Human resource expert Samuel Siebu chronicles five major issues contributing to employee retention problems.
Too often employee retention only becomes a focus at a workplace when attrition levels are a problem. Human resource experts like Samuel Siebu, a senior HR vice president in a large healthcare firm, realize keeping consistent retention policies in place is the best step forward to avoid inconvenient and costly staffing issues.
Policies need to be developed around common pain points to ensure they do not become trouble spots leading to a decline in workplace morale and eventual resignations and terminations.
Compensation
HR professionals, such as Samuel Siebu, realize compensation is the biggest concern for many workers, particularly those still climbing the ladder at a workplace. Workers want to know their efforts are appreciated and steps to be more effective are recognized. An increase in salary or hourly wages demonstrates recognition in a tangible way, and the employee receives reinforcement every paycheck.
For many, raises are also their only way to improve their quality of life. When a raise is deserved, it needs to be provided or a valid reason shared for why one is not forthcoming. For example, a struggling business may have a freeze on wage increases, but it needs to explain this clearly and specify a decision to cancel a raise isn’t merit-based. There also needs to be an extreme focus on effective fund management across the company to avoid workers feeling like salary increases are the only staff retention measure.
When a business is profitable, a clear guide to pay increases, how one can be earned and how frequently they are considered should be available to all workers.
Opportunities for Career Growth
Employees also need access to opportunities to demonstrate new skills acquired and to develop
new skills. A common pain point is a lack of training opportunities and a clear path to promotion.
These details can be specified in orientations and then HR refreshers throughout the year.
Wrong Hires
Another HR issue that leads to retention problems is simply making wrong hiring choices from thestart. In addition to hiring for technical aptitude, recruitment processes need to prioritize finding an employee who is the right fit and understands the workplace expectations and culture before signing an offer letter. This requires critical evaluation of the workplace and honesty in the interviewing process, Samuel Siebu relates.
Workload
When recruitment initiatives have been uneven during past hiring processes, there may be a mix of very strong workers and less strong workers in the office according to Samuel Siebu. This means workload imbalances may occur and make strong performers feel overwhelmed while less enthusiastic employees do the minimum. When these scales start to tip, it’s important to develop strategies to combat the problem immediately to avoid burning out top performing employees.
