Page 26 - Tropic Magazine Issue 12

Industry
Recruitment

ARE YOU AN 'EMPLOYER OF CHOICE' OR
IS YOUR DEPARTMENT LEADING THE WAY
WITHIN YOUR BUSINESS? at’s your
number one priority as a leader. No
one, especially high performers, likes to
play on a losing team or to go down PROVIDE CAREER DEVELOPMENT
with a sinking ship. Average employees OPPORTUNITIES. Have regular career
will, mostly, stay and su fer, high discussions with employees, allow them
to explore options, provide information
performers will leave far sooner. If
How to hang on to you’re faced with this kind of about opportunities, and help them
make connections. Help them achieve
those top performers turnaround challenge, don’t let your HR their career goals by clearly
manager talk you into doing an
employee satisfaction survey. Invite understanding what these goals are.
In her new column for Tropic, them to step up and help you right the Goals change. Never assume that an
Elite Executive’s Eva Grabner business. Take decisive action to employee retains the same goals that he
or she had last year.
provides some tips on keeping address the most important factor
your star performers on board holding your team back from high
your business. performance. If you don’t know what
that is, then find out – fast!
In a day and age where there are many
highly-qualified people on the job PROVIDE A SOUND INDUCTION
market, I have noticed some clients PROCESS. Everyone remembers their
becoming complacent. e cost of first few weeks on the job – bad or
turnover is o ten way underestimated. good. is process will set the tone and
e obvious costs are recruiting and lay the foundation for retention. Make
training costs but there is also lost sure your new employee is 'mentored' BUILD A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP WITH
opportunity, lower morale, weaker on day one, that their tools for the job EACH EMPLOYEE. Get to know your
customer relationships, and other are ready and waiting and a full people beyond their work skills, find out
similar intangibles that are harder to welcome induction process is about their lives, their interests, hopes,
measure. performed. Give them the right fears and wishes. Show them that you
e cost of turnover is even higher introduction to your company, and care, and that you’re looking out for
when you lose a high performer; that their job, to be successful. their best interests and want them to be
Superstar, the one that is a shining successful. Take the time to have
example of the attitude and skills that regular one-on-ones, with no
strengthens both your culture and interruptions and provide your
bottom line. is loss is incalculable. undivided attention.
High performers may be hard to keep
for as long as you would like, however, RECOGNITION. In creative, informal
there are many things that a smart ways, acknowledge how much
leader can do to keep them for as long employees’ various contributions mean
as possible. to you. Top employees will o ten say on
exit interviews they never really felt
COMPETITIVE SALARIES AND BENEFITS.
Not all employees are a ter that fat appreciated. Acknowledgement and
paycheck. When you interview them you praise is cheap, use it purposefully,
can find out what motivates them. publicly and o ten.
O tentimes your hands are tied with
regards to how much you can DEAL WITH UNDER-PERFORMERS
compensate them financially, however, PROMPTLY. High performers dislike
there is always room for negotiation with working with laggards. Train, coach,
regards to lexibility, work environment counsel and performance manage the
laggards consistently and fairly; you
TO FIND AND KEEP THE RIGHT PERSON, and vacation time. Use the salary as a might be surprised to find out what
THE PROCESS STARTS WHEN YOU ARE base and build up from there. they are capable of.
RECRUITING THEM. Having the right
skills for the role is important but you EMPOWER AND TRUST THEM. Give your As Richard Branson says so well 'Train
also need to find out what motivates high performers the opportunity to use people well enough so they can leave,
them, what do they love about what they their unique strengths every day. at is
do and what are their short and long why you hired them. Many of the best treat them well enough so they don't
want to.'
term career goals. Dig deep because ideas loat up to the top from down
when you find that employee that is a below if that is allowed and encouraged. He has it right. Do you?
good fit for the role and has the right If it isn’t, high performing employees
motivation, you have maximised the will most likely become bored or
likelihood that that employee will frustrated, and this will quickly lead to MORE: eliteexecutive.com.au
become more successful and stay longer. disengagement and lower performance.