If ‘people are everything’, how much importance should you place on the process of finding the right people, teaching them and helping them maintain their ability to do their jobs? The answer is ‘practically everything’.

Recent skill shortages in the job candidate market have highlighted the importance of retaining existing skilled and trained staff. Replacing staff can be difficult and costly, but in addition, a company’s reputation is also at stake. Constant turnover suggests instability, poor management and a lack of good planning.

Regardless of why an individual leaves, more often than not, the employee walks away with a bitter taste in their mouth and the possibility of repeating these sentiments to future employers and their personal network. Losing talented individuals can damage your company’s reputation for years to come.

Vacant positions increase workloads for other staff members – often outside their position profiles, causing a sense of instability and frustration resulting in work backlogs and slow productivity. Employees may lose faith in the organisation when they see their co-workers departing with consequences negatively effecting work levels and productivity.

By utilising the recruitment and selection process effectively, you will substantially lower your rate of employee turnover. It is important to establish job criteria to determine essential and desirable qualifications and skills to undertake the position. Candidates that do not possess the ‘must factors’ should not be considered for the position. Reference checking is an essential part of the recruitment process. Tests and diplomas only indicate what a person can do. A reference check will bring out what they will do and discover whether they have a successful track record.

Once an appointment has been made, the supervisor must interact to give the new employee the necessary assistance, support and training. Orientation and training should cover organisational policies, procedures, training material, corporate structure, key contacts and any other relevant information to complete their role. Supervisors need to ensure that communication channels are clear and approachable between staff and supervisors and that communication is encouraged regarding both problems and achievements.

Further information in how you can evaluate your employee retention program, can be found in Drake’s White Paper “Employee Retention”. To discuss how Drake can assist your organisation to deliver quantifiable results and improve your retention rates, contact Dasha Bartikova on (03) 9245 0361 or 0447 576 702.