At the time of the Great Resignation, companies sometimes need to recruit new talent very regularly. But it is not always easy to attract certain profiles when many companies are in the same situation. The co-option system can help you recruit new people through the active participation of your current employees. We are therefore going to detail here what co-optation is, all its advantages, and how you can promote it within your company. You will see that there are some pitfalls to avoid if you want everyone to feel fully involved in the operation.
What is co-option?
The principle
Co-optation in business is a recruitment process consisting in recommending potential candidates for an offer within their company. They can be family members, friends, or more distant acquaintances (former colleagues for example).
It should be noted that the recommended person is not hired directly as part of a co-optation: it is then up to the company to verify that their profile and skills correspond to the position to be filled.
You can sometimes hear the terms of sponsorship Or of participatory recruitment : it's the same concept.
Difference between co-option and piston
While these two terms are sometimes confused, they actually do not refer to the same thing at all.
A motivated person enters a company because their application has been pushed internally, usually by someone high up in the hierarchy. She does not recommend her skills. Emotional reasons often come into play in the plunger.
With co-optation, applications are treated in the same way as those of applicants who have passed through other channels. People must therefore complete all the recruitment stages. After being hired, they are treated like any other employee.
The advantages of co-optation in business
Co-optation is an effective recruitment method, which has a number of advantages. Here are the main ones.
Lower recruitment costs
This method is inexpensive, as it does not require paying a specialized recruitment firm or posting paid job offers.
Trusted candidates
In theory, co-opted people know the values of the company as well as its mode of operation, and adhere to it. Moreover, if an employee has made the choice to recommend it, it is often because he considers it trustworthy.
The fact that they have a very precise idea of how the business works also allows them to adapt more quickly.
Profiles that are difficult to reach
Finally, co-optation can allow the company to be put in contact with people whose profile is difficult to reach. Some jobs are constantly being asked for recruitment proposals. Knowing a person in the company can Convince more easily to take the plunge and take part in an interview.
The limits of co-option
The main disadvantage of this recruitment system is that it may provide a” Cloning phenomenon ” in the organization. Very often, the co-opted people are very similar to the employees who recommend their applications. So, if you only use this recruitment method, you risk losing diversity within your teams.
To take full advantage of the benefits of co-optation in your company, it is therefore important that it is not the only recruitment channel.
How to promote co-optation in your company
If you want to set up a co-optation system in your company, three conditions are necessary.
Good working conditions
The first is that your employees should enjoy good working conditions. So you have to promote their well-being and develop QWL. It is difficult to imagine that an employee would recommend to those around them that they come and work in a company that does not offer a pleasant environment.
Committed employees
Your employees must also be sufficiently committed To want to become ambassadors of the company. Various solutions can help you increase employee engagement in business. The crowdfunding platform Teamstarter is a good example. It allows employees to implement projects that are important to them.
A co-optation bonus
Finally, the establishment of a Co-optation bonus can be very effective in encouraging your employees to talk about your job offers around them. This is paid most of the time to validate the new recruit's trial period. Some structures also choose to offer 50% at the time of hiring. If you really don't have the budget to grant such a bonus, think about the other in-kind benefits you could offer co-opters.
Our advice for an effective co-optation system
For the implementation of a co-optation system to work in your company, it is essential to:
- Communicate well on the various objectives. Everyone must fully understand what networking involves.
- Define profiles or the positions that are concerned. You can choose to apply co-optation to all of the company's jobs, or to those that are the most difficult to recruit.
- Choose the amount of the premium and the terms of payment. Again, it is possible to award a different bonus depending on the rarity of the profile, or the experience of the new talent.
It is very important to define the framework of your system well, so that your employees have all the information available from the start. Avoid any unpleasant surprises by neglecting certain details: this could be very disappointing and demotivating for your employees.
In a job market that is regularly under stress, it is important to diversify your recruitment channels to be able to collaborate with the best talent. Now you know the advantages of Establishment of a co-optation system to find competent profiles in line with your values. Before starting this recruitment technique, make sure that the conditions are right for the incentive to work within your company. Your employees must be happy to work for you and be as committed as possible to your structure. Otherwise, there is a good chance that no application will be sent to you. Remember that this recruitment method should not be the only one used if you want to maintain maximum diversity within your teams. At Teamstarter, we have fully understood the challenges associated with co-optation: 17% of our employees are recruited through this system !
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