Successful HR teams are a bit like circus acts, at times bending and contorting to accommodate last-minute or urgent requests, later making high-flying leaps with the goal of improving some key performance metric and still yet juggling half a dozen metaphorical chainsaws at once.
One of those particularly worrisome chainsaws (responsibilities) is retention. Global talent management firm SilkRoad published research late last year citing retention as the single greatest concern of most HR professionals. Nearly half of respondents (48 percent) indicated that employee engagement and retention would be priority number one in 2014.
Resource Nation offers several tips to consider if the matter of hanging on to your talent keeps you up at night.
Roll out the red carpet for new hires. A warm welcome can go a long way toward minimizing the stress of starting a new job. Reiterate in on-boarding and training that the employee is valued and that the hope is for Day One to be the beginning of a long and happy relationship.
Give employees a sense of investment. Staff should feel both that their work is significant and that their company is in it for the long haul. Allow them to contribute more broadly, perhaps even blending job responsibilities so that staff members can become more versatile. Pay for continuing education in whole or in part or offer mentorship opportunities wherein junior workers can benefit from the wisdom of senior staff.
Pay them competitively. The ties that bind employee to employer aren’t so strong that money isn’t a factor. Talent will feel undervalued, and understandably so, if they discover they’re being paid much less than the market standard.
Communicate with your team. When serious issues arise, don’t ignore them or keep your staff in the dark about them; problems left to fester don’t resolve themselves. Leadership and staff can work together to address issues and surmount challenges.
Published by Conselium Executive Search, the global leader in compliance search.
