Retention Made Simple
November 19, 2008
It's been a long week, and we have reached the end of the Recruitment and Retention Conference. Today we capped an exciting four days of learning with the Retention Summit. All morning I kept thinking about the afterschool field, and how excited we are if we can keep a staff member one year! Well, our speakers focused on what impacts retention rates, and what measures we can take to help reduce our turnover rates.
Ok, so we started our discussion this morning talking about what impacts retention. There were three options; people, products, or processes. Most people would argue that people are the single greatest influence on retention, but that's not the case. As it turns out, it's a combination of people and processes that impact whether or not employees stay. There are three basic principles that we must consider when thinking about retention. The first is that employees quit jobs because they can. I know some of us may use exit surveys to evaluate reasons why people quit, but it's not enough. We must continue to evaluate employee happiness throughout the process, from hiring to departure. The second principle we must consider is that the #1 reason employees stay is for things they get uniquely from you. Our third principle we should consider is that SUPERVISORS build unique relationships that drive retention.
According to our speakers today, we must hold supervisors accountable for achieving retention goals. In order for us to have a positive impact on our turnover rates we must develop supervisors to build trust with their teams. People are looking for flexibility in their employment, and they value this far more than high salaries, benefits, and vacations. Interesting huh? We are an extremely flexible workforce, yet we never highlight that attribute! This again highlights our need to brand afterschool employment as a viable option for people looking for employment.
Now, some more interesting facts from this morning. Virtually every speaker touched on what I believe is a major hurdle for the afterschool field. If you want to have a positive impact on trunover rates, hire older workers. Every study done clearly highlights that college-age students quit jobs at a higher rate than any other demographic. In fact, as we get older, we are less likely to leave our employment than our younger counterparts. Hmmm..hello AARP and CRTA again! For most organizations, the speakers recommended a balanced blend of generations.
Now, here is an example of how to reduce turnover rates and increase retention rates. We talked about ana ccounting firm that would ask candidates if they were willing to commit to three years in the position if they were hired. The firm gave the candidates a day to think about it, and the next day the candidate would either accept the term, or reject it. If the candidate was willing to accept the three years, the employer would then ask what they would need to do to ensure that the candidate would stay for the minimum of three years. This would start a negotiations process and the employer and employee would settle on some things each side would need to do for the other to make the three years. Every three months, the employer and the employee would meet and look at what each said they would need in order for them to reach three years. The employer would give the employee an evaluation form, and ask the employee to rate how the employer was doing on meeting the terms of the employee. The employee would do the same for the employer. This would carry on every three months until they reached year three. If the employee was still with the firm at three years, the firm would hand the employee a check for $3000, give them an additional weel of vacation and told them to take the money, and spend it on an experience thay have never had before. They provided the employee with a digital camera/camcorder, and asked them to film/photgraph the experience, and then come back to work and make a presentation to the entire firm about their experience!
What an amazing concept. I know we can't give afterschool staff members $3000 for staying for three years, but this illustrates the creativity being used to reduce turnover. It's more than just looking at staffing issues, it's about the costs involved with turnover. Today's session pushed for organizations to get their Financial Departments involved, and include the Marketing Department since it's their job to influence people. Get creative and find solutions to ensure that your staff is enjoying their experience with your organization and will stay.
Anyone have any creative ideas like this?
Tomorrow is a networking session, and then the conference will officially be over. I will post one more blog about the conference, more like a wrap-up session, and then it's back to California!
See you tomorrow.
Michael
It's been a long week, and we have reached the end of the Recruitment and Retention Conference. Today we capped an exciting four days of learning with the Retention Summit. All morning I kept thinking about the afterschool field, and how excited we are if we can keep a staff member one year! Well, our speakers focused on what impacts retention rates, and what measures we can take to help reduce our turnover rates.
Ok, so we started our discussion this morning talking about what impacts retention. There were three options; people, products, or processes. Most people would argue that people are the single greatest influence on retention, but that's not the case. As it turns out, it's a combination of people and processes that impact whether or not employees stay. There are three basic principles that we must consider when thinking about retention. The first is that employees quit jobs because they can. I know some of us may use exit surveys to evaluate reasons why people quit, but it's not enough. We must continue to evaluate employee happiness throughout the process, from hiring to departure. The second principle we must consider is that the #1 reason employees stay is for things they get uniquely from you. Our third principle we should consider is that SUPERVISORS build unique relationships that drive retention.
According to our speakers today, we must hold supervisors accountable for achieving retention goals. In order for us to have a positive impact on our turnover rates we must develop supervisors to build trust with their teams. People are looking for flexibility in their employment, and they value this far more than high salaries, benefits, and vacations. Interesting huh? We are an extremely flexible workforce, yet we never highlight that attribute! This again highlights our need to brand afterschool employment as a viable option for people looking for employment.
Now, some more interesting facts from this morning. Virtually every speaker touched on what I believe is a major hurdle for the afterschool field. If you want to have a positive impact on trunover rates, hire older workers. Every study done clearly highlights that college-age students quit jobs at a higher rate than any other demographic. In fact, as we get older, we are less likely to leave our employment than our younger counterparts. Hmmm..hello AARP and CRTA again! For most organizations, the speakers recommended a balanced blend of generations.
Now, here is an example of how to reduce turnover rates and increase retention rates. We talked about ana ccounting firm that would ask candidates if they were willing to commit to three years in the position if they were hired. The firm gave the candidates a day to think about it, and the next day the candidate would either accept the term, or reject it. If the candidate was willing to accept the three years, the employer would then ask what they would need to do to ensure that the candidate would stay for the minimum of three years. This would start a negotiations process and the employer and employee would settle on some things each side would need to do for the other to make the three years. Every three months, the employer and the employee would meet and look at what each said they would need in order for them to reach three years. The employer would give the employee an evaluation form, and ask the employee to rate how the employer was doing on meeting the terms of the employee. The employee would do the same for the employer. This would carry on every three months until they reached year three. If the employee was still with the firm at three years, the firm would hand the employee a check for $3000, give them an additional weel of vacation and told them to take the money, and spend it on an experience thay have never had before. They provided the employee with a digital camera/camcorder, and asked them to film/photgraph the experience, and then come back to work and make a presentation to the entire firm about their experience!
What an amazing concept. I know we can't give afterschool staff members $3000 for staying for three years, but this illustrates the creativity being used to reduce turnover. It's more than just looking at staffing issues, it's about the costs involved with turnover. Today's session pushed for organizations to get their Financial Departments involved, and include the Marketing Department since it's their job to influence people. Get creative and find solutions to ensure that your staff is enjoying their experience with your organization and will stay.
Anyone have any creative ideas like this?
Tomorrow is a networking session, and then the conference will officially be over. I will post one more blog about the conference, more like a wrap-up session, and then it's back to California!
See you tomorrow.
Michael
posted by Central Valley Afterschool Foundation at
2:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home