Turnover is expensive and can have long-lasting effects on a business’s bottom line, morale, and continuity. A recent article on LinkedIn listed ways that employees could determine if their jobs might be eliminated during a layoff. I quickly realized that those same criteria would enlighten employers concerned about high turnover.
The article stated employees are most likely to be laid off if they perform a job that isn’t essential to company’s main mission. In my own experience, employees who do not feel part of the company’s mission are those most likely to leave voluntarily. Those employees not only have less motivation to stay but they are more likely to make mistakes that cost time and money to fix because they don’t understand your goals. Keep your employees abreast of your company’s mission; they will have greater loyalty and perform their jobs more effectively because they know your priorities.
According to the article, lack of support for the employee (staff, budget, and other resources) also indicates a nonessential job. By the same token, employees cannot support your company if they lack the right resources, including information, training, and skills. If you are experiencing unacceptable turnover, it might be time to look at the resources you are providing to employees, including clear job descriptions (so employees know the expectations) and training (so that they have the skills to meet expectations). You might need to assess the manpower and skills within your company to see if you are hiring the right people and enough of them to do a quality job in a timely manner.
Finally, the article indicated that employees should fear a layoff when they lack access to their manager. If an employee isn’t important enough for a manager to acknowledge, then that employee is vulnerable. But managers who refuse to listen to employees are also likely to experience high turnover. Employers should make sure that everyone follows procedures in the employee handbook for treating employees fairly, for scheduling regular annual reviews (and keeping to the schedule), and for handling conflicts and discipline.
When you keep connected to employees through your mission, support, and access, they are more likely to stay with you for a long time. If you are experiencing a high level of turnover, HR Compliance 101 can put the processes in place to help, including more effective hiring procedures, a better mission statement, an employee handbook, clearer job descriptions, regular reviews, and facilitation at meetings. Please contact me today.
