Talent and labor shortages are widespread and at historic highs across almost every industry. In this episode of All Things Work, host Tony Lee speaks with Marie Artim, vice president of global talent acquisition for Enterprise Holdings (Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo Rent a Car), about successful strategies to overcome the shortages to attract and retain great employees.
Talent and labor shortages are widespread and at historic highs across almost every industry. In this episode of All Things Work, host Tony Lee speaks with Marie Artim, vice president of global talent acquisition for Enterprise Holdings (Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo Rent a Car), about successful strategies to overcome the shortages to attract and retain great employees.
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This episode of All Things Work is sponsored by UKG.
Speaker 1:
This episode of All Things Work is sponsored by UKG. UKG offers HR and workforce management solutions that support your employees and transform your workplace into a work of art.
Tony:
Welcome to All Things Work, a podcast from the Society for Human Resource Management. I'm your host, Tony Lee, head of content here at SHRM. Thank you for joining us. All Things Work is an audio adventure where we talk with thought leaders and taste makers to bring you an insider's perspective on all things work. Today we're going to talk about the talent shortage across a wide range of industries and functions and what it takes to attract and retain great workers. Many job candidates are asking for the moon and often getting it, from sign-on bonuses to flexible schedules to student loan repayments and more. Many employers are pulling out the stops to bring talent on board and to keep top talent from leaving.
My guest today joining me to discuss how companies can find and keep the employees they really want is Marie Artim. Marie is the vice president of global talent acquisition in St. Louis for Enterprise Holdings, a leading provider of mobility solutions owning and operating the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Rent-A-Car, and Alamo Rent-A-Car brands. She began her career in Enterprise's nationally recognized management training program. And today, she is responsible for company-wide strategies to engage with top talent across various roles and functions, which includes hiring thousands of university graduates annually. Marie manages strategic partner relationships and programs that support a global team of recruiters in their search for future employees looking to build exciting and diverse careers. Marie, welcome to All Things Work.
Marie:
Thanks, Tony. Excited to be here.
Tony:
Thank you. Well, we all know talent shortages are widespread across almost every industry. I don't remember a situation being quite this difficult. I'm curious. You've spent many years doing what you do. Why do you think we're in the situation we're in right now?
Marie:
Well, I think for lack of a better term, it's been the perfect of just, I think so many things coming together. And you're right. I've been in the recruitment and talent world for a few decades, almost, and it is definitely unprecedented. And I think some of that is just as we looked at the way this all occurred. So previously, we've had our ups and downs due to different things happening in the economy or in the world around us. But with the pandemic hitting, I think it hit especially our industry, but in many industries, it hit in two ways. In a lot of ours, like mine, things just came to a stop. And without understanding or knowing how long that was going to last, what the long-term impact would be, it shifted what we had to do in the space of talent really quickly.
And then there were other industries and other folks that were on the other end of that, and their business just went skyrocketed because of it. But I think the biggest difference is it changed how individuals look at the world of work as they really reevaluated how they lived their lives, being at home and not being able to go into a workplace or having to do so and really be concerned with safety, and then family and obligations outside of that. And then just for me, anyway, what we saw is just how quickly it shifted, and as things started to come back, how quickly the shift went to now that need for talent and really the struggle to find it in the market that we're in today.
Tony:
Yeah. It's really a bit crazy. I mean, I've been doing it I think as long as you have, and I can't recall anything like this. So I know a lot of the people listening to this podcast are those who are in the trenches right now, trying to figure out what to do. So for those folks who are rolling up their sleeves and in the middle of it, have you identified any recruiting strategies or tactics that seem to be working better than others given where we are?
Marie:
If only we had that magic wand. I think when it push comes to shove, what we've really landed on is we just have to focus on what's in our control. So our message and our theme with our team is just we just need to get back to basics and just execute beyond any way we've ever executed before. So that comes in a number of ways, whether it's... Even though we know recruitment marketing data shows that app flow is low and lower than it's ever been, people clicking on actual jobs is way down, we still are extending that media reach, trying to find different ways to get in front of people digitally to keep growing that brand and that base. But I think more importantly, I think the biggest thing for us, I know the biggest thing for us has been to continue what we've done best, which is executing on that personal touch.
How do we personalize a candidate's experience? Streamline the process, but really hone in on each and every candidate and how to make sure that we're quick in our responses, that we're attentive to what their expectations are, that we're moving quickly because quite honestly, with a job market like this, people aren't going to be there very long, but also making sure that it is a real person, with someone they can ask questions of and learn from. So we've always been committed to that, but we've really, I'd say, just doubled down on that personal touch.
And then, looking at things within our workplace and how we can best use those strategies, ideas like flexibility, for example, is such the hot topic. And we're a customer-facing business. We need people to take care of our customers and be in place. So we don't have that option of selling the remote workforce. So how do we deliver more flexible solutions, improving overall hours worked? And more importantly to our people, what we're hearing is schedule certainty. So making sure people know that they have the flexibility and the ability to do what they need to do to juggle all this and feel good about it.
Tony:
Well, it makes perfect sense. And it sounds like you're right on top of it. So a key question I know a lot of people are wrestling is what's the role of money? Is it still the primary motivator for most employees, or are you finding that there are other attributes that prospective new hires are more concerned about?
Marie:
I do think that there's certainly a lot of attention too, and in a market like this, money will always play a bigger role. When we look at pay, as I think everyone did, evaluated our roles. And one of our core roles, which we call auto detailer, which are such a critical part of especially the health and safety of our customers today and our complete clean pledge. But they're the folks in the field who every day are preparing our cars for customers, making sure they're clean and safe. And we had an opportunity to really dig in early, look at that role, elevate it, rebuilt the job description, emphasize the need for the certain skills we need, increase the compensation. And really just I think that's happening across the board. And that for us is I think how we address pay versus just, to your point earlier in the intro, just throwing money at everything. We wanted to be smart about it.
But I think there are other things. The candidate needs are changing. And how do we change with them? So I think the overall culture and package is still very important to them. So we are talking a lot more than ever before about wellbeing and mental health and wellness and increasing communication around that and education around what the benefits that we offer or the ways that we can support that, the flexibility that I mentioned. And then, within enterprise, it's also around that internal development and support. And I think recognition and respect and support still go a long way.
Tony:
Yeah. Feedback that they're hearing from our members is that they have reevaluated compensation. They have increased compensation for new hires. The challenge they're having is retaining those folks. They come in and they do a good job for six months or even a year, but then, someone else out there is always all going to offer more or a sign-on bonus that they can't say no to. What are your thoughts on retaining folks that you've brought on board?
Marie:
Yeah. And that's where I feel that at Enterprise, we have an advantage in that long before all of this was happening, we have had just this unparalleled commitment to internal mobility, to developing people's skills and talents and allowing them to grow within the organization and finding career paths for people to move across and up and whatever direction. And we've done that for decades. So when we talk about retention and engagement, I feel like that piece of it is really critical, having people understand that they are there for a purpose, whether it's the day-to-day and in it right now of making sure our customers can get where they need to go take care of their family, their businesses, and provide that throughout a lot of this uncertainty. And again, that recognition and support, and really, a culture of that, I think is important.
But then adding to that, that we want you to be constantly having the ability to learn new skills, to grow within the organization, and to find a way to really continue to feel challenged and valued along the way. We've had to do it a little differently. We've always been very high touch and in-person, but as most have, we shifted to a lot of virtual training and development. And what we found was that's allowed us to offer more and better in a lot of cases to our employees.
So from that perspective, that's one way that I think that we look at retention and engagement. I think others are around that recognition piece for a job well done, keeping them engaged, and part of the business understanding their impact on it, like I said before. Even things as simple as our employee referral program, which is one of our best and favorite sources of hiring, is a way for us to help us work through this talent shortage, but also to reward our current employees along the way and recognize them too.
Tony:
Yeah. I'm glad you brought that up because there's been an awful lot of research and information written about employee referral programs over the last few years. And we've seen a lot of companies really boost them, look at them with a new eye, because employee referrals have always been a primary source of hire for a lot of companies. But giving $200 or $300 for a referral, I think a lot of folks looked at it and said, "You know, compared to what we pay a third-party recruiter, we should be giving $5,000, for a new hire." What's your thought on that whole program?
Marie:
I would say we're kind of along those lines in that we have again done this for a very long time. It's always been a source of hires that we've been really proud of because I think it really shows and ties into our culture. And one of the things that Enterprise is built on is being very entrepreneurial in spirit. And so each of our operations can really tweak their referral programs. So they may add extra bonuses, do some contests, have some fun with it. But overall, you're right. We look at the roles and want to make sure that that bonus is of value.
But the interesting thing for us, and I don't know if this plays to our culture or if others have noticed it too, is in addition to the money, that a couple of other things have floated to the top. One, in some situations, we have offered things like a bonus might give you a paid day off or time off. That's been really popular in the last few years in comparison to before that. And I think being creative around that. And what does the employee want? What's more important to them as we recognize them?
But even overall, over the years, what we've found is that more than just the cash or the money that goes into it, the recognition piece. And when that recognition comes from our leadership, thanking them for helping us find talent, recognizing that they were part of the recruitment process, it actually almost plays as important within when we see the performance of our program across the board as the amount of money that we're giving.
Tony:
That's really interesting. I'm curious. Given Enterprise's focus on recent college grads, do you see any generational differences in what people value? I mean, you're now dealing with gen Z versus say, older millennials 15 years ago. Did things change in what they value?
Marie:
We do continue to see shifts in regards to things like what's the referral bonus and the value of what I might receive. We haven't seen huge shifts in that from, I would say, millennial to gen Z yet. I think what we're seeing, it started with millennials as far as valuing that time off, or maybe being able to receive a gift that is of something that I enjoy doing outside of work, whether that be to shop for something or to go somewhere. So sometimes we'll do different things like that. But I think the overall theme would be providing choices and allowing for that personalization. And I think that's the biggest shift we're seeing is as we move to gen Z even more so than ever before, is it's a generation that's just grown up on a very customized, personalized experience. So how do we deliver that within the recruitment and then the employee process?
Tony:
Yeah. That makes perfect sense. So let me shift gears a little bit. Untapped talent, a lot of companies in a talent shortage have realized that if they start looking out of the usual channels, they find very willing employees, folks with criminal histories, people with disabilities, older candidates. What's your thought there? Have you had any success in that direction?
Marie:
We have. I think we've always prided ourselves on, as I say, making sure that top of the funnel is pretty open, that we are really opening our opportunities up to a number of individuals, and again, allowing them to be considered for opportunities to have an actual person to talk to. And within that, it is more volume, although today, that volume's a little lower. It is maybe a little bit more effort on the part of our recruitment function. But I think what we found is there's great talent everywhere. And from a diversity standpoint, our people with disabilities, with our veterans, which has been a huge part of our program for workers of all backgrounds and all ages and bringing people... second careers, finding opportunities for people to really look at things a little differently. I think we've always been believers in that. And today, it's just even more critical to be looking that way.
Tony:
Yeah. No, it makes sense. I mean, it's interesting. We just got new recent research that shows that the majority of employees who have taken advantage of the great resignation have actually been people aged 55 and older. They're just retiring early. And the question is, are they going to be happy or are they going to go back and look for something else they might want to do which might create opportunities?
Marie:
Absolutely. Yeah. I think that's where even as this pandemic shifts and changes or that piece maybe becomes more normal, I don't believe we'll see this situation get easier right away. And that's one of the reasons, I think, is that not only is it the great resignation, but as they're calling it, what, the great retirement. And the baby boomers that were talking about retiring and everybody thought would retire over the last decade is really we're starting to see a lot more of that now.
Tony:
Yeah. So one last area. I mean, I guess the question is, is this a new normal? I mean, is this what we can expect moving forward? Or is this pandemic-induced shortages that will work themselves out in the next year or two? What do you think?
Marie:
Well, adding onto the piece that we just talked about, unfortunately, I think as much as we all hope that it would be go back to a normal or get easier, and at first maybe we thought that might happen, I think most of what we're seeing is here to stay in some ways. Hopefully we'll see a little less chaos than maybe we do today. But as far as the market goes and the competitiveness of the labor market, I think that that is more of the new normal than we thought it would be from those retirements that we talked about, and that just means just less people in the labor market to the shifts in worker expectations, and what they see as work as part of their lives, how they do it.
A lot of the changes that all of us have made in business and organizations that were pandemic-induced, but have allowed us to realize that there are things we can do remotely or differently that may not have been happening before. And just that increased flexibility that we've put in place to get through this short-term shortage of folks I think will play through. I don't see it being something to easily go back and say, "Okay. Nevermind. Now we're all going to go back to work." Many, many hours all in the office, all those kinds of things that were the normal maybe for people before.
Tony:
Yeah. It'll be hard to imagine 10 years from now us looking back on these days and thinking of them as the good old days. I guess anything's possible. Well, that is going to do it for today's episode of All Things Work. A big thank you to Marie Artim for joining me to discuss how to find and keep top talent. Now, before we get out of here, I want to encourage everyone to follow All Things Work wherever you listen to your podcast. And also listener reviews have a real impact on a podcast visibility. So if you enjoyed today's episode, please take a moment to leave a review and help others find the show. And finally, you can find all of our episodes on our website at shrm.org/atwpodcast. Thanks for listening and we'll catch you next time on All Things Work.
Speaker 1:
No matter who they are or what job they do, you want to give your employees all the support they need. And UKG with their HR and workforce management solutions can give you all the tools you'll need to help you make your people, all of your people, feel like they belong. UKG, the cross-category leader in HR solutions.