A Fix for Employee Turnover
Here is a quick quiz for you. What can improve staff commitment, reduce turn over and increase profits? Give up? Employee Orientation is the correct answer. Nowadays you may know it as Onboarding. A recent report by the SHRM Foundation suggests, “According to recent data, more than 25 percent of the U.S. population experiences some type of career transition each year. Unfortunately, many transitions are not successful. Half of all hourly workers leave new jobs in the first four months, and half of senior outside hires fail within 18 months.” A contributing factor is that the Onboarding process is usually afforded minimum attention and respect.
However, it is essential that everyone understand how difficult it is for a new employee to become a full contributor to the organization. Helping new employees get on board is more challenging than one might think. An article by the University of North Carolina suggests that the Onboarding process, including follow-up, should last the entire first year. The article goes on to say that an effective program helps a new employee increase self-efficacy, improve role clarity, help speed up the socialization process and provide cultural knowledge.
Granted, we humans have been practicing our communication skills for eons. However, we are still amazingly good at reverting back to almost prehistoric faux pas when it comes to sending and receiving even the most basic communication. Some influences can make communication more difficult. For example, noise can interfere with communication. Noise can be any kind of noise, but may include our own thoughts, perceptions or biases. Did you know that organizational growth could also interfere with communication?
The more people, projects and clients a company has, the more complexity develops. To manage all of these productively, there must be processes in place. When your company had 10 or even 20 employees, allocating resources to a project was relatively easy. As growth ramps us, throwing people at problems no longer works. Overhead increases and the leader who is asleep at the wheel will begin to lose profitability. Now you need good managers. However, growing organizations require managers who are knowledgeable about what an effective process looks like, how to manage it, when and how to improve it and how to get work accomplished through people.
Recently, I was debriefing a client on a leadership program I had just conducted and we were discussing some follow-up coaching. I assured the President that I would ensure that everyone aligns with the vision of the organization, to which he replied, “Oh we have lots of visions here.” At first, I thought he was being facetious, unfortunately, he was being serious. Even scarier, he thinks it a good thing for everyone to have different visions. Going forward, to say I have my work cut out for me is an understatement.
How would you answer the following questions about your organization?
You’ve found a candidate who is confident, capable, and willing to do whatever it takes to get a job done. Quality hire!! Or, so you think. These traits are more descriptive of an entrepreneur, not an employee. People who like to work for other people are wired differently than an entrepreneur. Employees typically need – and want – more structure and direction, some more than others. As a business owner, processes just slow you down. Of course, every company wants to make quality hires.
Many of you are familiar with the following two quotes…”The smallest deed, is greater than the best intention” John Burroughs. The other is, “Knowledge is Power” Francis Bacon. This information begs the question, what does this have to do with employee turnover? First, let’s explore employee turnover.