Litsa Roussos - Employee Retention

1. Employee Retention
By: Litsa Roussos

2. Staff leave managers not
companies.

3. My real reasons for leaving my last position are as follows:
Leaders must inspire their people and be MENTORS. Always
teaching, sharing knowledge, best practice etc.
People need constant reassurance and “care”,
Your leader needs to instil a culture of nurturing and not that
people are easily dispensable.
When new management took over, the business was run like
an institution.
Going to work was just not fun anymore. Ego’s took over.

4. The real reasons why I left my job are as follows:
I believe that a leader must be confident in themselves, that they
are not threatened by their staff and encourage ideas and forward
thinking and should celebrate this.
Any staff member who challenged processes, decisions and ideas
was cut at the knees. One week you were the favourite and the
next you were not even greeted when you entered the office.
Mrs Xxx management style was my way or the highway. Xxx was
ruthless with staff who disagreed with her.

5. The real reasons why I left my job are as follows:
There was constant fear among management not to challenge
senior management as they knew the consequences
There was continuous movement of the “goal posts”
No consistencies in business decisions made..
Leaders seem to be so caught up in cutting costs, numbers and
fighting for their own survival that they are spending less time
with their people
Get back to basics be caring and warm with employees, teach, be
willing to learn as well and staff must love being with you and not
fear your presence

6. I’ve been giving my reasons for leaving my last position a lot of
thought since receiving the below e-mail from you. In summary
my reasons were as follows;
We had to do report after report after report, it was a paralysis in
the analysis
Continuous restructuring sometimes with fabulous ideas to be
implemented and a lot of hype created.. but nothing ever gets
done/implemented, pie in the sky type of stuff.
Working hours were none existent it was more like you worked
and somewhere in between you slept & ate. This is perhaps
acceptable if you are rewarded and or recognized, but two years
with no bonuses and minimal increases you begin to think - why
bother?

7. Reasons why I resigned:
Lacked a sense of belonging - I did not work through the ranks as
did the rest of the managers at the time. There was a lot of
resentment from them as I simply came into a top position without
any prior experience. Both my peers and direct report went out of
their way to ensure that I never felt part of the team.
Lack of leadership and mentoring - My direct report lacked vision
and could not provide the type of guidance that I required. I was
looking for a leader that could challenge me to articulate longer
range objectives and formulate plans to achieve them.
Lack of innovation - The team and manager that I worked with
were not prepared to deviate from the way they had done things.
There was no room for change or innovation and if the way in
which things were done was questioned I was isolated with no
support.
I felt that management was more intimidated by me and this
insecurity led to a very difficult working relationship.

8. My real reasons for leaving my last position are as follows:
Management style: Crises management, lacked adaptability, not
resilient, lacked process management, lacked communication
skills
Line Management were not able to make decisions on their own
about key challenges to the business and staff job
dissatisfaction
issues. They had to be taken to a higher level.
But then there was no feedback or the problem was not resolved
in an adequate manner where the solution was to the
satisfaction of the staff and management.
These managers do not add any input/value to your processes
implemented/measurement tools/etc.

9. The real reasons why I left my job:
Managers only get involved when something goes wrong.
If the company does not have a trusted HR person in place to
escalate the issues in a professional manner and find solutions
for that employee before they disclose the grievance, the staff
member will leave because there is no forum for expression.

10. Impact of High Staff Turnover
• Loss of IP (in a talent short market)
• Loss of Productivity
• Increased Costs – training, recruiting
• Low morale – staff, management
• Increased stress levels

11. So what is your management
style?
• Chameleons
• Manage people differently
• Max results
• Not hierarchical autocratic
• Will not work for the Millennial - their values and wants

12. Recruit the Right Staff
• Management style, culture fit 80/20, Values, Ethics,
Personality fit
• Buddy system
• Team to interview
• Real reasons for leaving

13. How Do We Retain Our Staff?
• Today I go to work to get fired!
• We want to retain our staff
• ROI on our greatest assets
• Make them feel valued and
valuable
• The workplace replaces the
family
• Our staff, our brand!
• Our staff, our competitive
advantage
• Our staff, our unique
differentiator
• Time spent ?

14. Communication Is Key!!
• Barrier to communication
• Relationship based
business demands staff
retention for client
retention
• How?- its how you say it
• What?- impact of the
behavior
• Office politics
• Cont..

15. Communication is Key cont..
• One on One
• Do it in spite of…
• Inclusive employee engagement
• Transparency
• Assumed trust
• Responsiveness

16. Know Your Business
• Gain respect
• Knowledge is power.
• Learn and inspire
• Don’t let staff believe they are indispensable
• Go to training, coach. Get the ROI

17. Identify Staffs Changing Career
Aspirations!!
Work in the interest of the
business and the
employee to generate a
win/win
Why are managers reluctant
to promote superstars
into other positions?
They do eventually move to
the competition!
Promote No.1 employee
and retain the number
two employee.

18. Build A Unique Culture
No recipe for all
Company and culture
dependent
Successful outputs validate
correct culture
Visibility
Connection
Humility
Teamwork
Circular organogram
Boundary-less organisation

19. Inclusive Management Style
• Staff at the coal face,
recognise good ideas
• Allow your staff to
solution
• Failure money
• Empowerment
• Make a decision
• Develop and grow your
staff eg attend
conferences, join
associations etc
• Thinking time
• Are you a hedgehog or a
fox?

20. Management Evaluation
• Rate on a scale of 1 - 5 (5 being the highest) how effectively we
interact with one another?
• Do you find my management style suited to your personality?
• Do I listen to your needs both personal and business?
• Do you feel I give you adequate recognition?
• What can I do to retain you as a valued employee?
• Am I fulfilling your career aspirations on an ongoing basis?
• On a scale of 1 – 5 (5 being the highest) how approachable do you
perceive me to be?
• Am I responsive enough and follow through on my deliverables to
you timeously?

21. A Leader Takes People Where
They Want To Go. A Great Leader
Takes People Where They Don’t
Necessarily Want To Go , But
Where They Ought To Be!!