Employers have been in the driver’s seat for the past several years as the recession made jobs scarce and workers afraid. It has been tough on the organizations as well. No one wants to freeze open positions, reduce salaries or cut benefits.

But when it came to hiring, it was a buffet of plenty for employers. Even the lowest-paying jobs were attracting hundreds of applicants. Many were overqualified for the jobs they sought and willing to make concessions on salary and benefits.

But those days are coming to an end.

We’re approaching a reversal that every business leader needs to prepare for. Believe it or not, we’re about to bang our heads on a huge employee shortage by the end of this decade. Especially the skilled worker pool.

Why is this a marketing issue?

• Your happy employees are one of your best sources of word-of-mouth advertising.

• Your employees keep your customers coming back (or not).

• Being short-staffed will affect your ability to serve your customers and keep your promises.

• If you have to pay a premium to get employees, that cost will get passed on to your customers, making it harder to stay competitive.

• One of the best ways to increase productivity and profitability is to have a stable work force.

• Employees talk. If your current employees are happy, they will attract new employees of a higher caliber.

So what do we need to do now to earn our workers’ respect, appreciation and loyalty so that by 2020, we really are an employer of choice?

Give them the inside scoop: Employees are often the last to know. They don’t see the new ad campaign until it appears in the paper. They didn’t even know you had a Facebook fan page.

More important, they don’t know the company’s vision or how they can contribute. Share this with them and share it often. Recognize employees who are helping move you toward that vision publicly and make it a part of everyone’s review.

Trust them; treat them like grown-ups: If you don’t trust them with your customers or with your company secrets, fire them. Stop blocking websites like they’re 12-year-olds you have to monitor. Believe me, if they want to waste time, there are plenty of options besides Facebook and Twitter.

No adult wants to be in a relationship with someone who treats them like a child. Give them grown-up responsibilities and privileges. If they prove they’re not worthy, let them go.

Give them a piece of the pie: Raises just because they’ve worked for you for another year are a thing of the past. If they’re doing the same caliber of work, the same job at the same level, why would you pay them more? Reward employees who add new skills, new ideas or new customers.

Better yet, share your financial goals with every employee and make it worth their while to help you get there. Tie financial rewards to your company goals to get everyone pulling in the same direction.

This isn’t new stuff. But many employers are afraid to try it or haven’t been forced to try, because it has been easy to get and keep staff. Those times are changing, and we’d better change right along with them if we rely on employees to help us serve our customers.

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached by e-mail at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2011 Drew McLellan