ask your people what they want - and keep them
by Stephen Smith, Principal Consultant, Ross - HR Consulting and Services

89% of managers think that employees leave because they want more money. 88% of employees who have left a job disagree with them.

Staff turnover has a tangible impact on company profitability. The internal cost of recruitment, induction, training and lost productivity can balloon rapidly. The best way to reduce the cost of staff turnover is to reduce staff turnover. Sounds simple, but how do you really know what will keep your good employees working for you, instead of your competitors? The same survey showed that the three most important things that Australian employees value about their job were

• opportunities for advancement,
• training and
• a clear career path –

not money.

Employees base their career decisions on the whole of employment experience, so how do you find out what your employees want?  The answer is easy – ask them.

Generally speaking, people actually enjoy being asked for their opinion - and your staff are no different. Employee satisfaction and retention surveys have been around forever in one form or another. Previously, they didn’t tell you anything you didn’t already know anecdotally. New advancements in survey measurement and analysis make it possible to link employee satisfaction to other aspects of the employee experience and most importantly, the impact on direct business outcomes.

Ross survey methodology can give you the knowledge and the tools to make an impact on your bottom line, and build positive employee relations and a high energy work environment that will increase retention and productivity. Ross’ on-line surveys will:

• identify cost-saving opportunities;
• improve the induction process,
• improve productivity;
• strengthen management communication skills;
• identify communication bottlenecks and problem areas;
• identify opportunities for career advancement and
• perceived training needs;
• provide competitor benchmarking; and
• gauge employees' overall perception of their total employee experience.

It is that simple.