The secret sauce for a successful business? His people.

“What’s the best advice you’ve ever given to an londonbusinessblog.com?” My answer is always the same. Your crew members are the secret sauce to the success of your organization. Invest in it – top to bottom – to help scale, innovate and thrive.

After more than 25 years in the industry, I’ve found that combining caring and thinking creates the best experience for your crew members and is essential to retaining them. Our OTG crew members are the secret sauce to our organization’s success, which is why we are committed to listening and investing to continue to improve the crew experience.

What is the secret sauce for a successful business? His people. Below are a few ways to find and invest in the best talent:

Related: Investing in Your Employees Is the Smartest Business Decision You Can Make

Expand internal recruiting team to find the best talent

Many companies use external recruiting agencies for their recruiting needs. However, what we’ve found most helpful is really expanding and investing in our internal recruiting team. They are dedicated and hardworking individuals with a focus on finding the best crew members for the company.

The hardest part of owning an organization is choosing the best crew members for the job. Because we emphasize on hiring the most qualified and dedicated recruiting team, we have solid retention and overall success.

If you are an londonbusinessblog.com and able, my advice would be to invest in an in-house recruiter. Your company will thank you.

Related: Why Employees Are Your Smartest Long-Term Investment

Invest and keep your talent

In 2022 we have been fortunate to have a low turnover rate compared to many of our competitors, and a key reason for this is our constant commitment to investing in our current crew members.

A high turnover rate has a direct impact on the profitability and turnover of a company. With the constant need to hire and train new crew members, it is easy to deviate from the true mission and vision of the organization. By retaining crew members, companies can provide a higher caliber workforce that has a positive impact on bottom line.

Below are five ways we invest in our crew members to help increase retention. These tips can be used in different sectors:

1. Leadership development is very important to us, which is why we offer monthly 2-day classes that cover emotional intelligence, unconscious biases, etc.

2. In 2021 we started a high-potential program that so far this year offers one-on-one executive coaches to a group of managers (80). We also continue to optimize our manager-in-training program, in which certified manager trainers give structure to learning in the workplace.

3. The Crew Engagement Survey is being sent to all 4,000+ crew members so we can identify strengths, gaps, and action against those career paths – as well as continue to clarify pathways for hourly and salaried crew members in operations.

4. We have established a service year program to recognize and thank crew members who have served OTG for 5-25+ years.

5. This summer, we look forward to the launch of LinkedIn Learning for our salaried managers, which will fill existing training gaps (6,000 courses).

Related: Investing in Your People: Strategies to Help Your Team Achieve Their Development Goals

Improve onboarding efficiency for new talent

We are fortunate to have a team that is fully dedicated to onboarding new crew members, and they are constantly improving their boarding efficiency. We have prepared our newest crew members for success from the start by training them efficiently and effectively.

There are a number of things we do to create a special onboarding experience. The strategies below can help make any employee successful in any company or industry (new or old):

1. We immerse them in our culture. We speak openly and honestly about who OTG is and where we are going as a company.

2. We adjust the onboarding process over time, so it’s not overwhelming.

3. We make sure that they are introduced not only to crew members in their functional area, but also to other parts of the company that may be of interest to them.

4. We use storytelling and role-playing to involve the crew member during the onboarding and training process.

5. We make sure that our managers are trained and understand the importance of nurturing and attracting new employees.

6. We make sure we have the right resources. Everything from the right equipment, training, software, etc.

7. We follow up our new hires after 14 days to ensure they have received appropriate resources and training and that their manager communicates with them on a regular basis.

8. Finally, we show them what their career development roadmap might look like, and talk about the OTG focus on promotion from within.

All these things ensure that we have the right candidate, that they have all the resources they need and that they are involved throughout the process.

It’s important to remember that without crew success, company-wide success is significantly harder to achieve. Investing in your people, helping them grow and giving them the best tools for success will put your organization on the right track for long-term success.