By Rob Rusniaczek Grandy & Associates
In July we published an article titled “Recruiting Employees”. As we discussed in the article, we need to develop a system of Recruiting Employees. The outlined system was to use the TRUST method.
TRUST – Recruitment System
- T – Treat Candidates Like Clients
- R – Referral Program
- U – Use Sponsored Job Listings
- S – Social Media Strategies
- T – Try New Things
In this article we will discuss the strategical and tactical approaches you can call upon to Retain Employees.
Looking across the labor landscape, retaining personnel to get the work done is truly a challenge. Perhaps you have heard yourself saying:
- After 20 years why would they leave?
- Why do I have such turnover within my company?
- I just trained this person and 2 months later there leaving, are you serious????
Simple question… do you have a strategy for retaining your people? Below you will find the PRIDE Reward and Retaining method to buildup your TEAM. We are curious to hear your thoughts and we are always happy to discuss the content deeper with you in a conference call etc. Should you have questions, please feel free to reach out to me at: rob@grandyassociates.com.
PRIDE – Reward and Retain
- P – Positive Working Environment
- R – Recognize, Reward & Reinforce the Right Behavior
- I – Involve and Engage Team Members
- D – Develop Employee Skills and Potential
- E – Evaluate and Measure
P – PRIDE – Positive Working Environment
About one-third of your teams’ lives are spent at work. One-third is for sleeping, another third is for spending time with family and finally a third is designated for working. I would often half-jokingly say, if I want this kind of abuse, I’ll just stay home. Well, do you ever think about and consider, what is your employees home life like? Do you ever wonder, how can I lessen the pressure on my staff and create a positive culture at work? Does your company have a culture of picking on people or do you have a work culture and climate based on fun, inclusivity, welcoming, respect, no-gossip, collaboration and trust?
- Make a List. Create a list of everything that is negative about the work environment and eliminate those things, simple right. Get rid of the gutter snipping-gossip, toxic, stress, micro management, and hostile environment.
- Moving Forward. Do everything through the lens of including the positive element and eliminating the negative aspects of the work culture.
- Come Along Side. Be a coach and a cheerleader for your staff.
- Continually evaluate and ask yourself does this support a positive working environment?
As you are moving forward, look to create collaboration through an employee suggestion box, perhaps implementing 4-10’s or 4-12’s, or staggered starts? Do you have an employee of the month program or do you know how to implement an employee of the month program? Have you considered changing or modifying the On-Call Service schedule?
R – Recognize, Reinforce & Reward the Right Behavior
Other than a paycheck and an annual dinner, do you thank your employees for the work they do? Do you have a reward system that reinforces success? Here are some things you can consider.
- Level 1 – The simple thank you: You’re thanking individuals for their actions which can be efforts as well as results.
- Level 2 – Reinforcement: Besides thanking individuals for what they’re doing, you’re acknowledging them for the specific actions they’re taking. They’re not only expending effort but they’re also making progress; or if they’re high achievers, getting results already. By calling attention to the new behavior, you’re helping them shape it, repeat it and bake it into their daily routine and the organization’s culture.
- Level 3 – Reward: Giving individuals something, you show you appreciate what they’ve accomplished. This could be done publicly in a morning meeting. i.e. Gas Card, Grocery Card etc.
- 5 or 10 Perfect Installs, No Call Backs, Safety Related, Organizing the Parts room etc.
I – Involve and Engage Team Members
These are the fast facts – When you involve your employees they become stakeholders. When you involve your employees in the hiring of new people, your existing employees will sell new prospective candidates on joining the company. The better the culture, the better success you will have in attracting new hires and growing your team. From hiring to retaining you can involve your team members in the:
- Interview process of new candidates
- Creating a new reward system
- Decision making or process changes
- Position shifts or promotions
Simply speaking, involve your team.
D – Develop Employee Skills and Potential – When does a new hire become productive within your company? Day 1, Week 1, Week 10, Week 30? Where do I start with getting employees productive? With the current labor pool of candidates, you will need to attract employees outside your existing industry. The most basic of concepts will need to be taught to these new hires. You need to have a documented and developed process for onboarding these new team members. One suggestion is to start with our Onboarding courses. At a minimum, we hold these classes twice per month and the course ramps up your staff quickly. These courses cover the basics of:
- Understanding major and minor system components
- Different parts of the system and system design
- And so many other aspects of your industry.
E – Evaluate and Measure – Especially when things are busy, many little things fall by the wayside. However, it is important to consistently have a process for checking in with your team. Do you currently do any of the following?
- Schedule one-on-one meetings – Set a time to meet quarterly with each team member. Find out what’s going on in their lives. Listen to them and understand what is frustrating them. Work toward resolving these items or they will move to another company that is more attractive.
- Transparent & Simple Evaluations – Explain clearly and concisely what it will take to make more money within the company. It is no longer acceptable to give annual pay increases and employees need to know what will get them to the next level.
- Prepare improvement Plans – When an employee is not performing, use your one-on-one to talk about and document how to get better.
When looking to expand your team, keep in mind you need to have/create an environment for your team to want to stay. There are many employers out there looking to poach and take your employees away. I distinctly remember having our main Installer quit. Joe was offered a position with a flexible work schedule and five dollars more per hour. While Joe was resigning, we immediately matched and exceeded that offer and this is what Joe said, “If I was this important and valuable, why did I have to quit to be offered this?”. Simply speaking, Joe was right! We don’t have to wait for someone to quit to finally show them they are valuable.
We know the methods described with PRIDE recruiting work. Again, should you like to explore this information further, please reach out to me, Rob Rusniaczek at: rob@grandyassociates.com.
