Employee retention has taken a front seat in importance as businesses compete for talent in today’s flourishing economy. As workforce professionals, we are in a unique situation where there are now more job openings than we have qualified candidates to fill. This changes the game in terms of how we can best serve and support our business customer.
Let’s start with some of the basic tenants of customer service. Customer service extends beyond just our external customers. As it relates to retention, a business’s ability to meet the needs of its internal customer (your job seekers) has a direct impact on employee retention. Business, as usual, may not be enough to keep employees on the job, especially with the shift in today’s job market.
In a recent small group training exercise, groups were tasked with creating and sharing what their “ideal” workplace would include. Three themes emerged–the importance of a nice work environment, fair compensation/benefits, and consistent employee recognition/engagement. Interestingly, these same themes came up again with another group as we discussed business engagement.
As a workforce professional, determining how you can assist a business to stay and be competitive in today’s job market while saving them time and money, should be a top priority. This is an opportunity to show your value, even when you don’t have qualified candidates to fill available positions. What better guidance could you offer a business than to help keep their existing talent employed and avoid the costs of turnover? Right now, probably none!
So, where do you start? A good first step could be to take a consultative approach. Ask your business customer which positions have the highest turnover or are most difficult to fill. Next, obtain permission to either speak in person or send out a confidential survey to existing employees in these positions. Perhaps turnover is a result of interpersonal conflict with another employee or a manager. Or, the demands of the job are too high. Or, the technology is outdated and creates inefficiency. Or, employees are seeking more recognition or “fun” on the job. If a business is open-minded and understands the financial implications of doing nothing, they will be willing to consider what you have to share with them.
Another idea is to hold an hour-long workshop on the topic. Create a workshop name that is going to entice businesses to attend–or at least gets their attention! Anything having to do with saving time, money, streamlining operations or any combination of the above is a great start. Think bottom line. Use part of this workshop to introduce your services and how you can assist with the process.
While workforce professionals have historically focused on job placement, we need to adapt to the needs of today’s economy. That shift includes a focus on job retention for our business customers, as well as our job seekers. If you have any strategies you’d like to share, we’d love to hear from you. Feel free to respond back to this email.
Now, go out and be awesome!
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