Before you can examine the whole area of attracting and retaining people in any realistic manner, it’s first necessary to look at The Dark Side – in other words, what drives people from their jobs?
People leave their jobs for a variety of reasons. They may be bored. Perhaps the salary and benefits aren’t great, or there are limited opportunities for advancement. Lack of recognition is often another reason for leaving, so too the management they receive.
If you’re desperate to retain your people, and you want to become an Employer of Choice in the security sector, which areas would you think about addressing in the first instance?
First up, you need to review your managers. People leave people, not jobs. Poor managers can completely cancel out the positive effects of your heavy investment in recruitment advertising and PR, in ‘killer’ remuneration packages, in your outstanding share option scheme and everything else you do to attract the right individuals.
Start measuring your staff turnover by manager. It’ll frighten but enlighten you. Then review all of your managers in terms of their leadership and management skills. That way, you’ll discover what’s driving people away. Use 360 degree feedback to give each manager, his or her boss, his or her direct reports and fellow managers an opportunity to provide feedback on what they’re doing well – and, of course, what they could do better.
Importantly, you need to act on whatever you discover. Provide training, coaching and support to those managers who struggle to manage their people in a way that encourages productivity and retention. Good management is key to staff retention.
Culture of recognition
25% of all people leaving their jobs do so because of a perceived lack of recognition for what they do. Fix this… Or learn to live with attrition! Task your managers with the responsibility for seeking out the many ways in which their people perform above and beyond the call of duty. Have them consciously seek out opportunities for positive recognition.
Institute reward schemes for exemplary performance and give everyone an opportunity to bask in the glow of positive recognition for a job well done. However, be aware that a recognition culture cannot be created from nothing – it requires a healthy working environment to thrive. A healthy psychological environment. One in which recognition for exemplary performance is deemed normal.
You need to open up communications. There are too many old economy attitudes in our businesses. In the old economy, scarcity was the driving force – information was power, and those that had information hoarded it. That way, they amassed great power, privilege and wealth. Look around. The world has changed dramatically. The modern economy is based on an abundance of information – those who prosper are those who share it with anyone and everyone who can make effective use of it.
Let all of your people know where the organisation is going, and how it plans to get there. How their roles play a key part in the grand scheme of things. Give your people an: “I’m on the inside” feeling.
An attitude of co-operation
Give and take is the order of the day. Be prepared to consider anything that makes it easier and more practical to work for you than anyone else. Look at flexible hours, compassionate leave, sabbaticals, teleworking – anything you can afford to do that shows you’re prepared to meet your people halfway (or better) in balancing their work and personal life commitments.
Also, develop an atmosphere of trust in which management automatically expects the best from their teams. They’ll respond. Give people a good reputation to live up to and they’ll not let you down. This is one of the key sources of recognition – no-one is more flattered than when they’re trusted implicitly.
Did you know that 20% of people leave their jobs because they feel they’re not receiving sufficient advancement to retain them? Not surprising, really. Our new, flat-structured organisations don’t possess the dizzying promotional heights that previous generations of workers could aspire to scaling. So there’s nothing we can do about this point unless we still have an old-fashioned, multi-layer hierarchical organisation. Right?
Wrong! The modern jobseeker wants the opportunity to develop themselves to be all that they possibly can be – to continually polish their skills, abilities and experience such that their personal market value always rises – and if they can do this without the uncertainty of job-hopping then so much the better. What you need is a clear and ongoing development path. A way that each and every one of your people can advance their skills and value. That means heavy investment in training and development.
Training and development
Don’t be boxed-in to limiting the training available to those skills specific to an individual’s current job. Provide your staff with the means for success – train them on company time, give them study leave and have senior managers coach and support them.
Engage them in their own, ongoing and longer-term development. Focus their minds on genuine development goals that extend far beyond the availability of the next recruitment supplement. This creates truly compelling and self-serving reasons to stay.
What about the 15% who would leave for more money, though? Will more recognition, better management and opportunities for continual self-development retain them? In many cases, the answer is yes. You’ll still have to pay the market rate or better. It’s when and how you do so that’s the key.
When it comes to remuneration, put your best foot forward. Pay your people as much and give them as many benefits as you can afford from Day One. Emphasise the fact that you need constant engagement with (and from) your staff in making the organisation a success. Most people respond favourably to fair treatment. However, pay more than you can afford and you’ll become employer road kill.
Match made at work
A major study conducted by the Harvard Business Review shows that a key ingredient in retaining people is ensuring they’re well-matched to their job in terms of their abilities, interests and personalities.
Use psychometric tools to determine the requirements of each of your positions. Once you know what each role requires then you can match people to roles and offer the necessary training and support.
