Retaining Staff

Wednesday 16th Jul 2008

It's a candidates market and employers need to think smart in order to retain good staff. Hiring and training staff are important steps, but what is equally important is making sure you keep them. So how do you do this? The solution is surprisingly simple - Give them what they want! When was the last time you asked your staff what they need to be successful and happy at their job? Many businesses never find this out, or find it out when it is too late and the employee is leaving. When you hire staff, you need to find out what makes them happy and then every quarter ask again to make sure you are providing these things. Use the following survey; simply include it with your staff's pay slips every three months.

Rate the following on a scale of 1-10 according to what makes you happy.

10 being the highest:

__ Money

__ Recognition

__ Security

__ Opportunity

__ Excitement

__ Need to belong

__ Need to communicate

__ Need to be led

__ Concrete goals and objectives

__ Need to contribute

Now, on a scale of 1 to 5 rate how satisfied you are in your job with each category:   5 being the highest:

__ Money

__ Recognition

__ Security

__ Opportunity

__ Excitement

__ Need to belong

__ Need to communicate

__ Need to be led

__ Concrete goals and objectives

__ Need to contribute

Recognition, excitement and opportunity normally top the scale for what makes people happy, with money generally coming in fourth or fifth. If the two scales don't match up, for example, if recognition comes out as the number one feature that makes someone happy, yet it receives a rating of 1 or 2 in the satisfaction, you know that staff member is on their way out the door!

The survey results provide you with the opportunity to turn this around - ask your staff member what you need to do to increase their satisfaction level in each category. A staff member wanting more recognition, for example, may simply want a public thank you, a handshake or a gift or bonus. A staff member wanting more opportunity may need to be given a mentor and a strategy put in place to start training them in new areas of the business. If you can't deliver on a request put to you by your staff, instead of dismissing it, look for alternatives. People need to feel as though they belong and are valued, so as a manager your ability to listen, give feedback and take action is very important.