Small Business, Great Jobs!

4/27/22 12:36:19 PM — Photos of Mother Road Market, NOMA, Meadow Gold and Adams Apartments. TAEO images of midtown and downtown Tulsa. Photo by Shane Bevel

Grow Your Business with Great Jobs

Small business provide great jobs. High-quality jobs can create real cost savings for your business’ bottom line. Not only that, quality jobs provide your employees with greater financial security, enhanced productivity, and supports professional and personal success. As a small business owner, you have the opportunity to shape the quality of jobs you offer in a way that works for your business and your employees.

Improving job quality in a small business isn’t easy. You contend with thin margins, a competitive labor pool, and significant time and resource constraints. However, small changes over time to job quality can enhance your business’ performance.

Your employees are your most valuable asset. Job quality can provide you with better customer service, more qualified people, and a stronger bottom line.

  • Employee Recruiting
  • Employee Compensation
  • Onboarding Processes
  • Career Development
  • Mentorship
  • Hiring & Retaining Generation Z Talent
Employee Recruiting
10/29/18 4:08:58 PM -- Fall Colors and social media scenes from the Gathering Place.Photo by Shane Bevel

What makes your business run every day? Great employees. The following resources can help you find new talent across the Tulsa quickly and easily.

Good talent can be found through Oklahoma Works, where their JobMatch can help connect you to job searchers throughout Oklahoma. Additionally, they can provide training to give your staff a solid base of knowledge as they enter your workforce.

For tech recruiting, inTulsa Talent provides a free local resource for growing Tulsa businesses. InTulsa is your on-the-ground resource making it easy to connect with key hires and launch operations in Tulsa with talent, relocation, and growth solutions.

Tulsa Community WorkAdvance  (TCW) provides connections to local talent through RetrainTulsa and other programs. TCW graduates receive one to two years of free, personalized career coaching. TCW partners with your HR team to support graduates, helping them understand workplace dynamics and how to excel in any environment.

Employee Compensation
4/14/22 10:27:55 AM — Photos of Tulsa Authority of Economic Opportunity projects. Photo by Shane Bevel

Competitive compensation is essential to attracting and retaining the talent that makes your business thrive. But figuring out how to pay your employees a salary that they consider fair and competitive is no simple task. With rising minimum wages and increasingly competitive labor markets, it can be difficult to keep up with what’s considered fair compensation in your market or industry. According to a recent poll, low compensation was the primary reason employees listed they have left or would leave a job.

Retail businesses often operate on thin margins, meaning that changes in employee compensation—often your business’s biggest cost—can have a significant impact on your bottom line. However, providing competitive wages can also be a long-term investment that boosts employee stability, which can reduce costs from high employee turnover and rehiring.

Your employees are one of your most valuable assets. Higher compensation, paired with other improvements in job quality, can lead to greater productivity and improved customer service, as well as attract qualified candidates—helping not only your employees, but also your bottom line. While the true cost of employee turnover can be hard to calculate due to the numerous intangible and time involved, some studies estimate the cost to replace an hourly employee is about $1,500. With a median turnover rate of 67% for part-time retail workers, turnover could cost an employer with 10 employees over $10,000 annually. Click here to watch our Small Business-Great Jobs Seminar where we provide ways to increase your employee’s pay without hurting your bottom line.

Onboarding Processes

Competitive compensation is essential to attracting and retaining the talent that makes your business thrive. However, it’s important to recognize that compensation alone is not the sole driver of employee retention and productivity. The onboarding process plays a crucial role in setting the foundation for long-term success. According to studies, organizations with a structured onboarding program experience 50% greater new hire retention. This indicates that an effective onboarding process can significantly contribute to improving employee retention rates for small businesses.

An efficient onboarding program has a direct impact on employee productivity. Research shows that organizations with a standardized onboarding process experience a 54% increase in productivity among new hires. By providing comprehensive training, clear expectations, and necessary resources during the onboarding phase, businesses can equip employees with the knowledge and skills required to perform their roles effectively from the start. This reduces the time it takes for new hires to become fully productive, ultimately enhancing overall business productivity.

In addition to retention and productivity benefits, an improved onboarding process fosters a positive work environment and promotes stronger employee engagement. Studies have shown that engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave their organizations. When employees feel welcomed, supported, and connected to the company’s culture and values through a well-structured onboarding program, they are more likely to develop a sense of belonging and commitment to the organization. This leads to higher job satisfaction, increased motivation, and a greater likelihood of employees going the extra mile to contribute to the success of the business.

While competitive compensation is important, the benefits of an improved onboarding process should not be overlooked by small businesses. Investing in a comprehensive onboarding program can significantly enhance employee retention rates, improve productivity, and foster a positive work environment. By setting the stage for success from day one, businesses can position themselves for long-term growth and success by retaining and developing their most valuable asset—their employees. Click here to watch our Small-Business-Great Jobs Seminar on how you can improve your onboarding process and the benefits it brings.

Career Development

As a small business owner, it’s important to invest in your staff, and one surefire way to make sure that your staff has the resources they need to succeed is by having career development opportunities. Research shows that employees who have a career development program have improved productivity, engagement, and retention rates. When employees have the opportunity to improve professionally, they feel valued and have the opportunities to contribute more to your business.

Career development helps businesses build a skilled and competent workforce. WHen employees are provided with training and development opportunities, they acquire new skills and knowledge that directly contribute to their job performance. As employees become more capable and proficient, the overall productivity and efficiency of your business improves, making it an appealing place for ambitious professionals to seek employment.

Click here to watch our Small Business – Great Jobs seminar with Oklahoma Small Business Person of the Year and owner of Andolini’s Pizza, Mike Bausch, where we discuss how career development can help grow your business.

Mentorship
8/3/20 11:48:55 AM — Photos of Williams Employees at the corporate headquarters in Tulsa. Photo by Shane Bevel

Expanding on career development, mentorship is a great way to grow your employees knowledge base and improve your company culture. Small businesses know that employees benefit from having a sounding board and a source of encouragement, and business owners benefit from more efficient workflows and employees that feel more connected to their workplace. Setting up mentorship opportunities does not have to be difficult or time consuming, with a few best practices you can start a mentorship program at your small business.

Click here to view our Small Business – Great Jobs seminar where we talk with business consultant Shagah Zakerion, on how mentorship can help improve your business.

Hiring & Retaining Generation Z Talent
A woman wearing goggles does calculations with a pen and sheet of paper

There are a lot of misconceptions about what Gen Z workers look like, but what’s not up for debate is how your small business is going to need to start hiring them. By 2025 Generation Z will make up 27% of the workforce, and as more of them graduate high school and college that number is only expected to grow over time.

Uniquely equipped to notice trends, create a social media presence, and display high competency levels with technology, Gen Z brings talents that may be harder to find in other generations. They also prioritize purpose-driven work, and hiring young professionals that are passionate about making a positive impact can help businesses like yours build a stronger brand reputation and connect with socially conscious consumers.

Click here to view our Small Business – Great Jobs Seminar where we speak with Kate Cottrill, owner of Ihloff Salon & Spa on how you can work to improve Gen Z retention and hire Gen Z talent.

Contact Us

Jonah Toay
Economic Development Specialist jonah@partnertulsa.org (918)-576-5571