Retention Guidance of Human Resources

Toward our goal of having a productive group of employees, we should not assume that the proper selection and development of our personnel would necessarily give us our desired result. We can hire individuals with extraordinary competence and develop these abilities and still not be assured they will perform satisfactorily.

You attract them, you screen them, you interview them, you hire and train them, and then they leave you. It is estimated that employee turn over percentage in Nepal is increasing day by day. In the process of Hiring cost comes from the expenses associated with screening resumes, interviewing candidates, testing, travel and moving expenses, training, exit interviews, the administrative work that comes along with terminations, separation and severance pay.

In this article I have experienced the following basic helpful tips for retaining best performing employees in the organization.

# Provide Competitive Compensation

Every one has heard the saying that money isn’t everything. That may be true, but it sure does help! You have to update comparative study on how well your compensation packages stack up against the competition. Generally speaking, employees that are under paid will feel under valued, thus, causing them to be more inclined to seek other employment. A nice blend of competitive compensation, accompanied with a good benefits plan will help send the message that:
A) The company values you and
B) We are willing to compete to keep you.

And, keep in mind that we are concerned with determining a fair compensation plan for an organization. Also, recognize that while we pay employees, compensation systems are predominantly designed around jobs. That is, the responsibilities and demands of the job determine a pay range. The actual performance of incumbents determines where within the pay range they are placed. Also, governmental influences on compensation systems are such that they must be incorporated in to the overall scheme of determining pay ranges.

# Lead by Example

Employees can be very much like children; they will follow around them as positive and or negative. It is very difficult for employees to make them ready to follow policies and procedures if their superiors are not following the same. Let’s look at an example: Company policy states that all employees must report to work by 8:00 a.m. If the boss sign in some where between the hours of 8:30 and 9:00 every day, it leads employees to believe that it is ok for them to do the same. On the flip side, if the boss is the first one in the office each day it sets the precedence and sends the message that employees are expected to report to work in accordance with company policy.

# Give Respect and Gain Respect

In order to gain the respect of your staff you must be willing to give them the same respect. As being a employee in Human Resources since last 13 years, I often encounter employers and business owners that don’t seem to respect the people that work for them. The employees are undervalued and unappreciated. Consequently the employees tend to have little or no respect for their superiors. These are the employees that will leave you at the drop of a hat, they will bad mouth you, they will put out sub standard work, and in extreme cases they will steal from you. Treating people with respect is as simple as:
* Saying thank you
* Listening to their ideas
* Giving a friendly smile or a pat on the back
* Treating people as equals
* Avoiding playing favorites and most importantly
* Treat your employees as principle asset of the company and key to the success of the company.

By treating your employees with respect I assure you they will respect you more and be far less likely to leave your organization.

# Employee Safety and Health

Management has a responsibility to ensure that the workplace is free from unnecessary hazards and those conditions surrounding the work place are not hazardous to employees physical or mental health. From a moral standpoint, employers have an obligation to maintain a workplace that will facilitate the operation of the work tasks employees are assigned and will minimize any negative aspects of situations affecting the employees health and safety.

In my experience as a Personnel Manager, business owners that follow these guidelines have greatly reduced their bottom line by limiting turnover with in their organizations.