“Knowing what makes your employees unhappy is essential when considering work satisfaction, morale, motivation and retention” www.b4-business.com 43 42 B4 ADVICE Workload: Do your employees feel their workloads are too heavy or their time is spread too thinly? This problem is becoming worse as redundancies; the economy; lack of educated, skilled or experienced staff; and your business demands grow. Some of the advice and recommendations the CIPD came up with from their recent talent management research was particularly helpful when you’re thinking about your resourcing and talent planning strategies: • Consolidate the people management skills of your line managers to identify, assess and develop your talent effectively, this would include managing performance, providing feedback and conducting effective & productive conversations plus training/coaching and engaging with your employees • Develop and support roles that are pivotal to the business. • Maintain a proactive and consistent approach to performance management. • Simplify and entrench your talent management processes and anchor development to the needs of the business. • Support and engage with your employees through the uncertain economic climate – communicate regularly what is happening with the business, pay close attention and gauge the general mood of employees, supporting the ‘survivors’ of the business. • Acknowledge your organisation’s skills shortages and develop various possibilities to build knowledge and experience in the areas that are lacking. • Maintain enthusiasm and momentum around your brand and, even if not currently recruiting, keep talent interested for the future. www.thecareerboutique.com With the impending influx of new talent into Oxfordshire as a result of new government led initiatives & partnerships, how flexible is your organisation’s recruitment strategy? How will you retain your talent? How attractive is your organisation to new talent? HOW STRONG IS YOUR RECRUITMENT & RETENTION STRATEGY? The increased flow of new organisations into Oxfordshire can only be a good thing for economic growth in the area, highlighting the exceptional talent and resources we have in our county and ensuring a bright economic future for Oxfordshire. However, this could leave an organisations recruitment and retention strategy wide open. With new and exciting organisations coming into the area, your talent could start to think the grass is greener on the other side. The Career Boutique have built up open and honest professional relationships with our clients, and feel they are in an ideal position to advise and guide them on the employment market, employee retention, and more importantly employee satisfaction. With incentives and benefits such as flexible working, personal development & training plans, healthcare and pension benefits, to name only a few, your organisation would become more attractive. Katherine has always believed that hiring staff is just the start of creating a strong and talented work force. Your next challenge is keep them there because high turnover costs businesses time and productivity. By offering benefits and perks to keep staff happy, perhaps affording them a good work life balance and promoting from within wherever possible your time will be better spent and your productivity will improve. On the flip-side, by having these benefits and perks in place, your organisation becomes attractive to those seeking employment. Job seekers would prefer to work for an organisation that is flexible rather than regimented, open to ideas & forward thinking rather than stuck in a rut and most of all an organisation who values its existing staff by offering them a pleasant, safe and secure working environment. Financial rewards and bonuses can be very attractive but in these austere times, other incentives can be just as attractive. Some organisations offer stock options, others team building days/nights, some offer vouchers for online or high street retailers or restaurants. An organisation who is keen to retain its talent would be well advised to ask them what they’d like rather than just assume. By asking, you’re showing you’re willing to be flexible, willing to listen, which in itself can be a satisfying experience for the work force. Staff just want to feel part of the process, part of the decision making and part of the company they’re putting their time and effort into supporting. Katherine has come across these issues many times before in her work with clients on their recruitment projects, and as a consequence she has gained many valuable partnerships with training/coaching organisations, HR professionals and legal advisors. She feels strongly that being able to offer rounded and impartial advice during the recruitment process, this only enhances the experience for the client. Our recent seminar on “Family Rights at Work” has highlighted the changes in society that require organisations to have a more flexible attitude towards family life and the balance with work. Knowing what makes your employees unhappy is essential when considering work satisfaction, morale, motivation and retention. You must be listening to your staff and providing them with opportunities to communicate with you. If your employees feel respected and secure, they will tell you what’s on their minds. The Top complaints employees have include:- Salaries: Do your employees feel comfortable asking for a raise? How can you encourage open communication? Do your employees feel there is inequality in pay between new and longer term employees? In some organisations with the average annual pay increase of around 4%, employees think that newcomers are being paid more – and, often, they are. Over-management: Are your employees micro-managed? Workplaces that encourage employee empowerment and more employee contributions have fewer complaints. HR Dept responses: Is your HR Dept responding quickly to employee questions and concerns. In forward thinking HR departments, responsiveness to employee needs is essential. Favoritism: Are your employees treated equally? Employees want fair treatment in all policies, guidelines, requesting time off, assignments, regular communication and development opportunities. Communication and availability: Do you encourage face-to-face communication time with senior management? Communication helps employees feel valued and important. “ ...hiring staff is just the start of creating a strong and talented work force. Your next challenge is keep them there because high turnover costs businesses time and productivity ”