Download - Organizational Strategies to Boost Talent Retention · Organizational Strategies to Boost Talent Retention In almost all organizations, employee turnover is a significant concern

Organizational Strategies to Boost Talent Retention

In almost all organizations, employee turnover is a significant concern as

it results in disruption to operations, missed opportunities, and incurs

costs to recruit, hire, onboard, and train new employees. Compounding

the matter is when the employee leaving is an executive, vital to the

success of the organization. A new report by The Conference Board,

cites the top internal concern for CEOs in 2020, is attracting and retaining

talent.1 Fernando de Zavala, Partner at NGS Global - Spain, takes a closer

look at the subject of talent retention and presents strategies designed

to help organizations keep their most valuable resource - their people.

January 2020

By Fernando de ZavalaPartner, SpainNGS Global

SPECIAL REPORT


THE HIGH COST OF EMPLOYEE TURNOVER

A report published by Work Institute estimated the annual cost of turnover for U.S. companies in 2018 was $617 billion.2 As shown in Chart 1, over eight years, the employee turnover cost for voluntary reasons (departure by choice) followed an upward trend. Turnover rate is an essential metric for organizations to analyze because it is a by-product of the people management strategies in place, and represents the health of the company culture. If the turnover rate is higher than what is acceptable by an organization, initiatives to optimize employee engagement and improve retention are necessary.3

Chart 1 - Voluntary Turnover Costs, 2010 - 2018

Organizations strive to minimize employee turnover and retain top performers. This goal is particularly relevant in today’s job market and the war for talent. It is valuable to understand why people leave a job. Summarized in Chart 2 are the top categories.2 Some categories are less preventable, such as retirement or relocation, while others may be prevented with implementation of good talent management strategies.

The following is a breakdown of the categories where opportunity exists to impact talent retention with the right strategies.

Career Development

Lack of growth with no opportunity for promotion is the most common reason that employees make a job change, but it is also where the greatest impact is seen through implementation of robust strategies. By setting a clear direction in terms of career progression in the organization, individuals will know how their career will develop in the future. People do not want to stay in any role that remains static with no hope for change, advancement, or higher compensation.4

Chart 2 - Top Categories for Job Departure

STRATEGIES FOR REDUCTION OF VOLUNTARY TURNOVER

Source: Work Institute, 2019


In addition to promotion, people have a desire to feel they are succeeding and that their talents and capabilities make a difference to the business.5

Employee engagement is a fundamental concept to describe the relationship between a company and its employees. Engagement is a critical element of career or personal development and is directly linked to employee satisfaction. According to Gallup, 56% of somewhat disengaged and 73% of actively disengaged employees are actively looking for a different job.6 Organizations should implement learning opportunities that offer growth in development, such as cross-training and mentorship programs. These type of programs are highly engaging and result in increased levels of employee motivation and dedication to a company.

Work-Life Balance

Employees are human beings and have another life outside of the workplace. Time spent in the office should be in balance with the employee’s life away from work. Work schedules should be flexible enough to provide time to relax, attend to personal needs, spend time with family, or invest time on individual projects. A work-life balance helps to reduce stress and prevent burnout in the work environment, resulting in higher productivity. People employed in companies with no such balance will leave when they find better offers that provide this flexibility.7 An organization should keep abreast of general feelings within the workplace through employee surveys or review industry trends for potential employee pain points. If found, initiatives to alleviate the frustration should be a priority.

Management Behavior

Research shows that the likelihood of an employee leaving a job due to an ineffective manager is 40%.8 This finding illustrates how important the quality of management has on employee turnover in an organization. Strong leadership skills such as proper communication and information sharing, promoting an atmosphere of teamwork, active listening, giving recognition, and providing mentorship are essential for an effective manager. The ability to work with a wide variety of people is also critical. Employees want excellent leaders, not bosses. A leader is someone that people will want to follow, but people will leave a boss. Organizations should ensure that upper management exemplifies the characteristics of an effective leader and reward all management for such behavior.

Compensation and Benefits

The main objective for almost every person is putting themselves in the best position financially based on their value to an organization. Productivity in regards to compensation starts with

people feeling valued, which increases motivation and loyalty. Not only are employees more motivated to do a good job, but, the longer people are with a company, the more they know and efficient they become. Competitive compensation and benefits packages contribute to job satisfaction. If there is a discrepancy between a person’s total compensation and benefits package and the market value for the role, the more likely an employee will leave for a better offer. It is essential for an organization to offer its employees competitive compensation and benefits if they want to retain their employees.9

Well-Being

Well being relates to all aspects of working life, from the quality and safety of the physical environment, to how individuals feel about their work and their working environment. The aim of measuring well-being is to ensure employees are safe, healthy, satisfied, and engaged at work. Many studies show a link between productivity levels and the general health and well-being of the workforce.10 Organizations need to understand that their most valuable resources are their people. A lack of commitment and recognition to promote employee’s well-being may give rise to issues that can ultimately drive an employee to leave.

Strategies that organizations can use to promote well-being should focus on communication and learning/development programs essential for making the workplace a pleasant environment. Implementing programs such as health awareness, stress management, substance awareness, and exercise classes are a few examples.

Additionally, recognition of good work is a significant factor in keeping employees engaged. People are motivated to do more if they feel appreciated. There is a higher chance a person will leave a job if they believe that despite the amount of effort they put forth in a position, they will not receive recognition. Research shows that over 20% of people in search of a new job felt they were not appreciated.8

Job Characteristics

Job characteristics refer to the functions, responsibilities, and expectations of a specific role. It is significantly important for organizations to be transparent and thoroughly describe the job during the interview process to alleviate potential issues later. A study in 2017 surrounding the effectiveness of onboarding processes revealed that 23% of employees are more likely to remain in their job if management clearly defines the role up front.8


Work Environment

Providing employees with a productive environment is important for reducing employee turnover.11 Regardless of the compensation an employee receives, the working environment plays a big factor in determining whether the employee remains in the job. If the work environment is not conducive to getting a job done with the proper tools or physical surroundings, an eventual departure is likely.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Employee turnover is costly for organizations and an important metric to measure to ensure the long-term success of a corporation. Understanding why employees leave a job is vital for bolstering retention by addressing the areas that impact decision-making. The goal for any organization is retaining talent to maintain productivity, improve morale, and ensure that top performers do not leave to work for competitors.

End Notes

1Conference-board.org. (2020). Survey: Business Leaders Start 2020 with Lingering Concerns About Talent Shortages & Recession Risk.https://www.conference-board.org/press/pressdetail.cfm?pressid=9307 [Accessed 9 Jan. 2020].

2Info.workinstitute.com. (2019). 2019 Retention Report. https://info.workinstitute.com/hubfs/2019%20Retention%20Report/Work%20Institute%202019%20Retention%20Report%20final-1.pdf [Accessed 29 Dec. 2019].

3Paycor.com. (2017). Why Employee Turnover Is The Single Most Revealing HR Metric. https://www.paycor.com/resource-center/why-employee-turnover-is-the-single-most-revealing-hr-metric [Accessed 16 Dec. 2019].

4Johnson, C (2009) “Employee Turnover: Duties, Benefits and Expenses,” Encyclopedia of Business,

5Entrepreneur. (2020). How to Create a Winning Employee Retention Strategy. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/76456#ixzz2h4AUGAFF[Accessed2Jan. 2020].

6Gallup.com. (2017). Are Your Star Employees Slipping Away?.Available at: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236351/star-employees-slipping-away.aspx [Accessed 3 Jan. 2020].

7Achoui, M. and Mansour, M (2007), “Employee Turnover and Retention Strategies: Evidence from Saudi Companies,” International Review of Business Research Papers, 3(3), pp. 1-16.

8Clark, A.(2017). Predicting Employee Turnover Using Pre-Hire Personality Measures and Onboarding Strategies (Doctoral dissertation, Bellevue University).

9Mohr, David C., Gary J. Young, and James F. Burgess, Jr. “Employee turnover and operational performance: the moderating effect of group-oriented organisational culture.” Human Resource Management Journal 22.2 (2012): 216-233.

10Ilo.org. (2020). Workplace well-being. https://www.ilo.org/safework/areasofwork/workplace-health-promotion-and-well-being/WCMS_118396/lang--en/index.htm [Accessed 8 Jan. 2020].

11Denisi, A.S and Griffin, R. W. (2008) Human Resource Management, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company

AUTHOR

Fernando de Zavala Partner - Spain, Barcelona T: +34 91 139 08 00 ext. 111 E: [email protected]

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