A Friend Changes Jobs

I live in an Orlando, Florida suburb and know many of the local HR professionals because of various connections over the years. Orlando is a mid-level city, with far-fewer management jobs than Atlanta or Chicago, and those in HR here know that getting a top-level job is hard because there are few corporate headquarters nearby. If you are looking for an HR job that pays below six-figures, you might find one. Above six-figures, plan on a long search. And this is likely true in many other cities that lack a significant corporate headquarters base.

Of course, the economy has shrunk the number of most openings, too, so finding a top-level HR job in Orlando is harder than ever. But a close friend just climbed this mountain in less than a month and did so without a big-secret plan. She just got the word out, took calls from hiring companies and head-hunters, and selected a #2 level HR job to mentor with the soon-to-be-retiring top HR executive…for a healthy six-figure deal.

My friend’s name is Donna, and she got a great job in a hurry because she’s good. She doesn’t network much because she works long hours, and she is better at coaching managers than preparing her own resume. But she shines in interviews and answers questions based on what is best for the business rather than what is best for HR. She sees legal advice as just that rather as mandates that must be obeyed to avoid jail. Her best skill is that she listens, realizes what is in the company’s best interests, and then finds ways to say “yes”.

Most importantly for us, Donna has proven what most of us intuitively know…that good workers can find jobs in any economy. Her now-former employer expressed angst at her leaving and has probably by now identified ways they could have kept her. More money, of course, wouldn’t have fixed her problem.

Good News about Grey Hairs

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us that older workers plan to stay in the workforce, perhaps because they lost retirement dollars in the recession. Specifically, workers ages 65+ will grow by 78% during the period of 2008-2018 while the number of workers in age groups 35-44 and 45-54 will shrink. In fact, the number of workers ages 65+ will grow about 10 times faster than the total labor force…10 times faster.

Why is this good news? On balance, older workers are more likely to show up, do their best, and stay in their jobs. They bring old-school values, know what they like to do, have bills to pay, and a lifetime of experience regarding how to treat customers and solve problems. Smart companies tailor recruiting and benefits programs to hire and retain older workers with hopes they will delay retirement rather than be forced to replace them.

Here’s just one study that demonstrates the value of older workers. A BusinessWeek analysis found that by increasing productivity and labor-force participation of older Americans, the U.S. could add 9% to its gross domestic product by 2045, which would add more than $3 trillion a year to overall economic output.
Use data like this to make your company a haven for older workers, especially if you work in a service industry that typically hires young workers in their first or second jobs.. Good things will happen as a result.

Nonprofits and Pay

Most non-profit workers attach themselves to their agency’s mission, leading management to think pay is far down on the priority list. I’ve participated on several non-profit boards and usually cringe when executives report how much money is dedicated to client services and how little to pay, benefits, and other “overhead” expenses. For sure, donors want to know that the majority of their donations go to the agency’s cause but the risk is that non-profit employees are willing to take substantially less pay that they can make on the for-profit side. A study published in the Review of Public Personnel Administration tells us employees are aware of the pay issue and have loyalty limits, that sometimes mission is not enough. The solution includes benchmarking pay against similar jobs in the private sector. If your best employees can make more elsewhere and are critical to your service delivery, why not pay them to keep them?

CERP Program Approved for up to 26 SHRM Re-certification Credits

The Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) recently approved that candidates in our employee retention certification program can earn up to 26 re-certification credits. This is nearly half of the total credits required for re-certification. The programs official title is the Certified Employee Retention Professional program (CERP) and it provides candidates with online tools to apply to their organizations in real time to cut employee turnover and retain the best workers. Whereas other certification programs are typically based on knowledge in order to pass tests, the CERP requires information and action.

The CERP is a great way to build your skills and contribute to your company. More information is available at http://www.retentioninstitute.com/

The Power of Stay Interviews

We believe Stay Interviews are far more important than exit interviews. With our clients, Stay Interviews are conducted by firstline supervisors rather than HR so these supervisors hear in-person and with no filters why each individual team member stays. Once these supervisors are trained to ask pre-formed questions and then probe, they learn actionable things they can do that are important to employees…and therefore help them to stay.

The training sessions include role plays where we ask supervisors to “play themselves” rather than play pre-assigned roles. In a recent session, a food service supervisor said she was interested in learning more about computers and about international foods. The entire group then brainstormed ways that supervisor’s manager could fulfill this wish and came up with the following ideas: teach her to save international food websites in her “favorites”; send her international food articles online; suggest international dishes for company functions; buy her an international foods magazine subscription; give her an international foods book on her next service anniversary.

This example makes the power of Stay Interviews clear, both for retention and engagement. Solving many employees’ needs is easy if we ask and learn what they are.