In a recent survey of frontline employees across our franchise brands at Dwyer Group, we received some incredible feedback. First, we learned that an overwhelming majority of new hires across our franchise locations heard about a job opportunity through a referral from an existing employee. And to top that, a majority of employees cited atmosphere as the thing they liked best about working for franchise owners. For an organization that describes its atmosphere as a way to Live R.I.C.H. following our Code of Values and themes of Respect, Integrity, Customer focus and Having fun in the process - this was music to my ears.

What if your existing employees had a direct line to your future employees? And what if everyone liked those jobs because of the atmosphere you’ve created for them?

As our company strives to live and lead with values, franchise owners are attracting people to their locations because of that very special culture.

Every company has a way of recruiting employees. You can post on job boards, collect resumes from colleagues, scout your competitors, put the standard “join our team” link on your website. But one of the best recruiting tools should be your own employee pool. If you provide a quality work environment for those men and women who dedicate their time and energy to the business, you may inadvertently be building one of the most persuasive and well-connected HR departments for the future of your business as well.

Too often, companies think only about customer referrals as a key driver that impacts the bottom line for repeat businesses. But it’s also the employee referrals that attract like-minded staff members to a team who continue delivering on the promise to all of those loyal customers. And with good company values at the heart of the operation, it’s a win-win for everyone.

So, how do you approach a new hire need?

Do you only recruit an employee when an opening comes available?

If so, that reactive mode may only deliver the available candidates versus the best candidates. [Here’s what I told 1,800 HR managers.]

Instead, try evaluating the experience you’re delivering to your current employee pool. Think about what your business offers beyond a paycheck. Ask yourself what motivates your staff to keep showing up day after day. Define which top performers you would love to duplicate. Embrace their loyalty and the quality that they bring to the team. Then create a goal to make their extended network a potential audience for the type of referrals you really desire when your business is ready to grow. What would they say to others about where they work? Would it be positive? Remember that your employees are living and breathing billboards for your company.

As it turns out, the atmosphere your create and nurture at work may be the best selling point for growing your team the right way, instead of just growing.