Stop employees jumping ship

Citation

(2001), "Stop employees jumping ship", Work Study, Vol. 50 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/ws.2001.07950gaf.002

Stop employees jumping ship

Stop employees jumping ship

Keeping good people aboard even a buoyant ship is increasingly difficult – with generous financial offers often receiving little interest. Skills shortages are leading to a poaching of employees, and even keeping someone in your crew for more than just a couple of years seems to becoming a thing of the past.

So what is the key to hanging on to your people?

Investors in People UK, promoters of the Investors in People Standard, a people and business management tool, have offered ten "Smart Retention Strategies" to help employers steer their ship clear of dangerous waters, and keep the sharks outside from gobbling up their staff!

Ten tips from Investors in People UK – your guide to staff retention:

1. 1.

   Recruit for attitude, train for skill. Employing someone with real willingness to do the job is vital – experience or qualifications do not count for everything.

2. 2.

   Treat employees as individuals. We all need to be valued as a person – regardless of whether we are managers or shop floor workers.

3. 3.

   Develop employees' skills by ensuring that learning continues throughout their working life – not just at the start.

4. 4.

   Build teams to create an environment of inclusion – nobody wants to feel alone at work.

5. 5.

   Be creative; tailor systems for your particular employees, your current benefit structure may not be the most effective for the people on your team.

6. 6.

   Treat employees as humans; boost morale by always acknowledging their efforts.

7. 7.

   Encourage senior managers to take personal interest in their employees' development.

8. 8.

   Don't rely on a top-down style of leadership – your employees' ideas may be better that yours!

9. 9.

   Create a long-term training and development programme, giving people real opportunities in acknowledgement of their loyalty.

10. 10.

    Communicate the objectives of the business to everybody. Making people feel part of the organisation increases their aspirations to contribute.

Investors in People UK believes that commitment to individuals' development is key in retaining staff.