The Secret to Employee Referrals

Apr 4, 2022 | Employees, Incentives, Leadership

Here is a quick idea I have developed to help you supercharge employee referrals.

Many of you incentivize employees to refer their friends. I am all for that! I have clients paying as much as a “dollar per hour” raise for up to 12 months when a key position is filled through an employee referral.

But it is not enough to just offer a referral bonus, you have to remind your people of this offer, and keep it front in mind.
It is not enough to just offer a referral bonus, you have to remind your people of this offer, and keep it front of mind. Click To Tweet

Here Are Some Actionable Ideas (Plus A “Secret” Idea At The End)

  1. However you pay the referral bonus, try to pay it publicly and pay it often, so your employees are reminded of it.
  2. Remind your staff of which positions you are looking for, and how the referral bonus works. Keep talking it up!
  3. Create a poster promoting the referral bonus, so everyone can see it and be reminded.

Supercharge Your Referrals

Develop a list of the top reasons that your people love to work at your place. Involve a couple of key foremen/supervisors to help develop it.

The list can consist of fundamental reasons such as “consistent hours every week” or “overtime.”

Plus it can consist of those things that make your company special.

Put this list on a business card for your people to hand out. Make sure your employees are bought into this list, so THEY believe them.

The card is as much for your employees as it is for their referrals. Involve your staff, sell your staff, and they will sell the outside world.

Your Challenge: Fix Underlying Problems

First, if you have issues, uncover and fix the underlying problems that your people complain about to each other.

As Todd Pugh says, “Fix the hole in the bucket before you try to fill the bucket”.

Once you have done this, remind your employees of what makes your company special.

Even when you fire an employee (or when they quit), take time to remind them of your benefits. Keep the door open, be nice to them on the way out, and the better employees will return.

You may be building a great Destination Company®, but if you keep it a secret or lazily assume everyone knows, then it is not giving you the ROI you deserve.

Jeffrey Scott!