Understanding Why Good Workers Quit

May 2, 2008 from an article by Robert McGarvey published on internet.com – “Keeping key employees really comes down to finding out who they are and what they like. And it’s more important than ever.”

180 View (written by Lawrence Young) – If you are Canadian, you undoubtedly have heard of the giant steel maker Dofasco. Why if you’re Canadian-because Dofasco always ends their radio and newspaper ads with the byline “Our product is steel. Our strength is people”.
I must say that this catchy phrase has always stuck with me, and in part is responsible for Human Resource Management being one of the areas of specialty in my consulting practice. And the more I advise companies on how to attract, manage and retain great people, the more I realize that for the most part, HR management is all about doing the simple stuff.

In fact, the two bestsellers of all time are my guiding lights on HR management. The Bible tells us to ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’. And Dale Carnegie’s 1936 book called “How to Win Friends and Influence People” tells us to ‘Put yourself in the other guy’s shoes and ask yourself what’s in it for him’.

In this practical, down-to-earth article, Robert McGarvey says us that ‘the secret to retaining your best employees starts with knowing who they are’. HR expert Beverley Kaye suggests that we get to know them by proactively doing a ‘stay’ interview instead of reactively doing an ‘exit’ interview. She suggests that ‘when stay interviews are part of the culture-and this a practice in very few companies-attrition of the people you don’t want to lose plummets’.

So what do you ask in a stay interview? The simple stuff. Ask your employees simple questions, like ‘what can we do to keep you?’ Ask them what they like and don’t like about the company and their job. And be honest with them. ‘If the employee asks for things you cannot deliver, be direct in acknowledging it but also indicate what you can do. Know too that that just by talking to employees in this way you are scoring points because it’s something that just does not happen in most companies’.

At the end of the day, human resource management comes down to this – you either believe, like Dofasco, that one of the greatest strengths of your company is the people you employ. Or you don’t!

If you are a believer, then continuously do the simple stuff. Show your valued employees that you care about them. Treat them with respect. Say what you mean, and mean what you say. And above all, make it easy for them to tell you how they feel, and listen to them with an open mind.

And if you are not a believer, then…good luck to you!