This is a popular recruiting strategy where the incumbent employers are encouraged to refer their peer group who are well qualified for a said job role. Research says that employee-referred new recruits are likely to be better than non-employee-referred new hires and tend to be much more loyal to their organization. The process is faster and more cost-effective, as it is one of the fastest ways to find the right talent. This process also motivates the employees to get involved as there is a reward scheme tied in. The referral program is most of the time well-structured in the organizations, and the reward scheme is well-built in and is seen as an effective mechanism to fill in vacancies quickly.
Let’s deep dive into the top five benefits that an employee referral program can bring to the organization:
Access to Talent Pool
There is no denying that the best way to hire above-average talent is through employee referral programs. According to 88% of employers, employee referrals are the best way. Employees already perform the initial screening to ensure their candidates fit the job. Furthermore, your employees already have a good idea of the work culture. After all, the person they refer to is also a reflection of their own judgment and reputation.
Higher Hiring Swiftness
Having a referral program can also speed up the recruitment and onboarding process since your employees know precisely what is required for a particular position. As a result, you save time and money by eliminating the need to advertise and pacing the process. According to research, 69% of employers believe referral programs significantly reduce time-to-hire, and a referred candidate can be hired within a month.
Hiring from job boards and career sites, on the other hand, can take 40 to 45 days. Referral programs not only give you access to a more diverse pool of candidates, but also help the candidate move forward directly with the interviews. More importantly, referred candidates are more likely to accept an offer than those who are not referred.
Reduces Recruitment Cost
A lot of time is spent searching for the right candidate for the given job role with the exact salary match. A referral program comes in handy here, as the organization does not spend time and money on conventional recruitment drives. Thus, this also ensures that the organization does not spend on job boards, advertisements, and agency fees. Also, it ensures minimal internal labour costs. About 55% of companies believe that referral programs significantly reduce hiring costs.
Also read: https://enspirehr.com/blogs/tips-to-increase-employee-productivity/
Improves Employee Retention Rates
An employee referral program also has the notable benefit of increasing employee retention rates. Many corporate businesses actually live with the fear of attrition. But through employee referrals, potential candidates get a better chance to see the organization from the employee’s point of view. Therefore, this gives a sign of their willingness to join if the prospects are still willing to participate in the interview process.
In addition, the employees will also recommend individuals if they believe the organization would be an excellent place for them to work and live. A study demonstrates that referred personnel typically stay on the job 70% longer than non-referred ones. Employee referral programs act as a fantastic tool for businesses to assess the level of employee satisfaction with their current workforce.
Increases Employer-Employee Satisfaction
Employee referral programs can also increase employee engagement in more substantial ways, leading to employee satisfaction. Since the employees are given more authority when your business depends on them to find the next hire, it makes them feel valued to be a part of the organization’s hiring process. It gives them a chance to support their friends and family members as they make career decisions.
Conclusion:
In addition to helping with employee awards and recognition, referral programs also aid in employer branding. It helps in attracting new customers to your business by empowering your staff to let others know about the available positions. Direct traffic or traffic via referrals may arise in this way. Remember – both contribute to raising your brand’s awareness. You might even take advantage of this by making the company’s career page appear more enticing to visitors. In this approach, you can leverage the website for your own business to turn a passive talent into a possible applicant.
Referral programs need to be adopted by the organizations as it is cost-effective and gets the right talent into the organization. Organizations need to formulate policies that are employee referral friendly and create an environment that motivates employees to participate in the referral program. A referral driven payment structure also needs to be formulated that will drive the employees to participate in large numbers to refer their qualified peers for specified job roles. Also, the referral scheme builds a better-networked organization in terms of increased efficiencies and productivity as employees and new hires would know each other, and the time taken to adapt to new work culture is lesser. An organization can save costs on conventional recruitment approaches in terms of spending money on advertisements, recruitment outsourcing, etc.