by this time next year unless you proactively change some dynamics in your organization. What can you do to avoid having to hire and train so many people?
1. Is the message that you communicate about your firm congruent with what the new employee will find when they join?
Imagine going to an expensive restaurant and getting fast food and fast food service? Would you be happy with that? Of course, you wouldn't. But go to a fast food restaurant and the same treatment is OK. Why?
Because your expectations are in alignment with what you will receive.
Too often, companies set completely different expectations to what they deliver. The employee recognizes this and, because their goals are not being met by the reality of the job, don't perform as well as is expected and, eventually leaves to join an organization that will meet them.
Fix this.
2. Identify your top performers and overpay them Years ago, a large utility was an early adopter of a particular data base technology and started to become a target for other firms to hire people. Their solution was to give their staff a 40% increase. The result was that they lost no one for the next 4 years, only gave modest raises after that and, by the time that the rest of the market caught up with them, the salaries they were paying was in alignment with the market, they were able to achieve goals and were able to manage change in ways that were sensible for them.
A large raise send a message that your company rewards excellence and becomes something that people compete for.
3. Create career pathing. Where can your best people go next? If you can't answer that, then they can't answer it and they are susceptable to making a change.
4. If you can't pay them, at least tell them that you see them and that they are important to you. Don't you feel great when someone tells you that you've done something great? Employees often get a good feeling by being told that they are loved, too.
5. Create a mentoring program. A big brother or big sister who can teach and guide and support, someone who is successful in your culture will help someone persevere during the hard times.
Creating programs that allow you to target great
