Imagine a male colleague
of yours coming to you for advice on how
to save his troubled marriage. He shares
his strategy: “She’s thinking
of leaving me, so I’ve got to find
the perfect present that will make her
want to stay. I’m thinking Caribbean
vacation or maybe get her a Miata … Do
you think either of those would be the
ticket or is there something that would
work better?”
Upon hearing this, would your jaw not drop
in disbelief? The question itself would
be a pretty good diagnostic clue about
why he’s having spouse retention
problems. Although his approach to the
problem is admittedly absurd, it bears
a haunting resemblance to the way many – if
not most – organizations approach
employee retention.
For instance, how often have you been asked “So… what
kind of program can you put together to
help us reduce turnover?” or “I
know morale’s pretty low around here… how
about putting on an employee appreciation
day?”
Managers and HR professionals who ask these
questions have missed the point. Managers
and HR professionals whose “retention
strategy” revolves around Employee
of the Month awards, cool prizes, Fun Fridays,
and other things that money can buy; have
missed the point. Employee satisfaction
and loyalty doesn’t come from Goodies
and Gimmicks.
When organizations focus primarily on Goodies
and Gimmicks, they usually end up with
one of two unpleasant outcomes. First,
the cynical, jaded workforce that views
these efforts with distrust, because their
daily experience contradicts the intended
messages of the gala events and “we
appreciate you” programs. The second
unpleasant outcome is the entitled, “what
have you done for me lately?” workforce
who sits back and waits for management
to surpass their last bribery campaign.
There’s nothing wrong with fun events,
prizes, and other goodies. It’s just
that they’re the frosting, not the
cake. When dealing with people issues,
we must never confuse the frosting for
the cake. Returning to our hypothetical
example of the friend wanting to give his
spouse a gift, there’s obviously
nothing wrong with giving gifts, it’s
just that he’s thinking that applying
a “frosting solution” – a
material possession - will solve a “cake
problem” – relationship needs
not being met. If these needs aren’t
met, no amount of gift giving matters.
Creating a mutually satisfying, committed
relationship with your employees also requires
more than material solutions. Whether you
frame your goal as “Improving Retention,” “Increasing
Morale,” or “Becoming the Employer
of Choice,” your strategy should
focus on addressing those essential human
needs that, when fulfilled, lead to satisfied,
committed, productive workers. |
| |
| Although
age and other demographic variables
shape each individual’s needs
and desires, some needs are universal.
We will focus on six human needs, both
because of the central role they play
in employee satisfaction and retention,
and because many employers do a poor
job addressing them. These critical
human needs are: |
 |
| |
1. |
Pride in One’s
Work and Employer |
|
| 2. |
Work That Has Meaning |
|
| 3. |
Understanding The Goal and One’s
Role |
|
| 4. |
To Be a Player And Not Just a Hired
Hand |
|
| 5. |
The Chance to Experience Efficacy |
|
| 6. |
To Be Heard |
|
| |
When management and employees
co-create a work experience that satisfies
these essential human needs, the organization
don’t need a bevy of goodies and
gimmicks to make coming to work rewarding.
It’s like people and their hobbies.
No one has to pay you to engage in your
hobbies – doing them is reward enough.
In the next two parts of this article,
we will use these fundamental human needs
as a lens with which to examine your organization.
The information derived from this exploration
will help you formulate a retention strategy
with substance. Each section will include
a set of questions you can use to guide
your conversations with your management
team. I also strongly recommend that you
create an Employee Advisory Council and
involve them in all aspects of your retention
initiative, beginning with the assessment
phase.
For Parts II and III, go to the Employee
Retention article section. |
