Retaining talent

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compiled by
G K Lim
The compiler gives you permission to freely distribute this ebook to
your colleagues, associates and relatives

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CONTENTS
Hiring and Retaining Good Employees 04
Building a Retention Culture - Retaining Top Talent is a Strategic
Imperative 12
5 Best Practices for Retaining Your Best Talent 16
Retaining Top Performers 20
Retaining Good Employees 23
Maintaining People Places & Retaining Staff 26
Recruiting and Retaining Top Sales People 29
Retaining Employees - 10 Steps To Keep Them Happy 34
The One BIG SECRET To Retaining Great People 37
Recruiting And Retaining The Most Talented People Without Spending
Penny 41
Retention - 10 Reminders 44
Keeping Good Staff Is Important But Keeping Your Family Is Critical 47
Customized Employee Retention Plans 50
The Four Cultures of Employee Retention 54
Manage Talent Or Lose It 59
Top Retention Tools - Survey Results 61
Retention of Key Workers is #1 Entrepreneurial Challenge 63
Employee Retention: It's a Changing Game 66

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R2 = EOC --- Recruitment & Retention = Employer of Choice 69
Employee Retention: Five Leadership Fundamentals 74
How to Retain Top Sales Talent 77
Employee Retention for New Hires 82
Increasing Employee Retention Through Employee Engagement 85
About the compiler, G K Lim 89

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Hiring and Retaining Good
Employees
By Myron Curry
Hiring good employees is not only important to business, it’s essential.
Employees are the heart and soul of a business; they are the
mechanism that makes a business run; they are the breath of life that
enables a business to be something more than an idea. A business
cannot run unless someone (employees, in this case) is doing the work.
Any intelligent business owner should want good employees.
EMPLOYERS NOT THE ONLY ONES TO FEEL THE EFFECT
Bad employees not only affect an employer by driving down sales,
costing the company unwanted expenses due to negligence or simple
lack of motivation, etc, but they affect the customer as well. Of course,
once a customer has experienced a bad employee, it automatically
affects the employer in obvious ways. Although this seems like common
sense to most people, it is uncanny how most employers will overlook
this fact, whether it’s because of time constraints to effectively deal with
the problem or lack of better judgment. Whatever the case, it is a fact
that sales get driven down and production slowed for a reason. That
reason could very well be because of the customer’s lack of satisfaction
with whatever service he or she had received and that lack of
satisfaction stems from bad employees.
FIND THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO START WITH
This is one of the most important things you, as an employer, can do.
Getting the right people into your company to start with gets things
moving in the right direction at the very beginning.

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According to Chairman and CEO, Hal F. Rosenbluth, and Consultant,
Diane McFerrin Peters, of Rosenbluth International, the third-largest
travel management company in the world, “Most of us choose our
spouse with care and rear our children with nurturing and compassionate
attention. Yet, we tend to select the people who will join our company on
the basis of an interview or two, and once they have joined, they often
find that they must fend for themselves.
This contrast illustrates the disparity between the environments of family
and work. But, given the amount of time we must spend at work,
wouldn’t we all be happier if we took as much care at the office as at
home to create a supportive environment? Wouldn’t we also be far more
successful?” (28).
The answer is yes.
THE CUSTOMER DOES NOT COME FIRST
It’s important to remember that if you want quality employees, your
company must be of the same caliber. If you expect to attract an
employee who thrives to be as dedicated to the business as possible,
doing more than what is expected, and putting forth 110% without any
consideration being given to the employee’s personal needs, thoughts,
and desires, you are truly fooling yourself. And, eventually, your
business will suffer for it.
It’s obvious to most, by now, that benefits and perks play a large part in
attracting employees. I need not explain the many benefits that a
company should make available to attract a good employee because it
should be common sense to most, by now. I will say, however, that
attaining a good employee must go much farther than just having a great
set of benefits. After all, does a wonderful benefits package actually
attract only good employees? Of course not. There must be more to it
than that.
For the customer to be served with the best results humanly possible, a
more modern approach to the theory of customer satisfaction must be
realized which is that the customer should not come first; the employee
should. Therein in itself is one of the most successful ways to attract a
good employee.
When a business puts its employees first, many things can happen. To
begin with, the employee is happy. If the employee is happy, the service

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that the employee provides to the customer will be far more outstanding
than if he or she were not happy. If the service is outstanding, the
customer will be happy and that only spells successful results for the
business.
This does not mean that an employer must wait hand and foot on the
employee. No, it simply means that careful consideration to what an
employee thinks, wants, and suggests should be considered. Do not
treat an employee as if he or she is a factory robot working on a clock.
Treat them as people. Treat them with respect by talking to them as
people and not “talking down to them” as “employees”. In fact, a good
idea would be to remove the term “employee” all together. One
successful company I know of refers to its employees as “associates”,
thereby empowering their “associates” with a feeling of more respect and
purpose.
EMPLOYEE LEADERSHIP AND FLEXIBILITY A MUST
An open, friendly atmosphere is a must in a workplace. Micro managing,
as most already are aware of, is frowned upon. This is for a reason.
When a work environment is open enough for all employees to
contribute and offer ideas and suggestions, without ridicule or negative
response, this sparks creativity in an employee and, again, empowers
them to contribute more to the business. If everyone feels as though
they are a part of the leadership process and not just a worker bee, they
will have a satisfying feeling that can go a long way. Micro managing
completely kills this system.
An employer must be flexible. Does there really need to be a rigid
schedule? Does lunchtime really need to take place at a specific time?
Who actually needs a clock to tell them when they are hungry? This line
of thinking is what is needed in every faucet of business, as simple as it
seems. It makes an employee feel more like a human; it makes them
feel as though the business respects them as a person and will put them
first. Once that consideration is instilled in an employee’s mind, there
isn’t anything that he or she wouldn’t do for a business. And, when a
person looks forward to waking up in the morning to begin working in a
place where they feel management gives them respect and thinks highly
of them, they will put forth the effort to show appreciation.
HIRE NICE PEOPLE

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Experience and degrees are great ways of measuring employees’
qualifications and potential…but ask yourself, are they nice people? A
person can be the most qualified, educated, and experienced possible
employee on the planet but if they have the personality of a wet paper
bag or of a caged wolverine, it’s guaranteed they’re not going to do
much for your business. Those that have to work with them will be
disgruntled on a daily bases and begin putting out a poor performance.
The customers that receive service from them will be unhappy and I
need not say what happens after that.
Hire nice people. Nice people can do wonders for a business. Sound
picky? It is. But, when it comes to your business, can you afford not to
be picky?
A nice person can learn anything. Nice people are pleasant to be around
and are easy to teach. They are notoriously quick to learn. So, even if
your nice person does not have the skill set that you are looking for, one
might consider the possibility of training. Think about the potential,
especially if nice people seem to be rare in your neck of the woods.
HOW DO YOU FIND NICE PEOPLE
This should be obvious. During the interview process, were they down-
to-earth or were they focused solely on success, success, and more
success? As crazy as it may seem, the total, success driven fanatic may
not be the best option. Again, the person who seems more like a
“person” would be the best candidate for hiring. In the long run, they will
make your business more successful because they would make the
customer, as well as those that have to work with them, happier.
Conduct tests and unconventional interview methods. Why should an
interview consist of one or two meetings in a stuffy room? How can we
really find out about a person that way? The answer is that we can’t.
Instead, how about combining the stuffy office interview one day with
another day of playing a game of softball with other, current employees,
as Hal F. Rosenbluth and Diane McFerrin tend to do within their
company? This would be great for company moral and, at the same
time, provide a chance to see how the potential employee reacts in a
team environment. If the person is bent on nothing but winning and
becomes angry when other teammates drop the ball or do not hit as far
as they should, perhaps this person is not the best employee to have
around. Chances are that their performance on the softball field will
reflect their performance in the office. (31-32).

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Go for a drive. As again explained by Hal F. Rosenbluth and Diane
McFerrin Peters, the way a person drives an automobile says a lot about
a person’s personality. Are they overly aggressive and speed through
traffic, weaving in an out of other cars, determined to get to the point of
destination no matter what the cost? Or, are they assertive drivers who
consider the safety of their passengers and think of alternate routes
when confronted with a traffic jam, focusing more on the drive than the
destination? (31). Which person would you rather have working for you?
Which person would you rather have serving your customers? If you
were a customer, which person would you rather have serving you?
Invite your new, potential employee to a company social event. Are they
the type of person that talks only of themselves and continuously brags
about all of the wonderful things that he or she has done? Do they even
talk to anyone at all? These are the folks that either want to gain far
more than they are willing to contribute or aren’t willing to gain or
contribute. These are the type of people that will bring your company
down.
So, some key points to consider thus far:
Consider your employees before your customers. Not only will the
employee put out a far better performance due to feeling respected, but
your company will also build a reputation as being “the company to work
for”, which will attract other, good employees.
Be flexible. Constraints in the office constrain creativity and work
performance. Go for casual clothing, if possible. Let your employee
decide when it’s time to eat and take a break. Be flexible on your
employee’s schedule, catering to his or her personal needs. The
employee will show appreciation in return, by supplying a good output of
production.
Hire nice people. Not one customer in the world, no matter what
business you are in, enjoys service from someone with less-than-
appreciative attitude. And, your other employees will not enjoy working
with them either, bringing down moral and production drastically. This
kind of person will not be willing to strive at contributing to your
company; they will strive to contribute only to themselves.
Consider the unconventional when interviewing an employee. The more
often you can set a scenario that a potential employee will not expect or

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could find to be an unusual method of interviewing, the better. It will give
you a chance to see what that person is really capable of, as a person.
RETAINING GOOD EMPLOYEES
As important as attracting good employees is, it is just as important to
retain them. As always, benefit packages help to retain employees. But,
again, this is something that most people are already aware of. Sure,
there will be those that will want to stay for the great benefits. But, is that
all you, as an employer, can offer? No.
After spending as much time as you should have in attracting good
employees, it only makes sense that you would go to certain lengths to
keep them. Chances are, if you really attracted a good employee, it
wasn’t just because of the benefits. And, chances are that your good
employee will not stay just because of the benefits. Benefits, although a
positive force, are not the end all and can, at times, be a false sense of
security to an employer. Not everyone develops his or her retention
decision on a benefits package, at least not the smart employee.
LET THEM CHANGE IT UP NOW AND AGAIN
Let your people explore your company. Don’t lock them into one, specific
type of work, especially if they express desire to try other things. In
today’s job market, job-hoping, as it is known, is a regular occurrence. If
you provide your employees with the chance to job-hop “within” your
company, this is one way of keeping them there. Give them the
opportunity to gain new experience, knowledge, and skills. This will only
enhance your company anyway, by having an employee that can do and
handle more. It also increases confidence in the employee and makes
their work more satisfying. The United States military and civil services
such as police and fire departments have already figured that one out.
They call it cross-training and fleeting-up and it’s a great idea.
COMMUNICATION
Communicating is very important, not only in day to day business, but in
retention as well. People need to feel as though they have a grasp on
what is going on within the company. They want to know where the
company is going and how they will be part of that process. They need
to feel they are involved in the company. Being part of any planning
processes, being able to contribute ideas for the company, and
essentially being heard is all part of communication. Again, this is

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emphasized in most of the U.S.’s military forces as well, even though
they conduct themselves in more of a dictatorship.
Know why your people wanted to join your company in the first place
and hone in on that. Keep that priority of the employee in consideration,
always acting on it and developing it, and the employee will want to
continue that purpose with a strong sense.
Talk to your people. Not only should you get to know them, you should
get to know what they continue to want and think. And, don’t think for a
minute that a person’s desires and thoughts on particular matters will be
the same later down the road as they were when they first joined the
organization. Things change, including your employee’s thoughts and
desires. Keep up with those changes.
Get feedback from your employee’s. Find out what they think is right and
wrong with the company. Provide a feedback forum. And, most
importantly, act on the information you receive from this feedback.
In summary:
Let your employee job hop and provide an opportunity to let them do it
within your company, instead of having to go outside the company. More
than likely, if they can’t do it in the company, they will venture outside to
a place that they can. Take advantage of the multiple skills your people
can learn within the company. This not only helps your company out, it
gives the employee a feeling of more purpose and he or she will enjoy
not having to go far to expand their skills.
Keep your people in mind when it comes to information on where the
company is headed and what it is doing. If the employee does not feel
informed on what is happening, they will not feel as though they are part
of the company and, therefore, will not want to stay, in the long run.
Get to know what your people want, when they first enter the
organization and periodically throughout their tenure. People’s motives
and desires change. The good employer is the one that can keep up with
those changes. Offer feedback methods and make sure you act on the
results.
Above all, remember what it was that got you that good employee in the
first place. The concepts mentioned in this article that enable an
employer to attain a good employee to begin with are basically the same

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principals of retaining them as well. It’s that simple. Anyone who works
for a company that considers their needs, is just, and can remain
flexible, as well as provides other good employees to work alongside,
will want to continue working in that company. Hiring and retaining good
employees goes hand in hand.
About The Author
Myron Curry is President and CEO of http://BusinessTrainingMedia.com
a leading provider of workforce and business development training
programs designed exclusively for corporate deployment. Myron has
over 20 years of successful management experience with leading
fortune 500 companies and has written numerous articles about
workforce management issues. You can contact Myron at:
[mailto:myron@business-marketing.com]myron@business-
marketing.com or visit his company's website
http://www.businesstrainingmedia.com
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Building a Retention Culture -
Retaining Top Talent is a Strategic
Imperative
By Maynard Brusman
How to keep workers:
The ability to retain top people is critical the success of companies.
Commitment, the bond between people and the organization, has
become the vitamin C of business.
Retaining key people is Number One problem in corporate America. A
solution means more profitable companies, happier, more productive
employees, and more satisfied customers.
In most organizations, the CEO sets the tone for how people are treated.
Are people valued for what they do on a frequent, individual basis or are
they grouped together as a line item in the budget?
Managers need to be held accountable for building a retention culture in
their teams and in their departments. Research from the Saratoga
Institute shows that 50 percent of work-life satisfaction is determined by
the relationship a worker has with his or her boss.
Self-managed, agile organizations create work environments where
people can continuously learn and make decisions.
Employers face an unexpected predicament. The economy is robust,
technology is expanding our capacity, and global markets provide new
customers. However, companies do not have enough competent people
to get the work done.

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Retaining the right people is a strategic imperative. Managers and
employing organizations need to understand what good people want and
meet those expectations. Diverse workers want to control their own
destiny and make significant contributions to society through their work.
Research demonstrates that most people shift their loyalties to a new
employer because of non-monetary reasons. Good people leave their
jobs for the following typical reasons: 1.The company mission, vision,
and values seem incongruent with their experience, 2. Leaders do not
communicate how the employee is valued, 3. Inadequate resources and
information, 4. No opportunity for advancement, and 5. Compensation
issues.
There are a number of important strategies that companies can
implement that will provide a solution to keeping valuable people. Which
strategies are needed depends on the particular corporate culture. A
comprehensive corporate culture survey designed and administered to
all employees can help determine which strategies to employ.
Selected Strategies for Retaining Good People:
• Create a Statement of Values
• Share a common vision
• Offer an open management style
• Provide career growth, learning, and development
• Create exciting work and challenge
• Provide meaningful work
• Be flexible with work hours, dress, work rules, telecommuting
• Work together as a team
• Create trust in senior leadership
• Provide job security
• Minimize work-related stress

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• Increase competitiveness of rewards
• Provide opportunities to use skills on the job
• Trust your people
• Appreciate employees on a regular basis
• Reward leaders who listen and act on employee input
• Provide proper resources
• Encourage creativity and innovation
• Establish a learning culture
• Provide rewards based on performance
• Get people involved in decision-making
• Encourage collaboration
• Build employees self-esteem
• Demonstrate integrity in all business endeavors.
• Provide support with managing change
• Facilitate open communication
• Make work fun
• Create balance between work and family
• Assign coaches or mentors who help employees not only with
specific jobs, but in developing their careers

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Dr. Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist, executive coach and
trusted advisor to senior leadership teams. We provide strategic talent
management solutions to select and develop emotionally intelligent
leaders and lawyers.
The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) awarded two rare
"Board Approved" designations for Dr. Maynard Brusman in the
specialties of Executive/Leadership Coaching and Trusted Advisor to
Attorneys and Law Firms.
Subscribe to Working Resources FREE electronic newsletter at
http://www.workingresources.com
Visit Maynard's Blog at http:// http://www.WorkingResourcesBlog.com
P.O. Box 471525
San Francisco, California 94147-1525
Tel: 415-546-1252
Fax: 415-721-7322
E-mail: mailto:mbrusman@workingresources.com
mbrusman@workingresources.com
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5 Best Practices for Retaining Your
Best Talent
By Russell White
Companies have a tradition of luring away top executive talent from the
competition. In sports free agency has changed the entire landscape of
professional athletics as teams constantly fight for talent. The talent wars
are now reaching the trenches and companies are taking off the gloves
and aggressively going after top talent at all levels regardless of who
they are currently employed by.
Because employees now know they are potential free agents, they are
looking for the best package, not just more money. Who are the people
you would hate to lose? It's time to use these five best practices for
retaining your top talent so they aren't as eager to see if the money is
greener on the other side of the fence.
1. Give them a quality team
Top talent wants to work with other top talent. Most sports are set up
where the worst team gets the top talent in the next draft. No longer do
players willingly accept this. Some ask to be traded; others refuse to go
to the team that wanted to draft them. John Elway was ahead of his time
in this refusal. They all say they want to play on a winner.
Employees are singing the same song. The best talent wants to be part
of a team awash in great talent. Why? Because they know they will be
challenged to improve, they know the coworkers understand how to pull
their own weight, and they will respect those they work with.
Your top talent is looking for more top talent, and so should you be if you
want to keep what you currently have.

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2. Provide perks they value
The best expect to be treated that way. Top talent expects to be treated
like they matter to an organization. Google is on the fast track and they
know without top talent they can't stay the course. They offer their
employees free car washes and oil changes in the parking lot while they
are working. Other top talent organizations frequently offer exercise
facilities free for use during working hours. They know it keeps the
employees alert, fresh and demonstrates that employee health is
important.
One executive in one of my audiences told me he provides a break room
for his employees. In fact, he proudly offered, "It is a profit center for my
company!" I challenged him to consider offering break room contents for
free so more profits could appear on the bottom line and not the break
room line item. Take care of the people taking care of you!
When I work with Duke University and stay at their Dave Thomas
business center, I know at the end of the hall is a break room filled with
snacks from coffee, to granola bars, to Dove bars in the freezer -- free of
charge. It is not abused, or raided, but it is appreciated and almost
expected. When you are the best, you expect to be treated as such.
3. Keep the job exciting
This is the biggest challenge for business leaders because it has never
been as important to keeping good talent as it is now. Not only are
competitors better and making job opportunities sound fantastic, but we
are becoming a society where everyone is ADD! We constantly are
looking for the excitement, the adrenaline rush, or the thrill in our
entertainment and our personal lives. Television programs shift the
camera angle on average of every 3.4 seconds. Cruise lines now offer
constant activities such as rock wall climbing. Sporting events fill breaks
in the action at stadiums with music, cheerleader routines or on field
entertainment. If every part of our lives are filled with this stimulation,
why should work be any different?
Leaders need to be sharing their excitement for work. If the manager is
down trodden the workforce will reflect that and the top talent will be
looking for the exit door. Exciting leaders encourage excitement in others
and create work environments that buzz with excitement. Top talent
thrives in top working environments. Great sales people love the

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excitement of "fresh meat." Give them new client to work with, new
elephant prospects to try to land, keep them in the field and out of
meetings. Ask your best people, what can add excitement to their work
day. They will let you know how to create a work environment that will
keep them.
4. Challenge them regularly
When I talk about creating challenges I am not referring to constantly
giving them higher quotas, or being a manager who is very "challenging"
to work with. In fact, those two ways are sure to drive off top talent.
To challenge your top talent, get them involved with problem solving. Not
reaching the market share you desired? Ask them what they are seeing
in the field. Not maximizing your line efficiency? Don’t ask the engineers
to study it, ask your top operators how can that maximization occur?
Your best people enjoy the challenge of finding answers and want the
opportunity to offer ideas and suggestions. When their input is used for
innovations they take ownership and pride and become more linked to
your organization as a result.
Another way to challenge your best talent is let them play on pet projects
with pay. Top talent is usually thinking many steps ahead so why not
have them doing that for you? 3M allows some of their employs to play
on projects that are different from their day to day assignments. In short,
PostIt Notes were a result of a pet project that became the top selling
product for the company. What could your talent be doing for your
organization this way?
5. Job morphing
Once upon a time people tried to hire employees to fit a premolded job
description. Today you need to be molding the job to the talent, and let
your talent run free!
In front of an audience full of sales people I asked them what is the worst
part of their jobs? Almost as if rehearsed in unison I hear: paperwork!
Why do top sales people hate paperwork? Because sales people are
people people and not task-oriented people and they don't like sitting in
a cube. They would rather be in the field bringing down big game than
sitting in the office on Friday's pushing papers. Companies are
essentially benching their best talent for 20% of the week! Hire paper
pushers so your top talent goes out and do what they do best -- sell.

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Morph the job so the company and the employee get the best from their
day.
Retaining top talent is critically important in these predatory times. Be
sure you are doing what it takes to have them hang up on those trying to
poach your people.
Russell J. White, CSP is an author, international speaker and consultant.
He is president of Russell J. White International and founder of The
Edgewalk Institute where his cutting edge ideas assist businesses in
strategic planning, branding, leadership development and growth
strategies. His most requested keynote and forthcoming book "That's
MY job??? Restoring Responsibility in the Workplace" is solving current
problems for more profitable futures. He can be reached at
http://www.thinkbigguy.com or at 877-275-9468
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Retaining Top Performers
By Christopher Thompson
Have you ever heard the term “take care of your customers or someone
else will”? This saying is often placed on posters and other motivational
merchandise within businesses to remind employees that the customer
comes first. Taking care of your customers is one of the basic
fundamentals of successful business. Well, what about taking care of
your top performing employees?
Companies who have created an employee-focused culture enjoy the
benefits of low turnover, better performance and reduced recruiting and
human resource expenses. As employees grow in tenure, their
productivity grows as well.
To me, it seems as though most companies fall short of creating cultures
that are truly employee-focused. Think about all of the sales people you
know. How many of them are truly happy with the company and
management they sell for? Maybe it’s me, but the majority of top
performing sales people I speak with are dissatisfied with their employer
for one reason or another. Throughout my career in sales, I have heard
quite an extensive list of good reasons why top sales people may be
dissatisfied.
On February 22nd, 2007, Salary.com released results from its
2006/2007 “Employee Satisfaction and Retention Survey”. The survey
was completed by 11,852 employees and 311 Human Resource
professionals. The results are not surprising to me. It showed that over
60% of employees planned on looking for another job within the next
three months. Think that’s bad? Over 66% of tenured employees
(employed 3-10) years planned on looking for a new job within the next 3
months. I find this data very concerning. Compensation was the number
one reason employees planned on looking for a new job, while good

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relationships with managers and co-workers and good working hours
were listed as top factors that keep them in their current jobs. Very
interesting.
It all sounds easy right? Pay your people well, create a positive work
environment, invest in training and professional development and create
flexible work hours for your employees. So why does it seem that
companies are not paying attention to this feedback? We have to take
some of the data with a grain of salt. If an employee is under performing
or in a disciplinary situation, they are likely dissatisfied with their job.
Could this have impacted the survey results? Possibly.
But here is the reality. Companies have to pay top performers well and
design compensation plans that reward overachievement if they want to
keep them around. I worked for an executive who used to always tell me
“Chris, if you pay people more than they are worth, they will be happy
and more productive.” I have witnessed well-designed compensation
plans retain and satisfy top performers. Unfortunately, compensation is
not the only factor to employee retention.
What about the working parents who are stressed out because their
manager gives them a hard time when they have to go pick up their sick
child in the middle of the day? Or the parents who would love to go
watch their child play sports, but feel pressured to stay in the office?
How about the person with a personal appointment that falls in the
middle of the day? These issues also impact an employee’s morale and
loyalty.
As a manager, I have tried several different approaches to keeping
morale, tenure and productivity high. The one that worked the best was
the family focus I developed within my team. That meant family always
came first. If your child was sick, you stayed home to take care of him or
her. If your spouse or significant other had an important doctor
appointment, you went with them. And of course, the famous Rudy rule,
“funerals mandatory”. This untraditional approach to employee relations
created an atmosphere that made my managers want to work harder.
When they had time away from the office, they came in early the next
day. When they had a mid-day appointment, they worked through lunch.
I never asked them to, they proactively did. Providing opportunities for
employees to be happy outside of work makes them happier and more
productive in work. I strongly believe this approach works and is effective
in any work environment.

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Now don’t get me wrong, business needs to happen. Everyone has
commitments and responsibilities within the company. You have to be
creative and flexible to create additional ways to keep your employees
productive, regardless of the circumstances. Take remote access for
example. In today’s world of technology, it is both simple and affordable
to keep employees productive outside of the office. Creating a system
for remote access to the company network will allow your employees to
work from home and stay more productive.
I have a friend who works in technology sales and does not have a way
to do his job in any capacity outside of normal office hours. When I
asked him why, he informed me that remote access was only given to
the top performing sales people? See a trend here? I found the reason
puzzling. What good reason can you come up with for not giving all of
your sales people the ability to sell and be productive outside of the
office? It is probably the best return on an investment your company will
have.
I have worked for many managers in my career and I have seen both
ends of the spectrum. From the manager that becomes irate when you
have to take your child to the doctor, to the manager that would make
sure I ordered (and he would always pay) a dessert to bring home to my
wife before we ended our late night business meetings.
The bottom-line is that top performing employees should be taken care
of. By focusing on compensation, work/life balance and ongoing training
and professional development, you will create a company that retains
and grows its employees, ultimately creating a high performing, more
productive and more profitable organization.
Christopher Thompson is the Founder and President of Catch 22
Solutions, a sales performance consulting company and a former
Director of Sales at PC Connection, Inc. For more information visit
http://www.catch22solutions.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_Thompson
http://EzineArticles.com/?Retaining-Top-Performers&id=638626

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Retaining Good Employees
By Vickie Adair
Companies with high employee turnover rates are losing not only
valuable resources but also substantial money. Different studies come
up with different costs, but these range from $7,000 - $9,000 to replace
an hourly low-wage employee and up to $45,000 to replace a mid-level
salaried employee. Some estimates on the cost of replacing the average
employee are over $125,000. The Saratoga Institute and Hewitt
Associates estimate the productivity cost of replacing employees can
cost 1 to 2.5 times the salary of the job opening.
Aside from the actual cost of hiring and training new employees,
turnover can also contribute to customer-service disruption, declines in
morale among remaining employees, and loss of corporate knowledge.
Turnover has the highest cost in jobs requiring specialized skills, such as
nursing and information technology, and jobs in middle or high level
management. Many companies and organizations are embracing HR
talent management programs that evaluate the issues of employee
retention, and far too many are not.
Is employee retention going to become a major issue for your company?
Well, according to the Gallop organization, 71% of your employees
already would consider leaving for a better or more appealing
opportunity. Combine that statistic with the current positive state of the
economy, low unemployment rate and flexible work arrangements
available, and it becomes clear that employees now have more choices
than ever before. Now, let's add in the fact that over the next few years
while 76 million Baby Boomers begin to retire, the upcoming Generation
X (ages 25-34) has a population of only 44 million people, and it
becomes clear that each year there will be fewer people available for
work.

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If your business is highly employee critical, then employee retention is
one of the primary measures of the health of your organization. If you
are currently losing critical staff members, you can safely bet that other
employees are looking as well. And while few of us would turn down
more money, according to most studies, money is not the primary tool
for retaining employees. A few simple steps that companies can take to
help retain the employees they have and can go a long way in keeping
employees happy and productive.
Employees are people and want what most people want: flexible work
schedules, appreciation, training for performance improvement,
performance incentives, and clear direction on exactly what is expected
of them. If the company is sincerely interested in the employee doing
well, usually the employee will do well.
Flexible Schedules
Up until recently, "flexible work arrangements" meant that if you worked
late on Wednesday, then you could come in late or leave early
Thursday. Now, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics about thirty
percent of full-time employees in the United States have true flexible
schedules that allow them to balance work and private lives. A growing
number of employees are from dual-career couples, have child and/or
elder care responsibilities, or are baby boomers, and these factors
create a growing demand for flexible work schedules. Because flexible
work arrangements challenge many traditional assumptions about how,
where and when work gets done in many industries, developing and
rolling out such a program takes careful planning.
Training
Because employees involved in ongoing training feel that their employer
is interested in them doing a better job and cares enough about them to
make an investment in their development, a direct link exists between
training and employee retention. While training has always been
considered a means for positive change and increased employee
performance in any business, only recently have HR experts realized
that training is a key tool in employee retention. An employee must have
the tools, time and training necessary to do their job well – or they will
move to an employer who provides them.
Performance Incentives

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Employees have a human need to feel rewarded, recognized and
appreciated. Sometimes just a thank you or a plaque will do, but
realistically, work is about the money, and almost every individual wants
more. I suggest offering performance based bonuses. Surveys show that
employees view bonuses more favorably than they do raises.
Employees have extra incentive to work for something tangible, and
bonuses keep other employees from feeling unfairly treated when
someone else gets a raise and they do not. People understand others
getting a reward for a one time achievement, and know that they had the
same opportunity. Commissions and bonuses that are easily calculated
on a daily, weekly, or other basis, and easily understood, raise
motivation for doing a job well and help retain staff.
Clear Directions
Changing expectations keep employees nervous and make employees
feel insecure and unsuccessful. While job growth is important, the need
for a specific framework within which people clearly know what is
expected from them while they expand their horizons is most important.
A motivated employee wants to contribute to work areas outside of his
specific job description. Your best employees, those employees you
want to retain, seek frequent opportunities to learn and advance, but
they need clear directions that fit within the company’s vision for that
development.
Finally, remember that employees are people, so let them bring their
human selves to work, and performance and production will increase.
Vickie Adair is the senior technical writer at Media A-Team
http://www.mediaateam.com and also publishes as a freelance writer.
She writes for http://www.houstonmanufacturers.com , a website for
Houston manufacturers, providers, and suppliers, and
http://www.natural-products-directory.com , a directory of online
business that sell or manufacture organic and/or natural products.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vickie_Adair
http://EzineArticles.com/?Retaining-Good-Employees&id=702835

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Maintaining People Places &
Retaining Staff
By Karin Syren
It should go without saying that there is no better way to maintain a
carefully created People Place than to hang on to your existing loyal
producers. Unfortunately, not nearly enough emphasis is applied in this
area. Begin by taking note of who these employees are.
Retain Proven Performers
Utilize your existing personnel resources – be aware of the experience,
skills and ambitions of current employees. Get out and be visible among
your staff – they are your most valuable resource.
One of the leading causes of discontent is poor placement, the
consequences of which are felt at all levels. Unfortunately, all too often
these days, any available body is thrown at a position or a set of
responsibilities and it’s called a done deal. There’s no better way for an
employer to shoot himself in the foot, taking down an otherwise
productive staff member with him.
If there are no openings available to rectify an existing misplacement,
consider expanding the current responsibilities of valued staff members
to maximize their valuable experience. Make the most of their know-how
in other ways in your organization, such as implementing a mentoring
program and offering the challenge to your trusted employees who have
“topped out.”
Perhaps these staff members would be interested in forming a team of
administrative interviewers, or in developing and executing an
administrative orientation program. The possibilities are endless.

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Perhaps there is a lateral move to a position that would better fit
expanding skills, experience and changing interests. Go to great lengths
to utilize your existing resources. It is always the less expensive, more
efficient route.
Don’t underestimate the power of simple recognition in retaining valuable
staff. You may not have the wherewithal or the mechanism in place to
reward staff members in a tangible way, but that should not keep you
from establishing a program to single them out with a “pat on the back.”
A small gift at the next company function, a monthly recognition
luncheon, a name in the employee news or on the bulletin board are
simple and cost effective, but nonetheless expressions of appreciation.
Know Your Leaders From your Managers
There is perhaps no concept more important than this. Loyal employees
can be forgiving of much, but misapplication in this area is often the
straw that breaks the proverbial camel’s back. Much of the rest will be
naturally addressed by one who knows the fundamental difference
between these two concepts.
The rule of thumb here is:
Manage processes and procedures - lead, guide & teach people.
If you are experiencing problems, determine whether you and your
leadership staff are confusing these two areas. While an effective
management team will often need to be engaged in both, they are not
interchangeable, and like oil and water, they don’t mix.
It really is that simple, not necessarily easy, but definitely simple. It’s no
surprise that people respond to the human approach and there’s little in
management of humanity. By nature of the definition, leaders are out in
front, rarely expecting of their followers what they have not first paved
the way for. Occasionally leaders are bringing up the rear, but then only
to protect the rear flank.
The mature leader possesses leadership sophistication, a ripeness of
attitude, in relating to any given situation, that each member of the
leadership team has gained as a result of experience. There is
openness and a willingness to continue the personal growth process.

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Interpersonal skills are of paramount importance. Leadership must be
non-discriminatory, developing solid working relationships across all
levels. This may appear to be blatantly obvious, but sadly is all too often
overlooked in the name of accelerated organizational progress. Both
leaders and managers must be willing to facilitate conflict resolution, as
well as to confront issues surrounding relations between teams,
departments and organizational levels.
An effective leader has a sincere concern for the success of those he
leads, treating staff members as individuals, giving credit, taking
pleasure in making people look good. A great leader keeps the objective
as simple as possible, always promoting understanding, always acting
as a role model, and standing out of the way, not interfacing
unnecessarily, so staff can get on with their work.
An effective leader will make the difference between a successful
administration and a failure. The most brilliant processes, designed and
directed by the most able managers will fall flat at some point if the
leadership is not right. It is not necessary to prioritize purpose over
people, or vice versa. If leadership has done its homework, everyone in
the organization will arrive at the vision simultaneously.
Karin Syren CTACC, is a Strategic Life Planning Coach specializing in
the versatile EffectivenessCoaching© model. She works with leaders in
all areas, at all levels, to increase their personal and professional
effectiveness by learning to live unique, powerful and significant lives.
Follow the link to learn more about The Commonsense Interview –
Effective Choices Made Easier, and learn the keys to successful
interviewing, a valuable seminar for hiring managers or anyone who
wants to perfect the art of communicating with a purpose. For details
and to register, http://www.solushunz.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karin_Syren
http://EzineArticles.com/?Maintaining-People-Places-and-Retaining-
Staff&id=173863

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Recruiting and Retaining Top Sales
People
By Rick Johnson
Two of the biggest issues facing the industry today are recruitment of
sales personnel and retention. Problems in this area may not be due to
bad hires or low unemployment rates. If they are related to bad hires
then it means you don’t fire well. You are not holding people
accountable. If that’s the case, it only stands to reason that you are
probably overpaying a sizable portion of your sales force, as they are not
performing as “A” players.
The first thing you must do is a gut-wrenching honest assessment of
your personnel. This must be done both quantitatively and subjectively.
Measurements must be in place. You cannot manage what you cannot
measure.. Once you do have a sales system with measurement you
must complete your personnel assessment. Upgrade your sales force to
minimum acceptable standards. It would be exceptionally rare to find any
distributor that didn’t have at least one salesperson that wasn’t
performing up to expectations. “If you pull the gun, don’t be afraid to
shoot.” Being fearful of sales consequences by terminating a
salesperson is the lifeblood of mediocrity in a sales force.
Question: Is your sales force prepared and held accountable?
Conduct an assessment. Do this for each sales rep. Answer the
following questions honestly and fairly. Use this scale as a guide:
1. Very Little
2. Somewhat but needs improvement
3. Meets acceptable standards

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4. Above expectations
5. Walks on water
Number Question
Assign Assessment Score for each question
1 Meets revenue and margin objectives ----------------------------Score
2 Follows through on all major issues --------------------------------Score
3 Does not panic when facing a challenge and uses all resources
effectively--------------------------------------------------------------------------Score
4 Is confident and knows how to effect change -----------------Score
5 Committed to territory and account penetration planning------Score
6 Is clearly focused and has established priorities-----------------Score
7 Is well thought of and respected by their peers------------------Score
Interpretation:
28 – 35: You have identified an “A” player.
21 – 28: May indicate a solid performer but additional training and
mentoring may be advisable to help them reach their maximum potential.
0 – 21: Needs serious attention. Replacement may be the only answer.
“It is OK to carry your wounded but you must bury your dead.”
Once you have done an assessment and established new acceptable
standards the situation you find yourself in may be due to the fact that
you don’t clearly recognize your employees as one of your core
competencies.
Admittedly, they don’t fit the purest definition of core competency as
stated in “Facing the Forces of Change”, but it is a fact that it is your
employees who are responsible for creating profit.

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Once you accept that concept, your next step is to make people part of
your strategic initiatives. That means becoming an “Employer of Choice”
– someone everyone would like to work for. The following attributes are
absolute musts in becoming an “Employer of Choice:”
• A personnel skills inventory: Questions would include: What
functional area or position is ultimately desired? What interim positions
would help you on your way to reaching this desired position? What
training do you need to accomplish this? To which area and branch
office(s) would you be willing to relocate, if any? List the languages you
speak fluently. Hobbies/Interests. Experience in any field including
computers, marketing, sales, distribution, and management. All training
and education.
• People are the company’s highest priority (people aren’t profit but
without people there are no profits)
• Pay at market wages
• Recognize employee contributions with praise and awards
• Have a well organized and defined orientation and training
program
• Review your total compensation programs annually. Do market
testing to ensure you are paying competitive wages.
• Make sure Human Resources is more than just one person
handling insurance and benefits.
• Create an E.A.P. (Employee Assistance Program)
• Do more than annual performance reviews. Insist that all
managers meet with their employees for a minimum of ½ hour once a
month documenting the pluses and minuses of their performance.
• Use the monthly informal evaluations to complete the annual
appraisals (example of this form follows).
Informal Monthly Employee Review
Date:

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Supervisor Name:
Employee Name:
Dept.
Positive contributions or strengths demonstrated:
Negative issues, problems or weaknesses demonstrated:
Recommended Action
Supervisor Signature
Employee Signature
“ A warning. . .make sure you have assessed your team fairly and
removed the bad apples from the barrel.”
If you still are too small to adopt some of these initiatives, that’s OK, as
long as you make your people your highest priority, they will notice.
• If you have a recruiter, use them. Do not allow sales management
to waste time recruiting or screening new applicants. If you don’t have a
recruiter, assign a non-revenue producing person to screen sales
applicants based on specific guidelines.
• Create a probationary program that has a definite timeline and a
plan for improvement that is measurable. It should be crystal clear to the
employee that they either meet the criteria in the improvement plan or
they are terminated. This follows your assessment rating.
• Create both a formal and informal communication channel.
• You must build the human resource strategy, “The People Plan,”
into your business plan or strategic plan.
http://www.ceostrategist.com – Sign up to receive “The Howl” a free
monthly newsletter and get your choice of CEO Strategist's Hiring and

33. 33
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Interview Guide or The Guide to Effective Training Sessions, valuable
resources for all levels of management. The Howl addresses real world
industry issues. – Straight talk about today’s issues. Rick Johnson,
expert speaker, wholesale distribution’s “Leadership Strategist”, founder
of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain
competitive advantage. Dr. Eric “Rick” Johnson ( rick@ceostrategist.com
) is the founder of CEO Strategist LLC. an experienced based firm
specializing in Distribution. CEO Strategist LLC. works in an advisory
capacity with distributor executives in board representation, executive
coaching, team coaching and education and training to make the
changes necessary to create or maintain competitive advantage. You
can contact them by calling 352-750-0868, or visit
http://www.ceostrategist.com for more information.Need a speaker for
your next event, E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Johnson
http://EzineArticles.com/?Recruiting-and-Retaining-Top-Sales-
People&id=379898

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Retaining Employees - 10 Steps To
Keep Them Happy
By Aaron Davis
It seems like it is becoming increasingly difficult to retain employees in
the IT world these days. I started talking to co-workers and friends about
this and came up with 10 things to do that will surely keep your
employees happy so that they stay put!
Perform annual reviews on time - this means ON or before their
anniversary date. Nothing makes an employee feel de-valued more than
wondering what management thinks of their performance (and not
getting a raise)
Flexible work schedules - now I know a lot of people will disagree with
this but why have IT people in the office all the time. With broadband
access available almost anywhere, there is no reason not to give some
"work from home" time (as long as their performance warrants it).
Find out what type of compensation motivates them - this is probably the
most important one of all. Some people like money, some like praise and
promotion, some like the R&D work, some like time off, etc. Sit down
with each one of your employees and find out what they want! (What a
concept!)
Use an agile process for IT - this doesn't necessarily mean THE agile
methodology but a process for IT projects that doesn't suck the life out of
people by putting too much red tape in place.

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Provide company sponsored "outside" activities - employees love to be
given time outside of work with the team to blow off steam. This can be
as simple as a round of golf or an early happy hour.
Give them input and use it - if employees give input on projects and are
ignored, you might as well be telling them that they SUCK! Of course, it
has to be relevant input.
Bonuses - this one could really be covered by the compensation point
above but everyone loves money! If they are doing a good job they are
enabling your company to make money so share the wealth.
40 hour work weeks - this is a big one! There are always times when you
will need to have staff available beyond the normal 40 hour work week
but if it is consistent, you have a project management problem and
possibly an employee morale problem. If you don't have the latter, you
will soon.
Good hardware - don't be a cheap ass! Give your employees the latest
and greatest when it comes to computer hardware. It makes the work
more enjoyable to be using a kick ass machine and it just might make
them a bit more productive.
Cross training - don't create silos in your work environment. Nothing will
de-motivate an employee more than doing the same thing every single
day. Let people move around a bit in the projects. If you have your
project management done correctly, this should be pretty easy to do.
This also is a HUGE advantage to your organization if you start to have
turn-over.
The bottom line here is that if you don't show, with action, that you value
your employees they are going to become unhappy at some point and
leave (even the good ones). Your employees keep your business
running so if they are not happy you have nothing to make your
customers happy.
Aaron Davis is a Sr. Software Developer. He has been a
web/application developer for more than 12 years and has served the IT

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industry for more than 14 years. His specialty is .NET development with
C# and SQL Server. http://www.keepitsimpleprojects.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aaron_Davis
http://EzineArticles.com/?Retaining-Employees---10-Steps-To-Keep-
Them-Happy&id=1032579

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The One BIG SECRET To Retaining
Great People
By Sital Ruparelia
So what's the real secret to retaining great people?
Well, it's certainly NOT about pay and financial benefits. In fact it's quite
the opposite – it's what I refer to as the ‘Non-Financial Benefits.'
Trying to sell a product as the cheapest on the market is a difficult
strategy to follow. It is better to focus on more than just price and look at
the other services and benefits clients gain from doing business with
you.
In a similar vein, you can never compete on being the best payer in the
market place (particularly as a small business), so it is key that you are
clear about all the other reasons why people work for you, and then build
these factors into the way you then promote these to your current and
future employees.
In today's economy, the real secret to retaining people is about providing
some fantastic Non-Financial Benefits.
Your employees today no longer want a "job for life" – instead, they are
looking for a "job with life."
People want employment where they enjoy the job, the people, and the
environment and yet can still enjoy a great lifestyle away from work.
Here are 7 sure-fire ways to retain your best people using Non-Financial
Benefits:
1. Work with clients & customers who are a joy to work with -

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Clients who are difficult and rude will drain both you and your team - So
tackle these customers and politely invite them to change their behavior
– or else change take their custom elsewhere - Having a client base that
appreciates and respects your team has a huge impact on your team's
motivation and loyalty towards your business
2. Create a great physical environment
Is your working environment clean, comfortable and well lit? Is it well
heated in the winter and air-conditioned in the summer? - Does the
design and décor inspire you and the team? - Look at what you can
change to make your premises a more comfortable and inspiring place
to work.
3. Provide The Right Tools To Do The Job
Do your computers, printers, tools and equipment support your team in
doing a great job and providing a great service to your patients? - Look
at what tools need repairing, updating or replacing so that your team
becomes more efficient and gets more job satisfaction.
4. Offer opportunities for flexible working
Do you offer flexible working options to help your team achieve a better
work-life balance? - Be creative in offering people the chance to work 9-
day fortnights, maybe hours to fit around their children and hobbies or
provide the option to take half a day off periodically once a month.
Whatever fits in with the operation of your business.
5. Offer "Special Leave" options
Asda, the UK supermarket chain, offers staff "School Starter leave" for
parents wishing to accompany their children on their first day at school,
"IVF leave" for those having fertility treatment and" Benidorm leave" for
older workers seeking winter sun - one of the reasons why they are
regularly voted as one of The Sunday Times "100 Best Companies To
Work For" list. - What type of "special leave" can you offer your team so
that you keep your best staff with minimal impact on operation of your
business?
6. Create a positive atmosphere & have some fun

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Do you have negative team members who impact on the morale and
atmosphere of your more productive team members? - Make it a priority
to sit these people down, offer some constructive feedback and request
a change in behavior.
How often do you go out socially as a team? - How often do you and
your team enjoy pointless laughter, wind-ups and banter whilst at work?
- Lighten up, arrange regular nights out and make sure that people come
to work not just to pay the bills – but because they enjoy working for you.
7. Offer Genuine Appreciation
As human beings we crave appreciation – particularly in the work
environment. - So make it a point to regularly tell your people how much
you appreciate their hard work and value their contribution. - I suppose,
when talking about the "secrets to retaining great people" – this last point
really is "the secret."
If your team truly feels valued and appreciated then this is a huge step
towards retaining their services into the longer term. So make it a priority
to create a fabulous working environment where your team can work
with clients and colleagues they enjoy being with. An environment where
their hard work is valued and appreciated. But a work place which still
afford them the freedom and flexibility to enjoy their lives away from
work.
The stronger the non-financial benefits of working for you, the less
sensitive your team become to financial factors such as pay and
bonuses. All of which means that you can retain your staff into the longer
term with minimal cost.
So looking at this list above, what ONE change would have the biggest
impact on your staff retention figures - but require the least amount of
effort to implement?
Copyright (c) 2008 Mr. Sital Ruparelia

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Sital Ruparelia, 'The Recruitment & Retention Expert', works with small
and mid-sized businesses that struggle with recruitment and retention
issues and helps them implement strategies proven to Find & Keep The
Right People quickly and cost effectively.
Receive Sital's free report, 101 Tips to Finding & Keeping The Right
People now by going to this link: http://www.authenticresourcing.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sital_Ruparelia
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-One-BIG-SECRET-To-Retaining-Great-
People&id=392738

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Recruiting And Retaining The Most
Talented People Without Spending
Penny
By Sital Ruparelia
Have you ever purchased a coffee from Starbucks?
How come they can charge you five times what it’s worth and we still go
and buy it? Ever wondered what’s going on here?
Well, the reason is: they are not just selling coffee – they are selling us a
lifestyle.
Their position is that coffee is more than a drink. It's an experience, an
enjoyable moment set in pleasant surroundings where we can relax,
savor the moment and engage in conversation.
In a similar vein, to recruit and retain talented right people these days
you need to offer them more than just a job, a career and a pay check.
You need to offer people the kind of lifestyle they desire at the same
time as they are working for you.
The world of work has most definitely changed in the last 10 years and
people are no longer in the market for a ‘job for life’ – instead they want
a job with life.
Businesses that succeed in offering this will succeed in finding and
keeping people.

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If you can promote the lifestyle and not the job - you can succeed in
finding and keeping the best people without spending a penny.
Think about it; if you could promote a lifestyle for your staff that promised
them “less travelling,” “more time with your family,” “more time for your
hobbies,” “a healthier you,” “less stress” – how much of a problem do
you think you would have with finding and keeping people?
So how can you use this notion of lifestyle to find and keep the right
people?.
FINDING THE RIGHT PEOPLE
1. Identify the top 3 lifestyle benefits of working for your business. If you
get stuck, look at the paragraph above for ideas or speak to your existing
staff.
2. Look at how you can promote these as part of your recruitment
process. Remember to “sell the sizzle and not the steak” – i.e. promote
the benefits and not the features of working for you.
3. Have some real stories about real people that you can incorporate into
your recruitment. This will make the ideas more believable and help
people to really connect with them.
For example: “Despite working in a demanding job, John is home in time
to read a story with little Joshua and put him to bed at least three times a
week.” This is much more powerful than talking about abstract terms
such as “flexible work patterns” and “home working options”
KEEPING THE RIGHT PEOPLE
1. Ensure you are actively promoting the above benefits to your existing
people.
People always think the grass is greener elsewhere so make a point of
reminding them regularly about what is great about working for you.
2. Start developing new ways in which you can provide a better lifestyle
for your people:
- Talk, listen and observe your team. - Find out what their biggest
frustrations are with their existing lifestyles. - Are they stressed from

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juggling work with a young family? Are they trying get healthy and lose
weight, but too tired to get to the gym in the evening? Do they want to
spend more time on their favorite hobby but never have the time?
3. Look at ways in which you can help them achieve these things without
compromising your business Learn about the lives of your team and then
make sure that you as an employer become the solution to their
problems, not the cause.
Initiating these changes shows people that you take a healthy interest in
their lifestyle away from work and builds a greater degree of loyalty.
You see, the foundation of any business is based on solving problems. If
your customers have a problem and you have a solution that benefits
them, then you have yourself a business.
The same applies to your people. If you can find out what the frustrations
and problems of potential employees are and you can find a solution,
then you will succeed in finding a new employee. If you can then do this
on an ongoing basis and make working for you a lifestyle decision, your
people are less likely to jump for some more money or a slightly better
job.
Just like that coffee at Starbucks, the money becomes less important as
it’s the lifestyle they are buying into, not just the job.
© 2008 Authentic Resourcing All Rights Reserved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sital Ruparelia, "The Recruitment & Retention
Specialist” works with small businesses that struggle with recruitment
and retention issues and helps them implement strategies proven to Find
and Keep the Right People consistently.
Sital writes a FREE newsletter twice a month with tips on how to Find
And Keep The Right People. To sign up now, visit
http://www.authenticresourcing.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sital_Ruparelia
http://EzineArticles.com/?Recruiting-And-Retaining-The-Most-Talented-
People-Without-Spending-Penny&id=286782

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Retention - 10 Reminders
By Rick Johnson
Employee retention is heavily dependent upon two key factors:
1. Leadership skills of management
2. Human resource strategy
No matter how wonderful your company is, people won’t stay if their front
line supervisor is an “untrained jerk” with poor people skills. Of course, if
you have a definitive human resource strategy, the “untrained jerks” will
no longer be managing your employees. In fact, he/she will probably be
working for someone else. These words may be a little harsh but in
reality there are some managers out there with very poor people skills.
Even the manager that doesn’t exactly fit this description but lacks basic
people and leadership skills can drive employees to seek other
opportunities.
Retention Reminders
1. Managers are allowed to hold employees accountable through
discipline and provide constructive feedback, but never at the same time.
2. Managers should never ask why an employee does anything.
Responding to the word “why” requires justification and evokes
defensiveness. Try instead, “I would like to understand your reasons for.
. . .”
3. There is no such thing as “Constructive Criticism”. Criticism
creates discomfort and defensiveness. Consider reshaping the
conversation such that it becomes constructive feedback. This can be
done by taking a positive approach on every issue.

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4. In making constructive feedback, managers should encourage
employees to listen to the substance of the discussion and avoid
becoming defensive. Delivering constructive feedback well should be a
key management skill and a training issue.
5. Managers should never try constructive feedback in a situation
unless they can actually suggest positive behavioral alternatives.
6. If an employee fails in a situation, the manager should recognize
his/her failure to train, develop, support or communicate with the
employee.
7. Both sides should recognize the difficulties inherent in constructive
feedback and recognize its importance in transmitting the experience
required for growth.
8. The employee should always confirm his/her understanding of the
criticism by restating it in the form, “If I understand you correctly, you are
saying. . . . Is that correct?”
9. If either party feels uncomfortable after a constructive feedback
discussion, they should say so:
a. Boss, I feel like I’ve just been punished because you. . .
b. Joe, I feel that you became defensive because you. . .
10. When the system works, you have a Win-Win situation because
you both have the same objectives. It works better if you try to help each
other. Train your managers on coaching and mentoring. It will go a long
way towards improving employee retention.
Regardless of your company size and number of employees, if you are
committed to becoming an “Employer of Choice” (EOC) you must
educate your management staff. All your managers, from warehouse

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supervisors up to the President, should receive specific leadership and
people skills training. Expecting your managers to create an EOC culture
without training them in these skills is like asking Michael Jordan to play
in the World Series. He’s a superb athlete but he just doesn’t have the
skill set to play major league baseball. Provide the opportunity for your
management staff to acquire the skill set necessary to promote retention.
Remember, if your turnover rate is high, chances are there is a problem
within the management ranks of the company.
http://www.ceostrategist.com – Sign up to receive “The Howl” a free
monthly newsletter that addresses real world industry issues. – Straight
talk about today’s issues. Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale
distribution’s “Leadership Strategist”, founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a
firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need
a speaker for your next event, E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com . Don’t
forget to check out the Lead Wolf Series that can help you put more
profit into your business. Get the CEO Strategist Interview Guide and
Conducting an Effective Sales Training Session Guide just for signing up
for “The Howl”. Don’t forget to check out the Lead Wolf Series that can
help you put more profit into your business. E-mail
rick@ceostrategist.com for your special Howl discount order form.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Johnson
http://EzineArticles.com/?Retention---10-Reminders&id=558279

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Keeping Good Staff Is Important,
But Keeping Your Family Is Critical
By J Timothy Connor
One of the outcomes of our lack of focus on our marriages and families
is the elimination of joy in our older age. Sure it's important to run a
good business, and we want to "make our mark" on the world with the
services and products we offer our customers. But the lack of
commitment that is becoming common in American families is promising
devastating unhappiness to business owners and executives as their
lives unfold. Regard-less of what people say, the anger and bitterness
that accompany divorce, the sadness and disconnected feelings that
children feel when one of their parents leaves under such
circumstances, all these take their toll on both us and on family
members. But the worst effect won't be felt until we get older, and the
loneliness that is the outcome of broken relationships is only now
becoming evident to those of us who didn't consider family worth the
effort when we were younger and building our businesses.
A Focus On Family
There is a huge benefit that a couple has when they look back on years
of happiness that they've had, and when they begin to talk with sons,
daughters, and grandchildren about the things they did together growing
up. Trips together, challenges from school, pranks pulled on siblings
and friends, even bad times become a joy when they've been shared
together and are unearthed in the presence of newer family members.
You have only to watch the eyes (and open mouth!) of a kid when his
grandparents open up misadventures that one of his parents had when
they were young, and the opportunity for learning that comes from
memories is stupendous for a young'un during these times. The ability
to share memories is fun, a learning experience, and most of all a joy
and comfort to people as they get older. But what if you haven't built the

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foundation? You'll miss most of those remembrances, or they'll be so
tainted with unhappiness that you won't want to consider them. And
they come from a foundation worth building!
Building It Now
The time to begin building important relationships in your family is now,
while you're still building and operating your business. Sure it takes
time; sure it's work; sure it takes thought - but it's worth it! There is a
huge encouragement to people when they can look back on the
achievements and troubles of mother and father, aunts, uncles,
grandparents, and great-grandparents and see that they made it
through. It helps through hard times, difficulties that seem
insurmountable, even terrible things like wars and tragedies, to know
that someone in our line dealt with the same things and was able to
overcome them.
How To Do It
Maintaining relationships as a couple or in a family requires planning like
anything else, except that it's easier to plan! The main thing is breaking
the time out, and being sure to use that time for interaction, listening,
and understanding. There are several modern "conveniences" that have
greatly limited that time, and consequently severely limited our ability to
do it. What are they? Television, video games, and internet. In a study
done in 2005, the Kaiser Family Foundation found that children ages 8-
18 spend an average of 44.5 hours per week in front of a television,
game, or computer screen. Neilsen Research found it to be 8 hours and
14 minutes per day for the average American - 57 hours and 38 minutes
per week. Most of that time is non-interactive, and none of it is face-to-
face interaction. How, then, do we expect to become better at face-to-
face relationships with our spouse or our kids? Somewhere in here is a
big "Duh!". Here are a few thoughts that the author has personally tried,
and that work. But keep in mind that you're going to hear some
grumping at the beginning - in our age it takes time to get over the habits
we've been building!
>Limit the amount of TV you and your family watch for two or three
months (or more!). Now this is a zinger, and it takes about two weeks to
get through "withdrawal" when you take away the television, but the
results are gratifying - and interestingly good.

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>Plan some interactive activities. It might be cards, board games, or a
kid's favorite from my experience: reading together or story telling.
>Try doing some things outdoors. Cooking out together, playing
badminton, throwing a ball. One caution: those people you'll discover
next door to your house are called "neighbors", and they're supposed to
be there. Don't be alarmed when they appear. Introduce yourself.
>Do a date night with your spouse - and pick a restaurant WITHOUT a
television! They're getting harder to find because people are not used to
having to interact with one another.
>Take a drive in the country. This used to be popular, and although it's
expensive with gas prices, it's still a lot of fun.
>Historical vacations, one of our very favorite things. Read a book
together about some part of the country with interesting historical
possibilities, and then go there for a visit. We've read "Captains
Courageous", and followed it by a visit to New England (especially
Mystic Seaport). Mark Twain's "Roughing It" was followed by visits out
west to his old stomping grounds.
Use your imagination and begin building memories with your spouse and
family. It will pay lasting dividends both now and especially in the future.
The author of this article, Tim Connor, is president and founder of
Rodeo! Performance Group, Inc., an Ocala, Florida-based group of
facilitators working with businesses and executives who want to make
their businesses competitive on a global scale. Tim can be contacted at
timconnor@rodeopg.com , or by phone at 1-877-284-0009. Visit Rodeo!
on the web at http://www.rodeopg.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J_Timothy_Connor
http://EzineArticles.com/?Keeping-Good-Staff-Is-Important,-But-Keeping-
Your-Family-Is-Critical&id=989024

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Customized Employee Retention
Plans
By James Robbins
As a husband I have spent a lot of time in the dark. I was hoping that
when the movie "What Women Want" came out in theaters I would at
last be given the answer to the question most men spend the first 5
years of marriage trying to figure out. What I have learned along the way
however is how women vary greatly in exactly what it is they want. I
guess the same thing could be said of men with a few exceptions.
Creating a company wide retention program for you organization is kind
of like telling a room full of men that to make their wife feel appreciated
they just need to start bringing home flesh flowers every week. There
would be a percentage of wives that would be very happy at this, a
percentage that would consider it a nice gesture but are really not that
into flowers, and another percentage that might simply answer, "not
tonight honey!" The point is each woman is different and one size will not
fit all. The same is true of employee retention.
Company wide initiatives can have a hit and miss effect. Certainly for
some, the new program will make a difference, but we are not interested
in retaining just some. We want to have the best chance at keeping them
all. The more individualized you can make your retention program; the
more effective it is going to be. In fact the companies with the highest
retention are the ones who spend the most time engaging each
employee one on one. How on earth do I make an individualized
retention program with limited time and budget?
Follow these four steps:
1. Set up meetings with each of your direct reports.

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These can be formal or informal; it's up to you. During these meetings
you want to find out three basic facts: What keeps them here, and what
would drive them away and what would they like to do more of in the
future. There are any ways to find out this information. Your questions
can be direct or subtle. Here are some examples.
What do you like most about your job here?
What are the things about this organization that really motivate you?
What would be something that might cause you to look elsewhere for
employment?
Is there anything here that you find challenging to your motivation?
Are there any things you would like to see changed with your job or the
team you work with?
What would you like to do more of in the future?
Again these are just a few examples. You have to figure out the best
way to gather this information. Is it in your office, or over a casual lunch?
You can best decide based on your relationship and style.
2. Create a report for each employee that you interviewed and break it
into three sections.
In one area list all of their Motivators, the things they like most about
their job and make them want to stay. The second section is for De-
motivators. Here you want to list the things that if not dealt with might
lead them to look elsewhere for work. The third area covers what the
employee wants to see added to their job.
3. Make a commitment to eliminate at least one of their de-motivators
over the next 30 days.
4. Make a commitment to do something about their desired future in
the next 30 days.
See below for an example.

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Employee: Jane Doe
Motivators
Team culture (most everyone on the team is a lot of fun to work with)
Weekly staff meetings are a lot of fun and motivational
Believes in the mission of the organization
De-motivators
Don't get to give much input on direction of projects
One of team members is incredibly challenging to work with
Job can be mundane at times
What they would like to see happen:
Jane wants to get a chance to learn some management skills, and be
more involved in some of the creative processes in our project
management.
Commitment for next 30 days
Pull Jane in on next project brainstorming meeting.
Send Jane to an entry-level management seminar.
There are other things on Jane's list but when you have another 10
employees to go through, its best to keep your commitments
manageable. In this situation the manager is able to make two very easy
commitments to Jane that will significantly enrich her job and her
feelings about her future. Once you have completed these reports you
will also want to look for any common themes among your employees.
For example maybe seven other people all have a problem working with
that one challenging team member. Those are numbers you don't want
to ignore.
The whole process is incredible simple and yet it is rarely done. It does
take some time, but not nearly as much as finding a replacement for
Jane. Review these reports in 90 days to check your own progress as a

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manager. You want to be eliminating the de-motivators while finding
ways to increase the motivators. You should aim to do this process
quarterly, as it will make an immediate impact on your retention and level
of engagement for your employees.
To learn more about building customized employee retention plans, sign-
up for our free 7-day retention course. James Robbins is a leadership
consultant and dynamic speaker helping organizations create engaging
and motivated workplaces. To find out more go to
www.jamesrobbins.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Robbins
http://EzineArticles.com/?Customized-Employee-Retention-
Plans&id=749874

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The Four Cultures of Employee
Retention
By Marnie Green
Despite fluctuating economic times and increased globalization of
American jobs, most employers are finding it hard to keep good workers.
The reality of today's job market is that workers are expecting more from
their employers and are not afraid to move on if their needs are not met
by your organization.
Based on compelling data from the Society for Human Resource
Management and others who study workforce trends, leading
organizations must take time to analyze their retention realities and
ensure that the valuable employees they currently have are not seeking
greener pastures.
How do great organizations maintain low levels of turnover and high
levels of employee satisfaction? The answer is found in one word:
culture.
Organizations with high rates of employee retention concentrate on
creating four distinct cultures that keep people focused on the
organization and its goals. The purpose of this article is to explore these
four cultures and to recommend practical strategies for developing these
cultures in your workplace. Effective retention cultures include an intense
focus on choice, balance, development and care.
The Culture of Choice
Donald N. Smith, the president of Burger King said, "The individual
choice of garnishment of a burger can be an important point to the
consumer in this day when individualism is an increasingly important
thing to people." Burger King recognized long ago that Americans expect

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to have multiple choices each day. Workers are not an exception to this
rule. Today's employees are looking for choice in the methods they use
for completing a job, in the benefits they receive from work, and in when
and how they report to work.
In the last two decades, we've seen an explosion in the types of
employee benefits offered by employers. We've seen an increased
acceptance of telecommuting and flex-time. Choices in the tools they
use, the methods they employ, and the recognition they receive are all
characterized as innovations in human resource management. In short,
we continue to learn more and more about employee engagement and
the link between empowerment and retention.
Do your employees have choices every day? If not, they might soon be
exercising their choice to leave.
The Culture of Balance
Even with increased acceptance of flextime and work/life balance
initiatives, employers indicate that stress levels still remain high in their
workplaces. Employers with lower levels of turnover recognize the
increasingly important issue of balance and are addressing this need
with proactive programs to help workers find satisfaction at home and on
the job. This trend is being driven by a growing population of women in
the workforce. The trend is expected to continue with young women
surpassing men in professional degree acquisition.
Progressive organizations will recognize these trends and look to their
increasing population of women to drive their culture of balance. And,
while some organizations have already responded to this call, those
organizations with professions that are typically dominated by males
may find this to be an increasingly important issue in terms of attracting
and retaining workers. For example, in the historically male-dominated
world of professional accounting, firms traditionally expected high levels
of billable hours and little time off. Some firms are now recognizing the
value of creating a culture of balance by offering increased levels of
mandatory vacation each year. Coupled with flexible hours and family-
friendly benefits, these firms are recognizing the impact a balance-
focused work culture can have on the retention of top performers.
The Culture of Development

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Bestselling authors Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans, in their
book, Love'Em or Lose'Em, say that any organization that ignores the
ambitions of good people can't expect to keep them. High rates of
retention are clearly linked to the amount of attention the employee gets
in terms of their professional development and growth. When employees
feel that their career goals have been acknowledged and that they are
continuing to be challenged on the job, they are likely to stick around.
Employees who feel stagnated, ignored, or bored will likely start to look
for other opportunities. So how do great organizations create cultures of
development?
A culture of development can be cultivated through a variety of tools.
Training, mentoring, and clear career paths all contribute to this culture.
However, the strongest culture of development is created by the first line
supervisor who works with the employee each day. Every supervisor and
manager has an opportunity to show that they are interested in the
employee's growth and development by asking the right questions and
by understanding where the employee wants to go professionally.
Kaye and Jordan suggest that managers and supervisors have a regular
"stay" discussion with each employee where the following questions are
explored:
• What learning opportunities can we support?
• What work challenges would "turn you on?"
• What can we do to help you be more fulfilled on the job?
• What will keep you here?
Simply by asking, managers and supervisors can begin to create a
culture of development, and hence increased levels of retention.
A Culture of Care
R. Brayton Bowen of the Howland Group said, "In a strict sense, the kind
of motivation we need to be talking about in today's environment is
inspired rather than induced." As Bowen indicates employees will be
motivated to stay put and work at higher levels if they feel that they are
cared for and if they care about the work they are doing. In other words,
employees must feel a sense of inspiration to fully commit to their daily
activities.

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In organizations where retention levels are high and turnover is low,
research has found that employees find some level of inspiration from
their jobs. Such inspiration might be a sense of contributing to the
greater good. It might be a commitment to the team and its goals.
Inspiration may be derived by following a committed and ethical leader.
However the inspiration is created, employees must be lead to care
about their work and about the organization.
How is a culture of care created? Recently a study was done with
employees of a small city government. Written employee surveys
indicated that morale was low and that many of the employees, including
long-term employees, were considering leaving the organization for
other opportunities. In fact, turnover was at high levels in comparison
with previous years. In a small organization such as this one, with less
than 30 employees, the results of high turnover are devastating to the
organization, its productivity, and its reputation in the community.
Upon further exploration of the survey results through one-on-one
interviews, it was discovered that the reason the employees were
dissatisfied was because they felt that they were not being listened to by
a new manager. Some employees said they were not feeling respected.
They reported that a newly promoted supervisor often trivialized their
skills and did not recognize their day-to-day achievements. After further
review, the following conclusions were found:
• The leaders, including managers and supervisors, directly impacted the
culture and the sense of care within the organization.
• The leaders did not recognize the impact their behaviors were having
on the morale of the workforce.
• For morale, and thus retention levels, to improve, the leadership team,
many of whom were new to the organization, needed to address their
own beliefs and skills as it related to being leaders.
In this example, retention and overall employee satisfaction was being
directly impacted by the level of empathy and attention provided by the
organization's first and second line leaders. It is clear that the
relationship between these key players and employees is a major factor
in employee retention today.
Conclusion

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We have all read the ominous reports that indicate the workforce will
shrink in numbers over the next ten years with the anticipated exit of the
baby boomers. It is clear that organizations will continue to be
challenged to attract and retain qualified and committed employees. It is
now time to turn our attention internally, to the four cultures of employee
retention. Use the following questions to explore the four cultures in your
organization:
• Does your organization provide ample choice to employees throughout
the work experience? Do employees feel that they can control their day-
to-day work life?
• Does your organization recognize the increased need for work/life
balance by employees? How can you continue to communicate this
priority to employees?
• How is your organization fostering a culture of development? Besides
the traditional development strategies such as training and tuition
reimbursement, what is your organization doing to foster a sense of
continuous learning and development at all levels? What role do
supervisors and managers play in creating this culture?
• Do your employees feel "cared for?" Have the organization's leaders
created a sense of commitment among the staff by showing they care?
With the national average length of employment hovering around one
and a half years per job, it makes sense to explore what it takes to retain
and develop a committed staff. Retention, while often considered a
factor of economic times, is now being considered a long-term strategic
goal for organizations that recognize its value.
Marnie E. Green is Principal Consultant of the Chandler, AZ-based
Management Education Group, Inc. Green is a speaker, author, and
consultant who helps organizations develop confident leaders. Contact
Green at phone: 480-705-9394 email:
mgreen@managementeducationgroup.com web site:
http://www.managementeducationgroup.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marnie_Green
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Four-Cultures-of-Employee-
Retention&id=912847

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Manage Talent Or Lose It
By Larry Galler
It doesn’t show up on a balance sheet or a profit and loss statement but
one of a company’s most valuable assets is the talent of the staff. Yet,
unless that talent is properly managed, it can be underutilized,
undeveloped, and unappreciated which creates dissatisfaction and
eventually high turnover.
If the goal is to build a talented staff there must be a culture in place or
created. That culture makes it important to first elevate the talents of the
current staff and then, as more people are needed, hire highly talented
people, train them to understand their part in an environment that honors
and respects them, motivates them, illustrates a career path as a long-
term part of a company where they can utilize their talents to the benefit
of themselves, the company, and of each individual within the company.
That talent-rich culture must come from the top of the company and,
when it is properly driven there are few restrictions on growth and
company-wide energy. Creating a culture that manages talent well is
important throughout every aspect of staff development and company
development. Identifying talent is (or should be) a company-wide
activity. When talented staffers are identified they should be challenged
and encouraged to stretch their boundaries, seek larger goals, and
perform at a higher capacity or to take on more responsibility faster. It
may take the creation of a mentoring program with a high degree of
personal feedback to make that fast-track career advancement
successful. When it is working well it accelerates growth, focus,
teamwork, and company spirit. The whole company profits from a
culture that creates an environment where talent can grow and flourish.
If a talent-centric culture is not created the results are just the opposite.
Talented people become de-motivated, become frustrated and either
look for more challenging positions elsewhere or they become inculcated

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with the culture of mediocrity and ease off. The whole company
languishes, becomes a less competitive follower instead of the hard-
driving, cutting edge leader so create a company wide culture to manage
your talent well or lose it.
Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives,
professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the writer of the
long-running (every Sunday since November 2001) business column,
"Front Lines with Larry Galler" For a free coaching session, email Larry
for an appointment - Larry@larrygaller.com
Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.larrygaller.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_Galler
http://EzineArticles.com/?Manage-Talent-Or-Lose-It&id=757980

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Top Retention Tools - Survey
Results
By L. John Mason
Tips for leaders, owners, managers which can lead to "engagement,"
loyalty, and then retention. A strong retention policy will also help to
create a positive work environment that will help attract the best people
which make your hiring practices easier.
Consider adopting one or more of the following suggestions to make
your workplace more attractive and to better help your workforce "Fall in
Love" with your organization. Most of these suggestions can be offered
inexpensively or at no cost.
1. Work/Life Flexibility- Flextime, teleworking, 4/10's
2. Meaningful Rewards/Recognition - Feedback, public praise, $
bonus', "thank you Bucks", peer recognition, press releases
3. Integrated Hiring Program- Job Benchmarking (styles/behaviors
and values) and fitting in with culture or team more than just reviewing
past skills and experience. A great job "fit" will keep people engaged.
Also, reduces costly hiring mistakes...
4. Regular Communication meetings with management...
transparency (clear vision) Leaders sell the vision so personnel know
their role... Create "Buy-in"
5. Follow through with vision/purpose (consistent and with integrity)
6. Employee input with key decisions-part of process from start