3 Management Practices that Send Employees Packing
The high cost of employee turnover should be a concern of anyone involved in management — while some turnover is inevitable, certain management practices can send more employees through that rotating door much faster than is healthy for any company.
Simply increasing pay isn’t likely to retain employees if they don’t enjoy their work environment, although employees appreciate sharing in a company’s success. According to the Society for Human Resource Management’s 2012 Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement report, overall employee job satisfaction reached a 7-year peak in 2009 during the recession, even though wage freezes and reductions were common during this time. This seems to indicate that most people were simply happy to have a job, but overall employee job satisfaction began to decrease to previous levels in the following years as the economy recovered.
To keep employees motivated to stay with a company, avoid these three management pitfalls:
Lack of Recognition
One tool management can use to motivate its employees is implementing a recognition program, whether it’s for tenure at the company or above-and-beyond performance. However, whether a formal program is in place or not, a lack of recognition from an employee’s immediate supervisor can be a major factor in job satisfaction and turnover rate. Failing to recognize an employee’s accomplishments and contributions is a quick way to cause resentment. According to a survey by WorldatWork in 2011, 86 percent of the companies surveyed used recognition programs as part of their rewards toolkits in 2011, most commonly to recognize years of service, create a positive work environment and motivate employees for great performance.
Micromanagement
When employees don’t receive the recognition they feel they deserve, this can be due to a lack of attention from their supervisors. Micromanagement is often the opposite — a manager becomes highly involved in the details of an employee’s task or project to the point of being counterproductive. This not only wastes the manager’s time, but also the employee’s time. According to a Human Resource Executive Online article, micromanagement often stems from under-management. If a supervisor feels the need to micromanage, then they likely haven’t done the work of defining the employee’s goals and deadlines. Not having clear goals and then being micromanaged can lead to job dissatisfaction and send an employee packing.
No Training or Development Opportunities
No one wants to feel like they’re in a “dead-end” job, so not offering training or development opportunities to employees can be a mistake that will lead top talent to find more engaging work elsewhere. According to a Human Resource Executive Online article, training can be a valuable retention tool, from formal classroom training to e-learning programs to more informal learning opportunities. The same goes for opportunities for promotion — if internal employees are not considered for higher level positions, they will see the ceiling to their career development at a company and be more likely to look for other high-growth positions.
The information provided in this blog is intended for general information purposes only. Readers should seek the help of an HR professional for guidance on specific issues.
