Now that your organization has decided that part of the hiring process should include a retention practice, leadership has taken a big step towards building a strong employer brand. The first part of the process is addressing potential concerns before they become an issue that impacts employee retention. This can be achieved by not just hiring better-performing candidates, but making your organization the one that employees want to stay with.

• Employee Referrals- In business it is said your best advertising is word of mouth. Your current workforce is a great place to find others with similar experience and work ethic. From time to time an employee might refer someone for an opening, but this should be encouraged with a well -developed referral program. Your initiative should be effectively communicated throughout the company. The program can include a financial reward system, but many employees are also willing to refer others when they know their efforts are recognized. The program alone will not inspire employees to refer others, so you will still need to ensure that employees are happy and wanting to get others to join the company. 
• Manager’s Buy-in- Many times companies try new initiatives to only discontinue it because of lack of buy-in. When a concept is being introduced that may be a change in practice, leadership must make sure that anyone it affects understands the benefits of the program. This will promote acceptance and implementation from the various decision makers that are responsible for executing it. Once your employee retention program is established, the expectations should be clearly stated. Managers that see high employee retention as a reflection of themselves and the company are usually more prone to apply strategies to keep their team engaged and wanting to stay. Managers should practice effective leadership styles to help prevent employee turnover. Ways to prevent employees from wanting to leave includes: developing a culture that recognizes your team’s accomplishments, communicates openly, shows appreciation and provides continuous growth opportunities. 

• Training! - A good selling point for potential candidates and current employees is the opportunity to learn. Including an effective training program as a part of the hiring process increases employee engagement. Using technology can help an organization continuously offer training opportunities for their employees. Learning options should be beneficial to the employee and employer. All training opportunities should address one of your company’s goals of decreasing employee turnover. Offer trainings in a variety of formats and topics. It is evident that employees must stay current in their specific discipline, but sometimes employees may need learning opportunities that address soft skills.  An established training program and the ability to offer a variety of experiences for new and current employees will make it harder for employees to want to leave. 

• BIG DATA- “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” This old business adage by Peter Drucker should still be applied today, especially when looking out how to prevent employees from leaving an organization. Analyzing data can be helpful or harmful; it all depends on what is collected, how it is measured and what is ultimately done with it. Collecting data can be done in a multitude of ways. Throughout an employees’ tenure they should be asked for feedback that relates to their specific role and the company culture. Know what your employees are thinking and feeling before an exit interview. Survey top employees to see why they remain with the company. This information can help an organization build a strong brand. When a candidate refuses an offer of employment try to find out what company they did join. Research to get an understanding of why they may have chosen that company over your organization. Data should not replace personal interaction and common sense, but it can help a company become a higher-performer with satisfied employees.

 Employee engagement is critical to any company’s success. When employees are engaged they are more productive because they are happy. Happiness can have a significant impact on work-life balance and whether a new hire is comfortable with their decision, a current employee wants to encourage others to join the organization or if your company is seen as a “good place to work”.

How does your organization try to prevent employees from WANTING to leave?  This is part 3 of 4 articles that will address employee retention. Article four will discuss ways to identify and hire employees that show the potential to stay.