Check out iCIMS' latest blog post from iCIMS guest blogger Andrew Schrage.

With the emerging influence of technology and automation in the workplace, it's still people who make companies great. It follows that small businesses must attract and retain the most talented and driven workers in order to compete. If you are searching for strategies to strengthen your workforce, consider these five methods used by successful small businesses to hire and retain top-notch employees.

1. Clear Expectations
At the heart of any enduring relationship are the elements of effective communication and trust. By accurately representing the position you are hiring for in detail, you begin the process of prequalifying candidates based on their genuine interest and eligibility.
The hiring process can unfortunately be a tense, rushed experience on both sides. It's essential that care is taken in thoroughly expressing your company's expectations in regard to work ethic and professionalism, and also in scoping beyond a candidate's qualifications to learn more about their background and goals. When everything is transparent and out on the table, making the investment in a new hire is more likely to bear measurable and long-lasting results.

2. Customizable Benefits
Any company worth its salt offers employee benefits including health insurance coverage, paid time off, and some sort of 401k or retirement plan. Besides ramping up packages to be competitive, some small-business innovators are bringing flexibility into negotiations, allowing individuals to tailor a benefits package to better meet their needs.

Your company may not have the latitude to offer a comprehensive package that can stand toe-to-toe with big corporations, but you can offer a range of benefits tailored to different employee preferences. So whether someone values low-cost family health insurance coverage, the opportunity to earn additional paid time off, or more generous reimbursement for education or childcare expenses, there's a personalized solution to satisfy each individual.

3. Inviting Environment
No matter how you slice it, the world of business has undergone major changes over the past few decades. Dress codes are more casual, hours more flexible, and overall the cultures are increasingly modern and progressive. Just look at Internet giant Google Inc. for inspiration, where a more relaxed environment that provides workers with uncommon freedom has resulted in an explosion of creativity, collaboration, and production.

While you may not provide an onsite swimming pool or allow workers to bring pets to work, you can still create a more inviting location by introducing programs that your employees value and remaining flexible in your policies. Consider that your employees spend half of their waking hours working for you - they are likely to appreciate small details like natural light and air flow, free healthy snacks and drinks, and frequent fresh air breaks, in addition to bigger incentives, such as on-premise childcare and work-from-home opportunities.

4. In-House Promotions
If you are offering what essentially amounts to a dead-end job, workers will be more focused on searching for alternative opportunities than striving for achievement. By choosing to promote from within you send candidates and employees a message that you believe in hiring people with the potential to grow along with your company, while introducing a powerful incentive to perform and impress.

Promoting internally also strengthens your culture by forging strong interpersonal relationships; peers work as a team to climb the corporate ladder, while also serving as mentors to new employees. The realization that management is on the lookout for rising stars has the potential to inject healthy competition into the office dynamic and gives your staff an edge that sustains engagement.

5. Professional Development
Workers with talent and drive are prone to seek opportunities in which they can acquire new skills and expand their reach. And small businesses that invest in professional development not only retain ambitious employees, but also keep their workforce on the cutting edge in technology and technique.
By demonstrating that you are committed to internal training and development, and that you also support ongoing education opportunities through company reimbursement, you can capture and hold the gaze of workers hungry to prove their worth and expand their level of expertise.

Final Thoughts
Employing a workforce is the biggest expense for many small businesses, making it essential to find and hold onto capable and committed people. By initiating relationships with clear expectations, supplying an attractive work environment, and focusing on developing talent from within, you can hire and retain a staff that puts your business in the best position to succeed.