WOM Internal Hiring: Culture or Cult?

Has the request of being asked internally, or asking your employees to spread the word externally about ‘we’re hiring’ gone too far?

Being asked to support in the hiring process across a business has become the working norm, but why should one department’s resource issue be another department’s problem? Are other members staff really qualified to present individuals from their professional or personal background on who they would recommend hiring? I can say, with a resounding no, these employees are not, they are experts in another part of your business and not in specialists in hiring.

But, what happens after they’ve been lucky to recommend someone? In my experience over the years, speaking to people, word of mouth hiring rarely results in a working culture that matches a brand’s fit and/or work ethic. It creates a cult of like-minded people, working in siloed teams with one dimensional thinking, often leading to segregation across a business.

So, before you contemplate sending that next message to ALL staff about ‘we’re hiring’, are you asking them because you think your staff are experts in recruitment? Or is this sending the wrong message of cutting cost on hiring, and not investing in the wider talent pool for the skills you need?

A topic for debate, I’m sure…