DES MOINES, Iowa -
Yaukovitz, a business analyst, was the winner of a promotion with the Members Group (TMG) to recognize staff who recruited talented employees to the company within the past six months.
That car giveaway (Yaukovitz received usage of the car for one year) is part of a larger effort launched by TMG called the Talent Pool Initiative, which is aimed at broadening the pool of potential job candidates the company has to choose from. After a TMG employee recommends a qualified applicant, the standard interview process takes place. If the applicant meets the job requirements, and just as important, fits with TMG's work culture, they are hired. If no job is open the applicant is placed into a pool of available and approved talent with whom the human resources department establishes a relationship as they wait for a position to become available.
Seeking 25 New Employees
The Members Group, which provides credit and debit card processing, check processing, prepaid card products, ACH and asset liability management services, has approximately 150 employees, including sales offices in California, Nebraska and Pennsylvania. The company is anticipating it will hire 25 new employees over the next 12 months, especially as the Boomer generation begins to retire.
"We all know that the market place for employees is tightening. We want to be prepared with qualified people and people who we're interested in," said VP-Human Resources Pam Bair. "The people in the pool are often employed somewhere else. We wanted to be more proactive and talking to those people before we have an opening. We're big on partnerships and relationships. We know the employee will fit our culture."
Bair and Georgann Smith, director of marketing/communications, including 41 employees who have more than 10 years of service. TMG management took the stance that if the company has a successful work culture that employees enjoy, they would be the best people to sell it to potential workers.
TMG employees who make a hiring recommendation receive a lunch gift certificate; three recommendations qualify for dinner and a movie for two and fore each referral that is hired, the employee's name is placed into a quarterly drawing with prizes such as an Apple iPod or a VISA branded gift card. Marketing Director Georgann Smith said rewards vary with each job, such as $1,000 reward for the successful hiring of a qualified Information Technology (IT) staffer. Smith said the larger rewards come in to play when someone is actually brought on board with TMG.
"It really does come down to the hiring," she said.
How To Get Name In The Hat
With the Talent Pool Initiative, when an employee referral is actually hired, the name of the employee who started the process was placed into a drawing for the new BMW Z4 Roadster for the next year. The original car to be awarded was a Pontiac Solstice, but the success of the program prompted TMG to make a major upgrade. Some 27 employees referred 35 candidates from which 10 positions were, providing 10 chances to take Roadster home.
Yaukovitz said that the standard company e-mail regarding job referrals are seen by everyone, but sometimes are so common that they lose their impact. Not so with the chance to drive a new BMW, free, for the next 12 months.
"A lot of times it was in the back of my mind. It kind of makes you take that next step," he said.
Smith said TMG leased the BMW from a local dealership and will pay for the tags and insurance plus a designated parking space for Yaukovitz. TMG will hold auto drawings in January and July of 2008 before making a decision whether to continue with such a large prize.
