Employee retention still is the number one concern for employers. No matter how big or small or the industry, the struggle is keeping employees. Many employers are confused, why they are not retaining their employees. How does your organization define retention?
Retention has many meanings and often times the focus is on keeping a body in the seat. You just want them to show up for work before time, so they are on time to start their shift. A good retention strategy is defined, implemented and aligned with the hiring strategy. They both go hand in hand. Remember your end result is to retain employees. But there is also another step to retaining employees, it is engagement. We will talk about that in another segment. But remember, you have to engage in order to retain!
Most companies do not recognize the need for engaging their employees. An engaged employee is a happy employee. They are less likely to leave the workplace. Notice, I didn’t mention wages and benefits. That’s on purpose. I want you realize that while wages and benefits are important, it’s not the only factor that keep employees. People leave high paying jobs everyday due to poor leadership, lack of rewards/recognition and poor work environments.
Now, it seems to me that before you can retain, you have to give something. As an employer what are you willing to give? Is it career development, training, resources, promotion, rewards and recognition? What exactly are you willing to give to increase your employee retention? What are you looking to retain from your employees, their knowledge, skills and abilities, or just to have them show up, do what you say and go home? What is your retention value proposition?
Remember, Billy Preston’s lyrics “Nothing from nothing leaves nothing, you got to have something if you want to be with me. “ There are other songs that come to mind, but I won’t bore you. I believe you get my message. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that is also true in the workplace.
I challenge you to start with hiring right. If you hire wrong, then you have already blown your retention strategy. Do you know the traits and characteristics of your top performers in each of your departments? In today’s world, like all other strategic plans you have, hiring should be a strategy. An effective hiring strategy yields retention.
Next, how is your working environment? Are your new hire process and on-boarding process effective? Do you know the difference between new hire orientation and on-boarding? Believe me, there is a distinct difference between the two. What is the level of engagement and candidate experience from sourcing- to hire – through the first 90 days?
These are powerful questions and maybe you had some “aha” moments. If so, then I met my goal of making you evaluate your retention strategy and how to develop your retention value proposition. I challenge you to align your hiring and retention strategies to decrease attrition.
Contact me to discuss employee engagement and retention. I welcome the opportunity to work with you to develop strategies to engage and retain your employees.
Regards,
Coach Jennifer
CEO/Founder
Mirror Coaching
614.589.0990
jennifer@mirrorcoaching.org
www.mirrorcoaching.org