Recruiting and Retaining

We talk a lot about recruitment, and rightly so. In fact, there is a whole industry – and a profitable one – built upon the need of businesses around the globe to recruit the right staff to the right job at the right time.

There are conferences where people are recruited, there are endless advertising platforms on line and elsewhere, and then there are the digital networks that showcase talent and also allow potential employers to take a look at whose available. It seems to work, people do find work and employers are less stressed about looking for workers these days on account of so much digital assistance.

All well and good, but it is one thing finding staff, it is quite another retaining staff. It could be argued that the biggest loss to a company is a constant churn or drain on talent. A stable team tends to do better than one that is constantly changing, not least because there is the inevitable headache of retraining and refocusing the team and the need to absorb new members into it.

So I ask myself why do people leave? What are the reasons? When is it a good thing, and when is it not only a bad thing but an altogether avoidable one?

Employees quit their job for many reasons. Sometimes it is about domestic circumstances.  Some follow their spouses across the country or to another country. Sometimes mainly but not exclusively women decide to stay home with children. Sometimes people opt to change careers or retrain altogether. Others find more lucrative options and act accordingly. Some just don’t feel valued or part of the team and vote with their feet. The reasons are as complex as human beings.

In which case it is best to note that the reasons may be impossible for an employer to address. It just is as it is. And if you factor in working remotely across the globe then you can add a plus 10 to any of the above factors.

But how do we retain those who we have working for us already?

Well for a start no one will work for an anonymous entity. The single most effective way to retain your team members is to stay in touch with what’s on their mind. Are they happy in what they are doing? Are they doing what they thought they would be working at? Do they feel part of the team? How is their longer term development coming along? And, perhaps crucially do they feel valued?

Some may dismiss such common even ordinary concerns but ignore them at your peril especially in this time of a highly mobile connected workplace. Believe me if they feel that none of the above are there then why would they stay – there is a big world out there and mostly at the click of a button.

So maybe start not with individuals but with the systems you have created around your team. A disparate team in terms of geography will all the more need careful handling.  Do these systems support not just the work that needs doing but the way in which the individuals work within that system. Remember the most important needs of all of us are: meaningful work, the correct market compensation, and the ability to feel some impact on what is being effected in the work undertaken, especially on the bigger picture.

So as the boss you have to understand your team, otherwise you won’t have one, and that means talking to them. Rather than waiting for people to leave you may want to ask existing staff why they are staying. This will give you some indication of what you are doing right and an indication of where you may wish to direct some of your attention to shore things up in the shorter term. People job search for a reason, it is your job as boss to be one step ahead of that, especially if you wish to retain the services of a member of staff.

Okay, I hear you say that people will leave simply for better employment prospects. True, but if they are leaving to do the same work at a different firm then they are really telling you and your business that the “great opportunity” was not on offer at your employment. And if enough people start to sense that then, well, you may not have a business model that is working for your employees.

As boss you don’t need to be best buddies with your employees but you do have to have some form of relationship. You need to give direction; they need to give feedback. When this isn’t in place then it is only a matter of time before someone pulls the plug.

No real relationship means no commitment either way and that doesn’t sound like something that is going to last long.

And when you speak to your staff what is it you talk about? Well start with the reason you’re both there: the work. Are they bored? Are they working in the right section on the right tasks? Do they feel their contribution is the bigger picture and do they see how they fit into that?

If possible we all want to enjoy the work we do and that means getting the right people passionate about the right things. No point in putting the marketing guys in charge of production and vice versa. They will not only have no passion for the job, they won’t do that job well.

So try and work alongside people to see who is engaged with what how that is working out. Are their skills and talents being utilized? If an employee is not fully engaged and to a high level then it is really only a matter of time. If you won’t allow them to use their skills then they will find someone who does need their services. Most people want to do a good job. Job satisfaction is up there with salary as a major motivator. Fiddle around with either of these and you just lost another employee.

As boss you have to keep an eye to how the team is interacting with each other. Good friends at work tend to retain each other. The opposite is also true. Poor interpersonal relations within the team will also be a drain on resources and ultimately someone is going to exit. Now, I’m not saying you have to placate everyone on the team at all times but good communication throughout the business should ensure that this is something you have to spend less time on.

This all may sound like hard work. It is. It is also the work of the boss; otherwise that same boss is endlessly recruiting a team rather than building a business with one.