Workforce Development Kelly L. Glass, Consultant

Milestones - Your New Recruitment Strategy

A milestone is a marker of accomplishment; it signifies a noteworthy achievement in the lifecycles of both individuals and corporations.  Milestones could be mergers and acquisitions, anniversaries, opening a new office, or launching a new product line or line of business for corporations.  They should be celebrated as these celebrations provide opportunities to capitalize on a wide audience of potential stakeholders, reach out to past employees, and attract new ones.

Our firm has the unique opportunity to be a part of a significant milestone in our headquarters of Pittsburgh as the city celebrates its 250th anniversary.  The Pittsburgh 250 celebration is a time to reflect on Pittsburgh’s long and industrious history, enjoy the honor of being America’s Most Livable City in the present, and look forward to a future shaped by innovation and technology.  Pittsburgh’s people, hard-working, forward-thinking, and passionately loyal, are what define the city.  Pittsburgh is using this milestone as a time to reflect on the successes of the past, capitalize on the present, stake out a vision for the future, and attract both past residents and new visitors to the region 

One of the ways Pittsburgh is celebrating this milestone event is by promoting homecomings and reunions throughout the 14-county region – encouraging Pittsburgh’s people to embrace and invest in the city.  This mass homecoming, over the course of the year, will attract expatriates and visitors to the region alike, stimulating the economy by increasing business for the service industry.   

Businesses in today’s global marketplace could take a cue from Pittsburgh’s innovative approach to milestones as a time for review and planning and as a method to engage past employees and attract new talent.  In today’s workforce flux, the significant pool of bright and experienced people who may have worked for your organization in the past are a valuable untapped resource.  This pool can provide much-needed expertise and services moving forward.  They know the organization well.  They have the skills, training, and background.  They are able to transition seamlessly into the organization in a more suitable capacity than their previous positions. 

The key to tapping into this pool is to entice them to embrace and invest in your organization, just as Pittsburgh has encouraged its people to embrace and invest in the region.  Milestones provide a logical occasion to re-engage this sector.  A milestone is an opportune moment to reach out to employees who left in good standing through newsletters, website announcements, or even personal calls.   

The milestone provides the opportunity to recapture this pool but must be supplemented with an aggressive, innovative strategy for attracting, placing, and retaining them.  Some organizations have used methods such as bringing past employees back on a part-time basis or as consultants.  Other organizations have had success with phased retirement programs.  St. Vincent’s Hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania was named the Best Employer for Workers Over 50 in 2007 by AARP for their “Retired Saint Vincent Valued Pacesetter” program which hosts events for past workers and utilizes a phased retirement program to retain the knowledge and leadership of experienced workers while allowing them to work on their own terms.[1] 

Pittsburgh 250 is a regional approach with the same end goal of Saint Vincent’s programs – attracting and retaining a hard-working, forward-thinking, loyal community of people.  By capitalizing on the milestone event that Pittsburgh 250 affords and employing strategies like Saint Vincent’s local business can hope to achieve the optimal quantity, quality, and mix of people for the future.    

[1] AARP.  (2007).  Best Employers Program Honorees.  Saint Vincent Health System.  Retrieved February 15, 2007 from the World Wide Web: http://www.aarp.org/money/careers/employerresourcecenter/bestemployers/winners/saint_vincent_health_system.html

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