Employee Retention-Practical Solutions

This month I am looking at a critical topic for all of us in talent management right now - retention. I am sharing potential solutions for the hiring, onboarding, and career development portions of the employee experience. Here is the good news. If we can acknowledge and solve even a few employee experience issues right now, you will be ahead of most companies on employee engagement.

I Quit! (Quietly But Still...)

The current news cycle is all about the buzzword "quiet quitting." But, to be clear, there's no single definition of quiet quitting. For some, it means setting boundaries and not taking on extra work. For others, it means not going above and beyond. Most, however, agree it does not mean leaving the job.

A historical look at the idea of quiet quitting, aka slacking or coasting, can be found in Fast Company's "Generation X: The Original Quiet Quitters."

Author Christopher Zara cites articles from the 1990s and 1970s about supposed generational work ethic differences. I'd be willing to bet we could find similar reporting even further back. It is a good perspective check and an acknowledgment that workplace disruptions cycle

Jessica Irvine writing for the Sydney Morning Herald, has a great take on this trend. She says, "What I object to is the "quiet" nature of the movement when what we need right now is an assertive and noisy discussion of the appropriate boundaries between our home and working lives." Read the full article.

Lunchtime Read/Listen - this is a more extended, thoughtful take on what might be behind the quiet quitting meme on HRDive. In "Hybrid Health: Quiet Quitting is About a Sense of Self," the author says the trend may be more about work-life balance. Some good suggestions here for moving forward.

Let's Talk

As complex as the current business and talent environment is right now, my reading is revealing that the very basics might be what we all need - communication and connection.

Daniel Goleman is the author of the bestseller "Emotional Intelligence" and a contributor to talent consultant Korn Ferry's Leadership Blog. In "Quiet Quitting: One Solution, he highlights CEO Gergo Vari's approach that Vari calls "loudly persisting." This communications approach is Vari's way of ensuring he is having meaningful conversations with his employees.

Reading this, I am struck by how simple this deliberate check-in technique could be in practice. Acknowledging that everyone needs a reset after the past two years as a way to no longer be in emergency mode. Discovering what would make work feel balanced and meaningful for each employee could be a solution.

In my conversations with candidates, I hear wishes for the ability to be at a kid's weekly Thursday afternoon soccer game, the support to take a course to gain an essential skill, or attendance at a yearly industry conference. None of these expressed needs require corporate systems overhaul or significant expense.

What do you think? Would "reset" conversations between managers and individual employees be helpful for your organization?

Recruit like Moneyball, Not Frankenstein

I typically don't use sports analogies, but this blog in the Harvard Business Review, "To Make Better Hires, Learn What Predicts Success," has a fascinating point to make. What if, instead of looking for an employee that is a "Frankenstein" of all the qualities for a role, we took the "Moneyball" approach? In that case, we would be looking for a new hire whose skills complement the existing team and who has proven top-level abilities in the one area the role requires to be successful.

While baseball players could contribute to the team in many ways, Billy Beane questioned the age-old quest for players who contributed to all of them. Instead, Beane sought a portfolio of players, each making unique contributions. In other words, he reduced the number of criteria he expected his recruits to excel at. He did this by giving a lot of thought to what constituted success in each role.

Buddy Up

Finally, this is such a simple, impactful idea. Instituting a buddy system as part of the new hire onboarding process improves retention. This assignment is not a mentor or coaching role but a short-term (no more than 90 days) connection between a tenured employee and the new hire. Check out the full article on HRDive: Buddy system for new hires strengthens onboarding experience, research shows.

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