In the same way, Manpower says, companies can have job applicants and current employees perform a similar role in revising their retention/recruitment processes and policies. Manpower offers a five-step plan to start down this road, with the assurance that, by implementing the results, retention and recruitment efforts will improve.

Step One: The user needs survey

To see if what you're offering in order to retain and attract good employees works, you need to test your value proposition with the people it's targeting. Here's what you're offering—but what it is that they want?

"Employers must know what drives their candidates and employees, where to find them, and what they want in their careers. With retention as the goal, employers also must understand what compels them to stay with an organization (and what might cause them to leave)," Manpower says. This survey elicits this information, simply by asking. 

Step Two: Develop, test and refine your content 

Once you have a better idea of what people are looking for as they make the decision whether to be employed by you, you need to look carefully at how you frame your offer. If job seekers show a strong interest in learning about company culture, but employees want to know how to get ahead, you can't use the same content for both.

"It is also possible that improvements to the candidate experience might be required. After people are hired, employees might need more content as it relates to expectations, personal development and future opportunities. These kinds of content needs can be gleaned through surveys and interviews with candidates and employees," Manpower advises. 

Step Three: Evaluate functionality 

Once you've created new content, test it—keep going back to the users for feedback on how you're doing.

"Ask employees and candidates the question, 'Is this working for you?' Constant communication is critical, as are building in systems to understand when, where, why and how retention is breaking down," says Manpower. 

Step Four: Design the process

This is a big one. Presentation can be everything when attempting to communicate with individuals you want to be engaged with. Not everyone responds to the same type of communication, but no one wants too much detail at the beginning of a process. Losing someone in the weeds when communicating about a working relationship is not only guaranteed to lose their attention, but will give the impression that working with your company will be a series of such experiences.

"In the example of Apple, we see a company that has made a conscious choice to forgo detailed and complicated user manuals because of the intuitive interaction and navigation with its products. Candidates and employees are no different. The sheer number of opportunities that people have to engage with information—through digital channels, internal communications, managers and mentors, peers, third-party sources, etc.—highlights how important it is to look at the big picture and think seriously about when, where and how people interact with the employer brand," Manpower says. 

Step Five: Create a visual experience

Your brand appears, whether you want it to or not, before the eyes of the world in everything you put out there—advertising, public relations, whitepapers, Twitter feeds, Facebook content, LinkedIn postings. Your potential and current employees see this too, and make stay-or-go decision based upon the overall impression they receive.

"This can be one of the most overlooked aspects of creating a retention culture. Companies that prioritize retention will demonstrate their commitment through actions and words, as well as through a highly visible presence (online, through social media and in workspaces, for example) that consistently promote the employer brand and opportunities for people to engage more deeply with the organization. In a sense, this is an extension of brand marketing activities and should be developed in a mindful way," Manpower says.