the recruitment process.
Sourcing talent is a key component in the recruitment process in an employee-centric job market. Our Talent Acquisition team recently shifted to a proactive recruiting strategy by utilizing LinkedIn®, Indeed®, and ZipRecruiter® to advertise open positions and connect directly with candidates. These sites also provide transparency by leveraging real reviews from both past and present employees, which helps set expectations for prospective new hires.
In 2018, DCMS published a professionally-shot video focused on attracting new talent by highlighting our award-winning culture. This video has become a cornerstone in our recruitment process as the first impression candidates receive of DCM Services. Additionally, integrating the Text Us® application in our digital ecosystem allows us to quickly connect with talent and drive higher engagement through text messages in an efficient, yet casual capacity. Further supplementing our technology stack is Calendly®, an online scheduling application which provides candidates the ability to schedule their own phone interviews with our Talent Acquisition team. Calendly has drastically reduced the number of unanswered calls and has increased the number of scheduled phone interviews.
Internal development and retention
While recruiting is integral to a successful human resources strategy, at DCM Services empowering our employees to grow and develop is paramount. In fact, DCMS promoted more than 50 employees since the beginning of 2019 alone. Much of this professional development is facilitated by our Training team through programs such as Cross-Training and Corporate Coaching. The DCMS Cross-Training program provides the opportunity for any employee to converse with subject matter experts from each of our departments to learn about their role in-depth, and how they impact the organization. Cross-trainers walk-through a structured lesson plan with trainees as well as demonstrate their performance of actual job duties. New in 2019, our Corporate Coaching pilot program pairs members on our management team with employees looking to grow at DCMS to assist in their development in specific areas of opportunity. A roll out of to all employees is anticipated in 2020.
Extracurricular opportunities are also available to employees who seek to become involved outside of normal job functions by joining one of our many committees. Members of our committees undertake initiatives which encompass charity work, employee health and wellness, corporate and interpersonal communication, and other aspects important to DCMS’ culture. Because DCMS truly values the career trajectory and tenure of each individual employee, DCMS created a Retention Committee to focus solely on retaining talent. This committee is leading a redesign of our annual employee awards as well as the implementation of job-specific “Career Pathing”. Our organization also focuses on continuing to seek feedback starting early on in an employee’s career, including a 45-day feedback session and a 90-day reunion luncheon.
What are an organization’s initiatives worth without measuring success? To maintain a pulse on employee morale and satisfaction, DCMS continues to partner with Energage® to conduct our annual Employee Engagement survey, the results of which have landed us four Top Workplace awards.
In tandem with proactive recruitment through digital innovation, internal development and retention, DCMS utilizes the feedback from our annual surveys to celebrate our successes and plan initiatives to tackle areas of opportunities. The culmination of these cultural aspects has prolonged the success of our human resources strategy and strengthened the underlying intangible which DCMS employees come to work every day for; the culture.
Partnering with DCM Services can help drive performance at every stage in the recoveries process.
About the author
Melissa Cossairt, Director of Human Resources
Melissa is an experienced Human Resources professional, with expertise in the areas of Recruiting, Customer Relationship Management, Employee Relations, Strategic Planning, Engagement, Audits and Benefits.
DCM Services does not endorse individual vendors, products or services. Therefore, any reference herein to any vendor, product or services by trade name, trademark, or manufacturer or otherwise does not constitute or imply the endorsement, recommendation or approval of DCM Services.
“Energage” is a registered trademark of Energage, LLC.
“TextUs” is a registered trademark of TextUs, Inc.
“Calendly” is a registered trademark of Calendly, LLC.
“LinkedIn” is a registered trademark of LinkedIn Corporation.
“Indeed” is a registered trademark of Indeed, LLC.
“ZipRecruiter” is a registered trademark of ZipRecruiter, Inc.