In January, the topic for the breakfast was "An Integrated Approach to Retention" including approaches to enhancing attraction, retention and performance of employees and management alike.

The "straw-man" for the discussion was a model introduced by Bob Nadel, HRSpectrum’s President, who noted that clients approached the subject of retention one or two issues at a time, ranging from a quantitatively driven compensation approach to the favorite "soft-side" approaches of dot.com companies which may include a free spirited workplace and full fridges and chocolates. Nadel suggested that a more integrated approach, which includes a company’s approach to its management style, a recruitment strategy based on the profiles of the company and its jobs, strategies in compensation and benefits management, work family friendly programs and the like.

Following are some summarizing points noted during our wide-ranging discussion.

* Retention is more important in know-how jobs. The longer it takes to learn the job content before joining the company, or the longer it takes to learn on the job, the more employers need to focus on retaining these employees. We don’t need to focus very much on the jobs where you can learn the job in a few weeks.

* Should we retain everyone? Most organizations actually benefit from some turnover. If you have no turnover, a company may be keeping non-performing people and taking a chair from an otherwise qualified applicant.

* We need to watch the shifting culture for the employees we recruit. The entrepreneurial employee we needed five years ago might not be today’s need as the company matures. We need to constantly check our culture and match it to the strategy of our hiring practices.

* We need to hire people and retain them to fit the strategy or strategies at the time. The concern is that there may be multiple strategies because of issues in different departments or businesses.

* The main reason we lose people is because of their relationship with an insider, usually their direct manager. A good part of the retention issue is the management style we use, including communications and performance management. Processes such as team-building and executive coaching can help to ameliorate these management performance concerns.

* Employees want the sense that they are doing important work and that they’re learning on the job. These are among the most critical factors in retention.

* Communication is vital, especially if there is a change in direction or mission of the company, department or business unit. "You can’t communicate too much, especially during times of turmoil."

* A last moment suggestion was made to end the meeting: ask the employees what they are concerned about (through an attitude survey, etc.) to help integrate your retention strategy.

For information please contact staff@hrspectrum.com

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