March 12, 2026
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth.
Jamie and Molley were joined by Boutaïna Ettaki, a Talent Acquisition Specialist at Seven Counties Services. She shared her enthusiasm for working in the nonprofit sector, where she finds fulfillment in supporting her community and underserved populations. Drawing on her professional background in sales, she views recruiting as a process of “shopping for people” by identifying specific skills to fill a hiring manager’s unique needs. When it comes to attracting a younger workforce, Boutaïna emphasized that Gen Z looks for relatable content, such as real employee testimonials and videos, to get a true sense of a company’s culture. She warned that this generation will “snoop” through an organization’s website and social media, making it essential for companies to remain relevant or be left behind.
Boutaïna also highlighted that these candidates heavily rely on reviews from sites like Glassdoor and Indeed, often scrolling through comment sections before deciding to apply. To improve retention, she suggested that leaders should communicate directly with team members to
discover what they need to stay, rather than starting the expensive hiring process over again. She noted that losing a “best friend at work” creates a trickling effect on morale and can lead outsiders to assume a workplace is toxic. Boutaïna believes it is often more cost-effective to offer a small pay increase to a current employee than to spend thousands searching for a replacement.
Finally, she encouraged employers to ask the right questions to understand the root causes of turnover within their organizations. To wrap things up, she left this vital question for the next guest: “What will you do to retain talent within your organization?”
To learn more, visit:
Website: sevencounties.org
Ettaki, thanks for stopping by to speak with us!
That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you.
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Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals?
We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions:
- Jamie Swaim, SPHR – www.ParcelKnows.com
- Molley Ricketts – www.IncipioWorks.com
- Jason Heflin – www.CrowdSouth.com
We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
By Jason Heflin
Jason Heflin is one of CrowdSouth’s owning Partners and brings years of marketing experience from his past lives as a corporate marketing manager, writer, and freelancer. He also plays the ukulele for fun, which is cool.