The final portion of our three-part retention series examines the root cause of employee departures. As a reminder, part one focused on retaining employees the way they want to be retained, and part two examined the impact of culture on retention. This last part of the series focuses on four key reasons for employee turnover and how to solve them.
- Life in Career Satisfaction: Do your team members find joy and purpose in their role? Shift away from the practice of exit interviews only and conduct STAY interviews to answer this question.
You cannot make someone else happy. People have to decide to be happy. However, sometimes the leader has no idea people are dissatisfied. If you are highly task focused, find people in your organization who have eyes and ears to look out for people who are dissatisfied.
Forget exit interviews, change your practice to conduct STAY interviews. Find out what your team members love and you will likely begin to see a pattern that you can utilize to attract new hires or enhance the existing culture. When holding these interviews, be sure to frame them as positive conversations so your team members do not think the conversation might be negative in nature.
- Coping Ability: Frustration is a given in any job setting. But, can the employee cope with it well enough to reduce it to the point that it becomes a motivator?
If controlled, frustration can actually be a serious resource for motivation on the job. Do your employees show an inability to recover from frustrating situations? If the answer to this question is no, it might be a sign they are heading for another job opportunity.
- Career Commitment: Does the employee understand the job well enough to fully commit to the duties and responsibilities expected of them? Are they “all in” with their heart and their hands?
An easy check in with your team members is to utilize the GPS (Goals, Passions, Struggles) framework. We have a tool to help frame that conversation so you know what goals your team members have, what they find passionate about their work, and what struggles are holding them back. If you know what drives them, you will know if they are “all in” in their current role. Download a copy of the tool here.
- Job Fit: Do you have the person with the right talents, personality, and skills for the job description? Or, did you hire a square peg for a round hole?
Sometimes a hire just wasn’t the right fit for the job no matter what you try. But that doesn’t mean the team member needs to leave your organization all together. Perhaps they might be a better fit in a different role. Consider a psychometric assessment to identify their strengths and weaknesses. We can help with that! Email nancy@leadershipdevgroup.com to learn more.
Ultimately, retention is most easily achievable when you know what makes your team members tick, your culture is affirming, and the future looks bright for professional growth. If you need help assessing any of these elements of your organization, we can help. Drop us a note on the Connect tab to schedule a conversation for how we can meet your needs.
