There are several philosophies around employees that are sometimes contradictory, sometimes complementary.
- People are our most important asset.
- Everyone is replaceable.
- Hire the best talent no matter what.
- Hire the right people and train them to do what you need.
Some organizations follow all four rules depending on when and where they are hiring. Others simply follow their gut. Consistency is important though. It helps to establish the culture of the organization, set expectations for how people will be rewarded and who you will continue to hire as you grow.
If you hire the best talent no matter what but believe that everyone is replaceable you are in a contradictory state. People won’t know what to think – either they are the top of the field and replacement is highly difficult and risky or you don’t actually believe it would be difficult to replace them. It’s not a good place for people to be.
On that note, HBR ran a post around staffing for Retail success. It changes the perspective of retail labor by focusing on the customer view. Helps to put employees into a slightly different perspective.