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Attracting and keeping good employees is hard enough, but it's even harder toattract and keep the most talented of them. Sometimes they leave because of an opportunity that they cannot pass up, but more often the cause is related to the business they are leaving. Too many organizations create a rules-based culture that can make management feel like things are under control, but these rules disrupt and even intensify creativity.
In a rules-based culture, the best employees - the most talented - are usually the first to leave, because they are in demand and have more opportunities than the majority of employees.
A simple principle to attract and retain the best and most talented: Stop creating absurd rules.
How do you know if a rule is bad? Ask yourself who needs it. If it's primarily meant for employees you wish you hadn't hired, it's probably a dumb rule. In this article, we'll look at some Tips to apply to retain your best talent within your business.
8 Tips for Retaining Your Top Talent
2. Avoid performance reviews.
3. Do not require mandatory presence in the workplace.
4. Eliminate systematic micro-management.
5. Do not ask for systematic supporting documents.
7. Do not limit the use of the Internet.
8. Abandon the mandatory probationary period.
1. Humanize your recruitment
Imagine that you are a potentially great employee applying for a job within your organization. You refine your resume, write a compelling cover letter, and then you enter the “Bermuda Triangle” — the unanswered moment between applying for a job and hiring — or you receive impersonal feedback that the position has been filled. It's not just stupid, it's inhumane. Isn't there a way to create human-centered hiring processes? Isn't it possible to find the right person based on their words, presentation, and identity instead of relying on keyword categorization? Humanize the process and you'll get better, more talented people.
Also to read: 6 tips for a good candidate experience
2. Avoid performance reviews
Let's be honest: performance reviews are a waste of time. Brilliant individuals deserve better than to be subject to a five-point bureaucratic schedule every year. That doesn't provide a relevant answer - it's just a ritual feared by everyone involved.
If you don't trust the people you've hired, why did you hire them? If you don't trust your recruiters to hire good people, why did you make them recruiters? Get rid of annual reviews and rankings and allow people to be brilliant, motivated, and creative. Encourage and help them set goals and maintain high standards. Let them be productive and if they're not productive enough, let them go.
3. Do not require mandatory presence in the workplace
For many jobs, smart people don't need rules to force them into the office. People know what work they need to do that day and where they do it best. From one week to the next, they know if they have something to contribute to the team and by definition come to the office, or if it is more relevant for them to stay home and work on a task whose deadline is approaching while being available by email, phone or chat. Those who are often absent and do not contribute to group work probably do not meet other standards.
4. Eliminate systematic micro-management
Ask yourself if you would be productive in your private life if you had to ask someone else to validate all your actions and decisions. You will never be able to do anything! Do you really want your best employees to spend their time chasing after their boss to get their approval? Except in the case of a new procedure or a very large project where validation by a third party is appropriate or even necessary. It slows down work, wastes money, and shows employees that you don't trust their judgment.
5. Don't ask for Jsystematic supporting documents
If a dedicated employee is not feeling well enough to come to work, what is the point in forcing them to get out of bed to get a medical certificate? Just tell people that when they are sick, they are expected to stay home and rest until they are healthy (and not contagious) enough to return to work. For a serious illness, a transition period of half a day may be appropriate. Likewise, if people want to take a day off, don't force them to lie about it. Treat the great people you've hired with respect. Trust them on how to manage their time and work hard to keep their promises, and encourage them to take a day off if they need it for some reason, no questions asked to avoid possible burn-out. Requiring proof shows that you don't trust the people you've hired.
6. Have close communication
If you want to know how things are going, all you have to do is go for a walk and ask your employees face to face. “Exchange, discuss, start a dialogue. A quick online survey will only give you superficial answers. The best way to learn what's going on is to have honest, candid conversations about what's working and what's not working.”. If that doesn't work, you have a big problem with connection and communication, two important elements that drive engagement. Identify the source and discuss it with your team. They don't need to talk through sophisticated surveys; they can get to the heart of the problem on their own if you give them a chance.
7. Do not limit the use of the Internet
Limiting the use of the Internet is one of the most useless rules we can encounter today. In these services, the rule is broken by everyone, including the person who created it. It's one thing to ask collaborators to limit their time or to impose reasonable restrictions on the type of sites they can visit, but denying access to information is just ridiculous.
8. Abandon the mandatory probationary period
Many organizations still use the test rule that employees must be on the job for 1 year before they can be transferred or promoted. It may have worked in the past, but those times are over. The mindset and organizations have evolved, they think and act much more quickly.
The real problem today is too many rules and their poor quality! They are contradictory, archaic and often incomprehensible.
If you are one of those organizations that are governed mainly by rules - especially stupid ones - ask yourself if you adhere to these rules yourself. And take the opportunity to set up a relevant HR marketing policy.
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