What can you do to “pull” or attract great staff and what can you do to stop the “push” for them to leave?
What do you need to address to keep your star performers? It is now understood that employee engagement will impact your bottom line.
The challenge is how to balance the expectations of your staff and the operating needs of your business. There have been many studies carried out on this topic, the latest are the Kelly Global workplace index that obtained the views of 134 000 people in 29 countries, (including more than 20 000 people in Australia) and recent research from Career One.
5 key areas for why people leave or feel a push to leave are:
- Not feeling motivated by management and the leadership
- No hope for career growth – looking for new challenges
- Lack of training and personal development
- The role is not challenging
- Salary and rewards are not sufficient
5 key areas why people feel a pull to stay are:
- A motivating leader/ manager
- Career challenges – career path opportunities
- New learning and training
- Good team environments and;
- Good remunerations and/ or benefits and or flexible work options
No matter what size your your business, you can still find creative ways to address all of these 5 key areas, you can give new responsibilities and career challenges to a staff member and align a title change and ask your staff what they need for further training and support.
So many industries today are facing price pressures so pay rises cannot be the only way to incentivise. You need to be creative in rewarding, such as unlimited unpaid holidays, “personal days”; a “birthday day off”; help with personal finance management; a company nutrition consultation, fresh food in the office , life coaching or counselling if staff seem amenable to it and other company rewards, such as trips to a conference; wellness programs, health checks; gym memberships; yoga, meditation and pilates in the office.
Finally the most important factor is an inspiring leader or leadership team that leads by example, shows that they are also growing and learning; listens and believes in people.
So what makes a job sticky?
You can teach new skills and educate on knowledge but you cannot change a person’s attitude. Sometimes the attitude is governed by whether the right motivators are available in the workplace. Workplace motivators come in many forms and ironically I like to use the acronym FORM to categorise workplace motivators:
F = Family. Allowing staff to have time for family – whether it be carers leave, bereavement leave, time off for family events, maternity/ paternity leave and counselling. Happy workplaces are galvanised by happy home lives.
O = Occupation is everything – think of career challenge aspects that will attract employee , such as a planned career path, supporting further career studies, mentors and general job challenges.
R = Recreation to support another activity. Think of ways to support recreational interests – such as days in lieu; show an interest in their interest!
M = Motivated by Money
This is sometimes the most difficult or easy to please and meet the needs of this motivator, depending upon your business cash-flow. Performance incentives, bonuses and rewards motivate and attract these people.
When thinking about job attractiveness, think about making good form in the job that you offer. Think about how you address individual workplace motivators to manage the push and pulls of talent management.
For more information contact Simone Allan, Director at Mondo Search on 1300 737 917 or email simone@mondosearch.com.au.
Copyright: The above is the intellectual property of Mondo Search Pty Ltd. None of the information provided may be copied or reproduced in part or in full without the prior written permission of a director of Mondo Search Pty Ltd
