Hiring Resource Center
Hiring continues to be a major concern for CEOs in 2026
Our research has shown that hiring is one of the major decisions that CEOs face every year. The economic environment changes. Demand changes. However, people are the foundation of small and midsize businesses’ ability to meet customer demand and scale for the future. This resource center provides a collection of insights on hiring, bringing together expert and peer perspectives to help you navigate decisions.
The process of finding qualified personnel has always been a challenge for businesses. However, the post-pandemic labor market has brought new challenges as employers use various criteria to differentiate themselves, including the type of work, compensation, development opportunities, and workplace environment. According to our latest research, almost 50% of small and midsize businesses cannot operate at full capacity due to a shortage of skilled workers, and 56% plan on expanding their workforce in the next 12 months. The Vistage Research team has updated its findings, and you can find the latest information on the big-picture implications for hiring as of February 2024.
To help with decision-making, we have curated:
- Insights on hiring from trusted experts
- Real-life approaches to hiring from CEO peers
- Join discussions about hiring in Vistage Networks
- Third-party resources on hiring
Insights on hiring from trusted resources
Research
Managing Workforce Velocity: Improving Employee Retention
To help CEOs address #retention, our new report from Vistage Research focuses on four recommendations for keeping top talent, the foundation for sustainable, long-term growth. [updated June 5, 2023]
The Hybrid Gap: How to Create the Ideal Work Environment
Is a hybrid workplace the right solution for your business? In this report, Vistage speakers Marc Emmer and Kathleen Quinn Votaw explore how companies can create the ideal work environment for their employees. [updated June 5, 2023]
Webinars
Future-proof talent: What matters to tomorrow’s workforce matters today [on-demand]
Learn what future employees want out of companies and how to position your organization to stand out in the war for talent. [Updated Sept. 22, 2023]
Attracting and retaining talent: Remaining competitive in a new era [on-demand]
Attracting and retaining top talent has become more challenging than ever. Insperity’s Sheryl LaPlace looks at the key insights your business needs to win the race for talent. [Updated Jan. 20, 2023]
Wage and Compensation: Member Roundtable [Member Exclusive webinar on-demand]
Learn best practices from three Vistage members to guide your approach to wages and compensation so you can keep your employees satisfied while retaining top talent. [Updated Jan. 20, 2023]
Recruiting and retention in the workforce revolution [on-demand]
Dealing with recruiting and #retention issues? HireBetter Managing Director Amy Ancira shares new best practices for attracting, hiring and retaining game-changing talent. [Updated Nov. 4, 2022]
Member roundtable on leveraging assessments [on-demand]
In this roundtable discussion, three Vistage members share how they’ve utilized assessments to support their employee lifecycle — starting with hiring — and the benefits they’ve uncovered. [Updated Oct. 28, 2022]
Member roundtable on hiring best practices [on-demand]
Hiring challenges still hamper CEOs’ ability to operate at full capacity. A trio of Vistage CEO members share new hiring strategies they have found successful. [Updated Aug. 15, 2022]
The CEO’s Journey: People & Culture [Requires My Vistage password; on-demand]
Learn from targeted breakout sessions on how to leverage heart-based hiring, how culture is a big part of talent strategy, and using culture to drive results. You can also watch insights from keynote speakers Erica Dhawan and Liz Wiseman.
David Friedman: How to leverage your culture as a strategic competitive advantage [on-demand]
Top-performing organizations don’t leave culture up to chance. 2021 Vistage Speaker of the Year David Friedman examines what it takes to build and sustain a high-performing culture.
Chair roundtable: Hiring practices for small and midsize businesses [on-demand]
A roundtable of Vistage Chairs examines how some member companies are solving their hiring and retention challenges.
Expert roundtable: Best practices for hiring and retaining hourly workers [on-demand]
A roundtable of Vistage speakers shares their insights on hiring and retaining from this highly volatile portion of the workforce.
Why hiring is personal for CEOs and founders [on-demand]
If you’re struggling with hiring, your purpose and culture might be the issue. Learn how to become the kind of CEO people want to follow.
Establish a learning culture as a competitive advantage [on-demand]
In this latest webinar from Insperity, find out how to implement a learning culture and employee development planning to drive successful hiring and retention.
The impact of implicit bias in the hiring process [on-demand]
Insperity presenter Aisha Thompkins discusses implicit bias, how it occurs, and strategies for reducing it in the hiring process.
Articles from the Vistage Research Center
Winning the talent war in any climate
Attracting and retaining top talent is a significant challenge that all leaders face. Learn tips on how to win the talent war in any climate
6 steps to an ideal employee experience
Engaging employees is not enough in today’s work environment. Talent specialist Kathleen Quinn Votaw shares 6 tips that can help CEOs create the ideal experience for employees.
How 3 CEOs use wages and compensation to drive retention
Recapping our most recent member roundtable (password required), a trio of CEOs shares their unique strategies for adjusting wages, benefits and other forms of compensation to hire and retain top talent.
The State of Employment and Wages
Vistage speaker and strategy expert Marc Emmer explores the key force driving today’s workforce, from hybrid and remote working to employee satisfaction to spiraling wage pressures.
Framework for hiring: What’s a dealbreaker when hiring ‘The Ideal Team Player’?
Best-selling author Patrick Lencioni breaks down the three traits needed in an “Ideal Team Player” and why missing one is a dealbreaker.
Indra Nooyi on “The great re-enrollment” [Requires My Vistage password]
In this member-exclusive clip, former PepsiCo CEO and Chairman Indra Nooyi explains why it’s time to stop focusing on”The Great Resignation” and look toward re-enrolling workers with an emphasis on humanity.
How CEOs can beat the great resignation
Despite the “Great Resignation,” several high-performing companies continue to thrive. How? HireBetter Managing Partner Amy Ancira identifies 3 successful leadership strategies.
Wage compensation in the wake of inflation
Everyone is hiring, and CEOs are increasing wages and bonuses to compensate. Vistage speaker and Compensation Consulting Services Managing Partner Rena Somersan explains why wages are rising.
5 fundamentals CEOs need to succeed in today’s workforce revolution
Today, workers determine when, how and where they will work. Joe Galvin explores 5 factors CEOs must consider as they develop their future workforce.
Employee development tops list of how CEOs compete in talent wars [Requires My Vistage password]Securing the right talent is a necessity if CEOs want to grow their revenue expectations. This report delves into the need for employee development to drive retention as well as efforts to compete for new employees.
Real-life approaches to hiring from trusted peers
As we move through the aftermath economy and the likelihood of a recession looms, CEOs brace for an economic downturn. Vistage Chief Research Officer Joe Galvin explains how leaders can use this time to ramp up for the next growth cycle. [Updated Aug. 28, 2023]
The competition for talent continues to intensify. But traditional hiring strategies are no longer effective. To get and keep top talent, you need competitive recruitment and retention plans. And the key to both? Employee development. Learn how two Vistage members leveraged employee development as a competitive advantage.
In survey after survey, members report that finding talent is a top challenge. Discover how two Vistage members took different approaches to hiring that helped their companies and communities.
Frequently Asked Questions about Hiring in 2026
What are the most effective strategies for CEOs to improve employee retention today?
According to the “Managing Workforce Velocity” report from Vistage, there are four key recommendations for CEOs to retain top talent in the current market:
- Provide competitive compensation: Ensure wages and benefits meet market standards.
- Invest in workforce development: Offer professional growth opportunities to satisfy employees’ desire for advancement.
- Define, model, and reinforce culture: Use culture as a stabilizing force that connects employees to the organization’s purpose.
- Understand and drive engagement: Actively measure and improve how employees connect with their work and the company.
How can CEOs solve the “workforce velocity” problem and reduce employee turnover?
Workforce velocity refers to the high rate of turnover in the post-pandemic labor market, where quit rates remain high and open positions outpace available candidates. To solve this, CEOs must accept that workers have options and focus on building a stable, high-performance workforce.
The primary solution involves shifting focus from merely filling roles to creating an environment that encourages stability. This includes benchmarking compensation to ensure fairness, offering flexibility (addressing the “Hybrid Gap”), and creating a culture that can withstand changing business cycles. Stability allows companies to scale effectively to meet peak demand without the constant friction of hiring and training.
What are the three essential traits of an “Ideal Team Player” for new hires?
Based on the framework by Patrick Lencioni, the three essential traits are:
- Humble: Team players who lack excessive ego, share credit, and emphasize the team over themselves. A lack of humility is considered a “dealbreaker” because it creates a dangerous team dynamic.
- Hungry: Self-motivated individuals who are diligent and constantly looking for more responsibility and opportunities to learn.
- Smart: People with “people smarts” (emotional intelligence) who understand group dynamics and how to work effectively with others.
Should CEOs prioritize compensation or company culture to win the war for talent?
Information from Vistage member roundtables suggests that both are critical, but they serve different roles.
- Compensation is the baseline: With 82% of CEOs adjusting base compensation, offering competitive pay is necessary to even enter the conversation. CEOs should use third-party studies to benchmark their pay and ensure transparency.
- Culture is the differentiator: Once pay is competitive, culture often becomes the deciding factor. The “Wages and Compensation” roundtable noted that benefits like work-life balance, flexibility, and a comfortable work environment can “incentivize employees to stay for the company culture more so than their pay rate.”
What is “The Hybrid Gap,” and how can we create the ideal work environment for our employees?
“The Hybrid Gap” is the divide between employers and employees regarding remote work; research shows 96% of workers prefer a hybrid or remote environment, while many employers still hesitate.
To create the ideal environment, CEOs should:
- Focus on experience, not just productivity: Move past the debate about whether remote workers are “productive” and focus on creating a superior employee experience.
- Be intentional about in-person time: Identify high-value activities that require face-to-face interaction (e.g., strategy meetings, new-hire orientation, team building) and require office attendance for those specific moments.
- Allow remote work for suitable tasks: Permit activities like technical training or sales support to happen remotely.
How does prioritizing employee development serve as a competitive advantage in hiring and retention?
Prioritizing employee development is a competitive advantage because professional growth is one of the top desires for both current and future employees.
- In Hiring: It differentiates the company as one invested in the long-term success of its people, attracting ambitious talent
- In Retention: It addresses a primary reason for turnover. By implementing a “learning culture” and clear career pathing, companies show employees they can achieve their goals within the organization, reducing the temptation to leave for advancement elsewhere.
Join discussions about hiring in Vistage Networks
Have a question? Need a recommendation? Want a referral? Ask your peers in My Vistage Networks or join an existing discussion. [My Vistage password required]
Ask a question
Or join a discussion:
- PTO and benefits benchmarking [Construction Network]
- Compensation packages [Talent Strategies Network]
- Employee engagement KPIs [Talent Strategies Network]
- Workplace and leadership training options? [Entrepreneurs and Small Business Network]
- Sales rep compensation [Marketing and Media Network]
- Job description Sr. VP HR or CRHO [Manufacturing Network]
- Seeking comp database recommendations [Talent Strategies Network]
- Finding new sales rainmakers [Talent Strategies Network]
- Employee engagement [Talent Strategies Network]
**You must be a Vistage member of the Network to view the discussion. It takes less than a minute to join.**
Third-party resources for hiring
9 Trends That Will Shape Work in 2024 and Beyond [Harvard Business Review]
New Leaders, Here’s How to Hire Top Talent [Harvard Business Review]
How to Hire Employees (2024 Guide) [Forbes]
3 Hiring Trends for 2024: AI, Optimism and Online Recruiting [Forbes]
Does Your HR Department Use AI for Hiring? Here’s What You Should Know [Inc.]
Struggling to Hire Workers For Your Small Business? Get Used To It [Inc.]
5 Ways Hiring Outside Your Industry Can Boost Success [Inc.]
2024 US Labor Market Forecast: Hiring to Slow, Unemployment to Rise [SHRM]
Yes, The Talent Shortage Is Real: What You Must Know To Attract And Retain [Forbes]
3 Steps to Onboard A Hire More Efficiently [Inc.]
The ‘Big Stay’: More Workers Are Hunkering Down And Staying in Their Current Jobs [Forbes]
What New Grads Entering the Workforce Really Want From Their Employers [Inc.]
Five Steps Toward Improving Gen-Z Employee Performance: A Primer For Managers [Forbes]
15 Leadership Tips To Boost Both Work-Life Balance And Accountability For Teams [Forbes]
Labor quality crunch hits small biz [LinkedIn]
3 Steps to Onboard a Hire More Efficiently [Inc.]
The Key to Retaining Young Workers? Better Onboarding. [HBR]
3 Ways CEOs Can Improve Employee Experience [Inc.]
Category : Talent Management
Tags: Talent Strategy
About the Author: Joe Galvin
Joe Galvin is the Chief Research Officer for Vistage Worldwide. Vistage members receive the most credible, data-driven and actionable thought leadership on the strategic issues facing CEOs. Through collaboration with the Vistage community
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