A large number of skilled workers in Nigeria want to relocate abroad. This is how solar energy companies can retain their best talent.
Employees are the livewire of every organization. They are engaged by organizations to carry out different aspects of the organization’s mission. Without employees, there will be no executors of an organization’s operations. When an organization is not operational, it ceases to exist. This is how important employees are to organizations.
One of the challenges solar companies face in hiring employees is that there is a shortage of talents who are equipped with the skills and level of experience needed. This makes it crucial to ensure that such talents stay with the company once they are found and hired.
A ton of Nigerians are currently on a mission to leave the country in pursuit of a better life abroad. The increase in the number of individuals seeking to exit the country can be attributed to the uncertainty of the nation’s economy, dwindling security, healthcare, education, general social amenities, and access to opportunities. This is exactly what it means to Japa. Today, the average Nigerian would rarely think twice if an opportunity to relocate abroad becomes available.
The bulk of the workforce of the solar energy industry is made up of skilled individuals such as solar engineers, project managers, system designers, and the like. The skills required to function and excel in such roles are currently in high demand, not just in Nigeria but all over the world. The internet has made it possible for recruiters and head hunters to easily locate talents from anywhere in the world, and offer them attractive job offers that also come along with relocation benefits.
In today’s job market, employees always put themselves first, and it is not uncommon for them to quit their jobs when they find a better option or alternative elsewhere. In Nigeria, ‘relocation abroad’ is one of the most prevalent reasons employees provide when quitting their jobs.
What can solar companies do then to ensure that their workforce remains vibrant with qualified and capable employees, especially in this season of mass exodus abroad?
- Outsource Outsource Outsource
Solar energy companies need to have the right people capable of delivering their projects on their teams at all times. For this reason, solar companies should work with organizations competent enough to seamlessly supply the talent they require in record time.
A great example of an organization that provides this service is Energy Talent Company. We help solar energy companies to easily grow their workforce by providing them with the skilled, well-trained, and vetted solar talents they need to enhance their team. At ETC this process is seamless because we have a rich pool of qualified talents in different regions of the country that can be hired to meet the needs of solar energy companies within a short time.
- Speed Up Interview and Onboarding Process
Finding a replacement for employees exiting the organization, should be top priority to avoid downtimes or a break in service delivery. When an organization spots quality talent available to join their team, such an organization must ensure that the timeline for getting to know the talent, making them an offer and onboarding them to the team is kept as brief as possible. Speed is vital in the hiring process especially in situations where the number of candidates with the required skills and experience are limited.
- Review and Improve Employee Compensation and Perks
This is something all organizations ought to do periodically and as often as they can. Why? Employees will most likely stay with an organization that values them, and a core indicator of that value can be measured with the compensation and benefits they receive from the organization. It is also important for organizations to know that compensation and perks do not have to be entirely monetary.
A good way to start this would be to survey what employees would like to receive as part of their compensation. This process brings up ideas that decision-makers of the organization might not have considered when drawing up compensation packages.
Some ideas which can be included in compensation and benefits packages include recognitions and rewards, free therapy sessions, remote work when possible, training opportunities, bonuses, and allowances.
- Encourage and Utilize Bottom-Up Feedback
Most times, feedback is provided from top management to lower employees. While this is important, a culture of feedback from junior colleagues to their senior counterparts is also valuable. Listening to your employees and taking action to implement their feedback makes them feel valued in the workplace.
Employees generally thrive in an environment where their contributions are recognized. A culture that encourages them to give feedback to management, and acting on such feedback is a great way to communicate that they are valued and appreciated. This creates employee engagement which is one of the most effective ways to retain talents.
- Recruit the Right People
Though this is placed at the last point, it is by no means the least important. Retaining top talent starts right from the recruitment stage. Proper attention should be paid to the employment history and traits of potential candidates before onboarding them to your team. Traits like job hopping may be an indicator that a candidate, as perfect as they might seem for the job, may not remain with the organization for a long period.
To conclude, there is an ongoing exodus of skilled talents, which includes solar engineers in Nigeria’s job market. Solar companies ought to put strategies in place to mitigate the effects of this reality on their organization’s operations. There is an increased demand for solar energy in Nigeria and this makes solar businesses viable. However, this also attracts competition as new entrants flock into the solar energy space. Manpower is needed to keep a business as a going concern. Therefore, solar companies should ensure that they retain their best talents and engineers amidst the current trend of relocation abroad.
