Employee Retention

Success of any business is dependent on factors such as purpose, processes, people, customers etc. But it’s not just the existence of these basic factors that result in success – it’s how organizations deal with them. Undoubtedly, the prime factor is the truly motivated and committed workforce. Today, workforce at any level in any organization not only wants some direction and structure, but also desires freedom, empowerment and encouragement to build their skills. Managing people effectively requires balancing constraints with liberations viz. encouraging personal growth, development and nurturing innovative mindset. Leaders face issues in addressing different set of needs for structure vs. freedom, order vs. opportunity, logic vs. personal values, etc. The leaders put in best of their efforts to manage each person according to their respective needs. This is essential for success of any business.

WHY PEOPLE THINK OF LEAVING THE ORGANIZATION?

Disenchanted employees – Employees are simply told to follow instructions and get on with the programmes. Most employees don’t know what they’ll be doing in next five years.

Absence of career development plan – If the best performer knows that there’s a path carved out for him as he moves forward, he certainly hangs around.

Less demand or no ‘accountability’ – Senior leaders need to provide regular touch points for top performers. This boosts a sense of pride for being accountable.

Gap in deployment of mission, vision and strategy – Employees do not find connect in what they are told and what is being practiced within the organization.

It is said that ‘People do not leave organizations… they leave managers!’ Hence, it’s the – decisions, motivation, atmosphere, ethos, support, training, vision, and direction set by the leadership that helps organizations retain talent for a longer term.

Learning, contribution and fun are the three factors that contribute to enhance employee retention. In boom times, the management must keep the best people engaged by keeping the employees well informed about the company’s roadmap and create the culture that promotes work life balance.

CONTRIBUTION

• It is very important that an employee gets a feeling of being valued for performing well in an organization.
• Recognition of contribution enhances the performance of the employees.
• If an organization is able to lessen routine concerns, the employee can focus on the job at hand, this automatically improves efficiency.
• Security is another concern, if employees feel safe working in an organization; they will obviously be reluctant to leave it.

LEARNING

Repetitive tasks make employees restless; as they realize that they are not learning anything and contemplate movement for better careers. So, to sustain them an HR should take the following steps:
• Effective training programmes with a clear focus on return on investments on company’s resources and employees’ time.
• Training to enhance the employees’ knowledge and skills and facilitate an attitude for contribution.

FUN
• If the fun element is missing from an organization, the employee would sooner than later start looking for better options in the market. HR can get extremely creative in this by arranging some fun activities.

Organizations need to recognize the power of engagement for enhanced retention.

We would be glad to have your feedback and viewpoints on this article!!

The following two tabs change content below.
Farhan Khan

Farhan Khan

Farhan Khan holds a Management Degree in Finance & has wide experience with multiple MNCs. He is an avid reader. Leadership & Management are his areas of interest.
Farhan Khan

Latest posts by Farhan Khan (see all)

2 Comments

  1. satish said:

    Well said Farhan. I echo your thought.. Employees are absolutely first and foremost asset for success of any organization. Nicely explained and put forth.. Keep it coming !!

    November 26, 2016
    Reply
    • Farhan Khan Farhan said:

      Thank you Satish.

      November 30, 2016
      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *