While recruiting new people for your operation is important, spend some time to make sure the right people are on and stay with the job now. What are the top reasons good people leave?
1. Difficult to work with co-workers: Good people won't want to compensate for the slackers, the indifferent, or undependable.
2. Boring tasks: Engage even new employees with meaningful work, not repetitive and tedious tasks. Find ways to make jobs in your operation challenging.
3. No attention or authority: "When a supervisor is so busy fighting the fires created by problem employees, he or she never has any time for his best people," Mel Kleiman says. Kleiman heads Humetrics, a human resource consulting firm. Often, this busy leader also fails to delegate authority to capable employees, leaving those employees frustrated.
4. No training: Establish an ongoing training plan; the best employees will appreciate the added skills obtained and more likely to stick around. Wesley Tucker, University of Missouri Extension agricultural business specialist, suggests using "multiple methods to ensure employees absorb and retain critical information."
5. No chance for advancement: Do you share insights about future opportunities or positions? Recognize how advancements drive retention and job satisfaction. Dave Allen, president of Agri-Search, a placement firm for agricultural jobs, says, "So, you let them go do their thing. But, if you forget about them, they will be gone in two years."
6. Lack of respect: Employees need public, positive recognition. Let your employees know in front of others that they are doing their job. Leave the criticism behind closed doors. Be respectful of unique ideas that employees may offer, even if they are not practical. You never know what kernels of ideas come from those working in the "trenches" each day.
7. Scheduling conflicts: When an employer promises "flexible hours," but it turns out "flexible hours" means having to work whenever and however long the manager wants them to, good employees look for the exit door. Younger employees especially appreciate flexibility in work schedules. It's a culture that is becoming increasingly common in today's new workforce.