Why Retention Matters: Building a Culture of Engagement in HR

Much of today’s business narrative is about talent shortages and skills based hiring. In last week’s newsletter I wrote about why retention is the new recruitment and, whilst the Talent Acquisition team often takes the spotlight in making sure our organisations have the people, knowledge and skills they need, it is down to the HR and, increasingly, career and workplace experience teams to make sure we can retain, engage and support them.?

This creates the need for a different approach and for the HR team to help foster an organisational culture that supports, enables, respects and empowers people to achieve their best. I recently had a great podcast conversation with Josh Nixon from Label Sessions about why modern HR is personal, and creative.?

There are many key factors that contribute to building and fostering a culture that boosts retention and engagement and in the conversation we discussed 4 main areas in which HR should have e a major input:

Retention Over Recruitment

I wrote about this in last week’s newsletter, but suffice to say that today's workforce looks for stability, support, and recognition in their roles. Don’t get me wrong - if someone joins an organisation and finds a lack of support, poor or disrespectful culture, or autocratic leadership, they are unlikely to stay, so as HR professionals it's imperative we shift our focus from seeing hiring as the only way to boost skills and knowledge to creating an environment where employees feel valued, supported, enabled and engaged.

The Cycle of Engagement

Creating a positive employee experience involves understanding multiple touch points, from organisational culture to well-being support and opportunities for development. I often refer to the ‘Cycle of Engagement’ which revolves around 9 areas:?

• Experience
• Engagement?
• Leadership
• Recognition
• Support
• Wellbeing
• Mental Health
• Access to Knowledge
• Employee Resource Groups

Recognizing and addressing the diverse needs of employees is essential for fostering engagement and ultimately, retention.

Human Connection in the Workplace

In an era where remote, flexible & hybrid work, and digital connectivity, often dominate the conversations and debates around HR and the world of work, the importance of human connection can never be overstated. Despite technological advancements, employees still crave human interactions, learning from colleagues, and building meaningful relationships.?

As HR professionals, it's our responsibility to help nurture these connections, especially for new hires who may feel disconnected in a virtual environment.

Debunking Leadership and HR Myths

Surely we can finally debunk any old myths surrounding HR as purely administrative…and leadership as needing to be autocratic. Clearly not every business is digitally enlightened, and many may work to models or in sectors where some of the modern HR practices I cover can’t easily be implemented.

However, HR plays a strategic role in shaping organisational culture and fostering employee engagement. And likewise, leadership today is more about openness, accountability, and genuine connection than just giving orders. We may enjoy watching fictionalised/dramatic autocratic leadership of the ‘you’re hired/you’re fired’ genre, but the day to day reality for most is very different.

As HR professionals, we have the power to drive change and create workplaces where employees thrive. Let's prioritise retention, invest in the employee experience, and cultivate a real culture of support and engagement, building organisations where employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow.

Retention isn’t just about keeping employees; it's about creating an environment where they choose to stay and thrive. Is your business culture ready to support a more engaged and empowered workforce?

You can check out my full podcast chat with Josh Nixon here .

Mental Health Awareness Week

I am writing this newsletter during Mental Health Awareness week. My friends at MHR have produced a guide called 'Health is Wealth' which you can access here .

Three key stats from the research that I want to highlight here are:

1. If you don’t support your employee’s mental health, it can cost you ￡1300 a year per employee?
2. 69% of line managers say supporting employee wellbeing is a core skill…but only 13% have received training on it?
3. Only 14% of employees feel able to disclose a mental health issue to a manager...But 10% of employees who did so said they were subject to disciplinary procedures, demotion, or dismissal

We need to be doing better. I have been writing and speaking about the need to offer support and enablement to our people for a couple of years now and I still hear stories from those who feel they have to hide their true feelings and concerns for fear of being judged, or worse.

Talking Retention and Experience in Istanbul

Happy to confirm that I will be one of the Keynote speakers at the Global HR Summit in Istanbul on 5th & 6th June 2024. I will also be running a 60 minute workshop on 'Understanding the Moments that Matter to Our People and Create a Winning Workplace Experience that Supports and Enables Your Key Talent' which will include much of the research that I have been covering in this newsletter.

I will share more details of how you can attend/follow the event next week, but in the meantime you can check out the full and informative agenda here