Are Employee
Morale and Retention
Rates Really Related?
So now you
have looked at
your retention rates carefully and the agency is taking another
approach to
recruiting & hiring. What else is a factor in those high
turnover rates? A
study IBM cites that 20%
of employees left
their job because they were unhappy with the organization (Access Perks). An in-depth
study by the Work Institute breaks
down the top reasons given by employees for leaving
their jobs even further; the reasons were: career development (22%),
work-life
balance (12%), managers' behavior (11%), compensation and benefits (9%)
and
wellbeing (9%). Retention
rates and
employee morale are directly related.
75%
of the
causes of employee turnover are preventable (HR Dive).
Yes, pay
undoubtedly will always be a factor in employee’s
satisfaction and thus an
agency’s retention rates. Unless an agency has magically
uncovered a genie in a
bottle, the cannot blink and magically increase their starting pay.
However, an
agency’s problem is not just singularly the pay scale but is
actually most
likely attributed to the big “M” word- morale. The
question if an agency can
increase their retention rates with the increase in employee morale is
a
resounding yes. Fifty-nine percent of workers who believe they are paid
below
market still report job satisfaction (Payscale).
This statistic alone is motivation
enough for an agency to devote time and a portion of their budget to
increase
employee morale.
It
Starts
with The Interview
Increasing
retention rates and subsequently employee morale starts from the very
beginning. We last discussed luring in those qualified candidates for
the
Communication Center. Now that you have those applicants in the door,
now is
the time to pare them down to the right candidate. Although the
temptation is
great, do not hire a candidate just to fill a seat. "Retention starts
right from the beginning, from the application process to screening
applicants
to choosing who to interview," says Dan Pickett, CEO of Nfrastructure,
an
infrastructure, managed services and network services firm who boasts
of a 97%
retention rate; "It starts with identifying what aspects of culture and
strategy you want to emphasize, and then seeking those out in your
candidates”
(CIO).
What
is a
key attribute of a successful Communication Center? Teamwork! Yes,
there are
people who have been “job hoppers” because they
have not found their career
home. However, in general, candidates who have been “job
hoppers” will not be
team players and be there for the long haul. Look for candidates who
played
team sports, volunteer in the community or even attend an area
religious
institution. These outside activities point to an individual who is
going to
support teamwork within the Communications Center. The Wall
Street
Journal suggests
you “Interview and vet candidates carefully, not just to
ensure they have the
right skills but also that they fit well with the company culture,
managers,
and co-workers” (Forbes).
During the interview, be extremely candid with
shifts, overtime, stress, etc. According to Josh
Bersin,
Principal and Founder of Bersin by Deloitte
points out “If
you
honestly explain these roles and their positives and negatives you will
attract
people that "fit." If you over-sell the job you'll suffer high
turnover.
OTJ
is Equally Important in Employee Morale
Building
employee morale also begins with
on-the-job training (OTJ). A major research study of the correlation
between
job satisfaction and job training concluded that training can produce
positive
or negative attitudes and impressions in which trainees carry with them
into
the workplace (Schmidt).
Training for this career is tough! OTJ can wear on even the toughest,
smartest
people. Focus on a supporting, encouraging environment and highlight
the
positives on a new hire’s training report/ DOR in bright
yellow or that the
font is a different size and/or color. Stress to the person that every
trainee
learns differently- some people are like a light switch and others
learn
incrementally. Every new hire is assigned a trainer, but also assign
them a
mentor (or two). Two mentors are ideal. One that is a newer person who
they can
talk to and empathize while the other is a seasoned employee who can
encourage
them and help them through the difficulties of the job.
Next….
How to Boost Employee Morale