Assess your mistakes with
team members
Column by JAY PERRY
An interesting report in the Harvard Business Review May/June issue highlighted six errors commonly made by leaders—particularly in the value they place upon their team members. These errors were proven to drive up employee defections. In today’s day, that’s a cost we cannot afford. We cannot afford lose employees in the current market.
The research was focused on “low-wage” workers, but I believe the principles are applicable across the board; to high-pay, skilled workers all the way to entry-level employees.
As you read this, think about your organization and you will be able to relate.
The first mistake is underestimating how much employees want to stay with their current employer. Two major factors incentivize today’s workers to stay:
1. Higher pay or a promotion
2. Skills training and increased responsibility in the workplace
The first is more difficult to achieve, but I believe the second one is easier in the immediate timeframe and in the long run, a very smart thing to concentrate upon.
Leaders underestimate the importance of location. Approximately 64 percent of low-wage earners said their main reason for leaving a role relied on their proximity to the workplace. They had decided to change jobs based on their commutes; putting convenience ahead of pay. It makes sense—having close proximity to work can keep personal expenses down and facilitate more family time. It can be a huge time saver.
The feeling of being valued is greatly underestimated too. As a matter of fact, almost half of workers that have such sentiments of being valued would actively recommend their place of employment. This is a sense of belonging; it directly speaks to your company’s culture. And all companies have a culture, whether good or bad.
An easily correctable mistake is flipping the way you communicate with your team. Many leaders leave it to the employee to initiate career discussions. I believe that employee engagement starts with the employer, not the employee. Giving clear feedback on one’s performance and discussing future opportunities is a critical retention tactic.
Disregarding the importance of every single position within a company is also a huge problem. You will not succeed in attracting people to your organization if you are not focusing on the contributions that each employee brings to the success of your company. The way job opportunities are described—focusing on an individual’s potential contributions rather than a myriad of tasks required in the role—is crucial.
Finally, there are three integral things that many leaders fail to provide to their employees: mentorship, career paths and guidance on learning and development. These all require work to set up and maintain—there are tangible items (such as coursework fees, time invested in the teaching process, etc.) and usually a modest investment for professional help in doing so. The benefits can be immeasurable in value when you consider the longterm.
I firmly believe that the employers that figure out ways to beat these mistakes are the ones that will be who’s driving!
