The
Secret To Attracting and Retaining Excellent Employees
by David Lee
Originally published HRATV
Network
It’s no secret
that the challenge of finding high quality employees in today’s tight labor
market is on every manager and business owner’s mind. What does appear to be a
secret - given the typical response to this challenge - is what to do about it.
Most employee attraction and retention
strategies consist of creating a competitive compensation and benefits package,
or instituting an employee appreciation and recognition program. Even worse,
many companies – especially smaller ones – think attracting the best employees
is a lost cause for them, because they can’t match the perks and programs
showcased in Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Places to Work.
Although most companies don’t “get it”
when it comes to attracting and retaining employees, some do. These companies
are the Talent Magnets – the employers of choice for highly talented people.
They know the key to attracting and retaining quality employees isn’t
compensation and benefits packages or gimmicky programs. They know the key is
how well they address these four critical areas:
Your Company’s Image
Great companies attract great people. If you have a strong brand in the
marketplace, you will have a strong brand in the labor marketplace. If your
company is synonymous with quality, you will attract quality people; if it
isn’t, you won’t.
The Quality of Your Internal Operations –
Your image in the marketplace influences your ability to attract good people.
The quality of your internal operations influences your ability to retain these
people. Out-dated technology, inadequate resources, inefficient work processes,
and stifling bureaucracy are guaranteed Talent Repellents. Conversely, when a
company is run intelligently and efficiently, people want to stay and be part of
such a world class operation.
How Well Your Management Team Treats Your
Employees
This is where so many companies drop the ball. They promote technically adept
people to management positions, even if they have virtually no people skills.
They further compound the problem by scrimping on management training and
coaching, so these managers never develop the skills to bring out the best in
their workers. Worse, many companies turn a blind eye to disrespectful or even
abusive behavior by managers. The importance of having a top notch management
team and great supervisors cannot be overstated. Research conducted by the
Gallup Organization, involving over a million employees and 80,000 managers,
revealed that having good managers was the most influential factor affecting
both employee retention and performance.
Your Ability To Satisfy The Needs Of Your
“Internal Customers,” Your Employees – Just as the key to marketing and
customer service success is understanding what the customer wants, and then
delivering it; competing in the labor market requires understanding what
employees want, and then delivering that. Here are a few of the things
employees want most:
·
Pride
in Where They Work and What They Do
·
Meaningful
Work
·
Respect
– Both Personal and Professional
·
Sincere
Expressions of Appreciation
·
The
Ability to Exercise Autonomy and Control in One’s Job
·
The
·
A
Sense of Community and Belonging
·
Flexibility
That Allows for Work/Life Balance
·
The
Taking the First Step Toward
Becoming a Talent Magnet
The first step is to find out where you
currently are. Find out what your “customers” – your employees – think about
your company. Engage your management team in a very frank self-examination
process about how well the company is run, and how well employees are managed.
Use the four critical areas and the nine key human needs outlined in this
article as a launching point for this important discussion. By successfully addressing
these, you will become a Talent Magnet.
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About the Author: David Lee is a
consultant, speaker, and executive coach. The founder of HumanNature@Work, he has worked with organizations and
presented at conferences throughout
For More Information:
David Lee, President
HumanNature@Work
P.O. Box 430
Bar Mills, Maine 04004
Tel: 207-929-3344
E-mail: info@HumanNatureAtWork.com