Good morning and happy belated Juneteenth!
While most leaders opt for a hushed approach following staff departures, it might be worth doing the opposite to attract new talent.
A recent study by the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business, evaluating job candidates' organizational mobility preferences, finds that applicants prefer job postings that signal a company's support of workers moving on to bigger and better opportunities, even if that means leaving the employer.
Researchers asked over 600 job seekers to share the level of stability they want in their next role and then respond to different recruitment ads. Most were receptive to job postings that emphasized short-term career gains regardless of an employee's indication that they welcomed more career movement or job stability.
“What was surprising is that organizations advertising that they openly recognize employees will leave and support them as they pursue external careers were the most attractive to job seekers regardless of whether they preferred more mobile or more stable careers,” the study’s lead author, Rebecca Paluch, writes. “We believe that job seekers interpret this as the organization supporting employees no matter what they choose.”
Paluch points to McKinsey and McDonald’s as companies that purposely advertise their companies as short-term stints along one's career path. McKinsey states on its career site, "Whether you decide to stay with McKinsey for two years or 20 years, a role at McKinsey is a springboard for your career.”
McDonald’s also uses recruitment messaging that boasts its alums go onto greater jobs and fulfilling careers. Naming an organization’s alumni can be some of the best advertising for a company recruiting ambitious talent. (Dare I mention PepsiCo, yet again?)
“Rather than treating people well through job security and steady upward promotion, treating people well these days is providing learning and growth opportunities that will help them manage their own careers—and that's one of the main points organizations should be taking from these findings,” according to Paluch.
Amber Burton
amber.burton@fortune.com
@amberbburton
