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Avoid Employee Turnover: How to tell if you’re losing a Top Performer
Every manager wants to avoid employee turnover – particularly when it comes to top performers. Do you know what signs to watch for?
The most valuable, talented and driven creative professionals are deeply invested in their careers. But these employees can also expect a lot from employers in return for their efforts.
They want their jobs to be a source of fulfillment and prefer to work for organizations that consistently recognize their skills and support their career growth.
If standout team members feel unchallenged creatively, underappreciated or stuck in one position for too long, they’re apt to pursue greener pastures. Professionals with specialized skills are finding that they’re in great demand. Further, nearly one-third (32 percent) of advertising and marketing executives said it’s challenging to find skilled creative professionals today.
If a key team member is thinking about jumping ship, indicators will likely appear well before you receive a resignation letter. Here are some potential warning signs:
Increased absenteeism. Unhappy employees tend to miss more workdays than their colleagues. Pay attention when an individual starts using up personal or vacation days because it could be a sign he or she is burning out or interviewing for other jobs.
Social withdrawal. Avoiding the more social aspects of work – like team-building activities or office parties – is common among employees who are considering leaving. Previously outgoing staff members may suddenly seem quiet, skip voluntary group outings or hole up in their office or cubicle.
A decline in work habits. Uncommon errors, missed deadlines and an overall decrease in productivity can indicate that a once-passionate employee is now just going through the motions.
A change in attitude. When a positive, team-oriented employee starts complaining about the organization or butting heads with coworkers, it’s often symptomatic of job dissatisfaction.
To prevent losing a valued employee, take action as soon as you see sufficient evidence of the person’s intent to leave. Here are four tips:
- Ask questions, listen attentively. Meet one-on-one with the employee and candidly ask if he or she is dissatisfied. When faced with a direct question, many people will respond in truth. If the individual says yes, ask why, listen attentively and explore possible remedies that would work for both parties.
- Show you take the concerns seriously. If the employee is looking for more challenging work, consider offering new responsibilities that will stretch his or her skills. In addition, provide training opportunities to support the employee’s ongoing professional growth.
- Review compensation, perks and benefits. Perhaps salary or work-life balance is the concern. Strong performers who gave it their all during the downturn may feel that modest salary gains in recent years haven’t kept pace with the increased value of their contributions or expanded workloads. Offering remote or flexible work options can also help you avoid employee turnover in many cases.
- Say thanks. One of the easiest and most cost-effective retention tactics is remembering to recognize employees for their good work. Offering a simple “thank you” for a job well done can be surprisingly powerful. Prompt, sincere and specific praise provides an emotional lift and shows staff that you’re paying attention to their efforts and appreciate their contributions.
Brian Torchin
| HCRC Staffing | Brian@hcrcstaffing.com | www.hcrcstaffing.com
Your New Hires Won’t Succeed Unless You Onboard Them Properly
It used to be that onboarding was a process of just a few days, but new research shows that spending as much as a year helping new employees get up to speed in the workplace is necessary to capitalize on the skills, knowledge, and excitement they bring to the organization. What’s more, companies with successful onboarding programs are not just more likely to retain their new hires but even report measurable profit growth.
The first three to six months — when new hires are particularly susceptible to turnover — are most critical. On average, companies lose 17% of their new hires during the first three months, one study found.
Effective onboarding programs have the dual purpose of supporting both new employees and hiring managers through socialization and professional support. For example, Google now uses an electronic checklist to remind managers to discuss roles and responsibilities with new hires, set up check-in meetings for the first six months, and match new hires with a peer buddy. Zappos offers new hires a five-week course that teaches them about the culture and values of Zappos. At Twitter, managers start thinking about onboarding well before a new hire’s first day by streamlining the many steps and interactions that must occur to make a new hire’s first days at the company welcoming and successful.
A meta-analysis conducted by two of us examined the findings of 70 separate studies and showed that feeling socially accepted was a key factor in newcomer success. Integrating into the social network matters, in part, because it brings greater access to information and resources. Another recent study we conducted found that among software engineers in India, new employees sought out more information when they felt connected to others in the organization.
A new employee’s manager is one of the most important people in the onboarding experience, and gaining this person’s support may directly improve or undermine a new hire’s chances of succeeding. In a study that followed 409 college graduates through their first two years on the job, the degree of supervisor support that new employees felt during that time period had implications for role clarity, job satisfaction, and even their salary over time. In another study we found that supervisors can promote or inhibit newcomer adjustment through their supportive or obstructive behaviors. This is critically important because it means that effective onboarding programs must take into account not just the experience of the newcomer but also that of hiring managers.
We know that managers are busy and rarely have time built into their formal roles for the onboarding of new employees. So what motivates managers to support new employees in their onboarding?
To answer this question, we conducted another field study of new software engineers in India, in which we surveyed new employees and their direct managers at different points in their onboarding experience. We focused our attention on why some employees received support from their managers while others did not. We found that because managers have limited time, they look for signals that new employees are committed to their own onboarding. In other words, new employees who are proactive about their own onboarding will likely receive attention and support from managers. Managers were more likely to provide new employees with helpful information when employees actively sought out information about their role and worked at making connections with new colleagues. Those who asked for and got help from their managers were more likely to succeed. The potential downside is that managers may fail to support new employees whom they perceive as being less committed, which may or may not be an accurate assessment.
Even with elaborate onboarding programs, organizations need to be cognizant of the power of informal interactions between new employees and their managers, taking steps to ensure that this process facilitates onboarding rather than derailing it. It is important to encourage managers to check in with new employees and make time to offer support. At the same time, new employees should be encouraged to do their part to engage in and take control of their own socialization and onboarding by asking questions, seeking out information, and taking advantage of opportunities to meet fellow coworkers.
Have a great day!
Brian Torchin
HCRC Staffing
111 Forrest Ave
1st Floor
Narberth PA 19072
Office 610-660-8120
Cell: 267-251-5275
Fax 800-263-1547