Put your business on the right track (page 1 of 2)

The job market, like any other market is subject to the forces of supply and demand.

There is a general assumption that supply is much higher than demand and it is built on fake or inaccurate numbers that do not consider the various skill levels of job seekers.

This assumption keeps salaries and benefits low, despite the increased cost of living in Dubai which is now similar to any other major European or American city.

The supply and demand rule is fine if we are looking at the goods market but when it comes to people it is not enough and in fact it should never be used to determine someone's "market value" .How can you put a price tag on a person? Their attitude, psychology, motivation, business and personal cultures. People's skills or as we call them "soft skills" are of paramount importance for any business, yet recruiters get caught in the hype of degrees, technical knowledge and other certificates forgetting the importance of "soft skills".

Your employees are the greatest asset that can make or break your business, and if you can't treat people as individuals, they won't be able to treat your customers as such! Is that what you really want?

In many places, we see employees who are constantly in direct contact with customers - face to face or by phone - those employees are usually the ones who received little or no training and are not motivated at all! This explains the fair or poor customer service we receive!

Ask yourself why businesses loose their customers or have an increasing sales & marketing cost! A successful business should have most of its revenue generated from repeat custom, customer and employee loyalty is equally important.

I believe that we can be in a much better situation with just a few changes or tweaks.

How?

1. Hire the attitude and train the skill:
Your job roles should be clearly defined not just in terms of skills and knowledge needed but the essential attitude or personal traits for that specific job, you have to train your recruiters / HR officers on how to spot that right attitude or use a specialized consultant. Look out for candidates who are genuine, honest, creative, flexible and willing to learn, to participate and communicate. It takes a lifetime to acquire those soft skills and it takes a fairly short time to acquire other technical, vocational or industry specific skills. The choice is yours!

2. Treat people as individuals:
Avoid stereotyping and labelling people, and refrain from asking for a certain Nationality. We live in a global environment where knowledge and information have no boundaries. For example if you are a Chinese restaurant, looking for a Chinese National to work as a cook, you may or may not fulfil your requirement this way, but one's passport or culture is not an accreditation or proof that he or she possesses the right skills and attitude or that he or she can do the job better than anyone from a different place. But if you ask for someone who is friendly and creative who can cook Chinese food and is experienced with Chinese recipes etc... you will get a better result that may even surprise you!

3. Select and train your management team Carefully:
There is an old saying that goes: "good employees do not actually leave organizations, they simply leave their managers" It is a waste of money and time if we train employees and not train their direct managers assuming that they should already know and do not need to be trained! Managers create the work environment and the organizational culture, we need to make sure everybody in the organization is following the same standards and is part of the same corporate culture this will ensure that your company is well placed on the target list of qualified job seekers; many other companies will stay off that list even if they offer good benefits.