Employee retention is a tactic used by a lot of companies to limit the costs associated with turnover and to make sure workers are happy and productive at their jobs. Companies use specific methods and tools to monitor the morale of a business for long term success.

There are a diverse number of places to go online for learning about specific ways companies practice retention of employees. Managers can learn about:

1. General tips and strategies for employee retention in various kinds of office and across many different fields

2. How companies use survey tools to find out about the level of employee satisfaction

3. How companies use specific employee retention program options to lead department heads or others toward effective boosting of employee satisfaction

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look for general news and views on employee retention

Some web sites give ongoing news related to how top companies appraise employee satisfaction in different scenarios. Find diverse views on employee retention online and evaluate for yourself the basis of employee retention across different industries.

I recommend: Drops of Rain, a newsletter from the Rainmaker Group, talks about employee retention in general and company solvency. Get press releases on employee retention trends at Free Press Releases.

Find out about employee surveys for employee retention

Surveying is a popular tool for monitoring employee satisfaction. Companies use all kinds of surveys including those that ask about an employee's 'favorites' or ways to improve the job environment.

I recommend: Learn about 'retention diagnostics' at Retensa, just one of many online resources on how companies can get detailed information to optimize their employee tenure. Get a demo and more on using employee surveys for employee retention rate monitoring at Success Factors.

Look for info on employee retention programs

Other sites give details on how employee retention plan options work to give leaders and the rank and file a strong direction and to help ensure good morale for the way ahead.

I recommend: Get news on incentive programs at Recognition Council: "Value People, Move Business". Find more ongoing news on these kinds of employee retention strategies at the HR Cleanup blog spot, where writers ask, "What has the company done to help people fulfill their dreams?" Archived and current articles look at employee retention issues and the importance of employee retention as a cornerstone of workplace success.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When looking at specific plans for employee retention, take note that every business is unique. Formulate your own ideas from retention of employees news and trends and look for how you can apply these ideas to your specific situation. Research on employee retention will allow you to focus in on any problems or issues, such as the need for conflict resolution, incentives or morale boosters that may occur in your jurisdiction.

Losing key employees is more than an inconvenience. Employee retention problems cost your organization money and time when you have to find and train replacements. In addition, a low employee retention rate drags down employee morale, hampers long-range planning and negatively impacts customer opinion. If a company can't keep its best employees, then it gains a reputation as a bad place to work and a company others don't want to do business with.

Business owners need to put an employee retention plan in place to keep and recruit top employees. Although money plays a part in retention of employees, you might be surprised to learn that it's not the most important factor in employee retention. Other employee retention strategies you need to consider include:

1. Clear communication of job requirements and performance expectations.

2. Efficient use of your employees' skills and talents.

3. Appropriate training and supervision.

4. Opportunities for employees to learn new skills and advance in the company.

5. Consistent rewards and recognition for employee performance.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Train management on employee retention benefits

Business owners, managers and first-line supervisors should all be trained in employee retention. Most employees leave a job due to conflict or dissatisfaction with a supervisor. Your best defense is for the people responsible for managing your employees to understand the importance of employee retention.

I recommend: Chart Your Course International offers a free 7-day training course: "Learn the Secret of Employee and Staff Retention in Today's Workplace." The course quickly brings you up-to-speed on the cost of employee turnover, why employees quit and developing an employee retention strategy.

Put your employee retention plan in writing

Employee retention programs only work when business owners and managers have guidelines to help them. A written document reminds both managers and employees of your company's commitment to retaining excellent employees.

I recommend: You don't need to create a plan from scratch. Templates are available to help you out. MyWorkTools.com offers a low-cost template in Word format that you can purchase and immediately download. The template includes ideas on keeping employees satisfied and time and money issues.

Hire a specialist to help improve employee retention

Sometimes only a professional who can examine your organization from a neutral standpoint can find the problems that cause employee turnover. An employee retention specialist can train you to hire employees who will stay, improve employee morale and develop strategies to ensure current employees stay with you.

I recommend: The Rainmaker Group specializes in retention of employees. They help companies put the right employees in the right jobs, thus boosting employee morale and productivity. Retensa offers multi-faceted solutions to employee retention, including training your managers.

Make surveys part of your employee retention program

An employee survey provides insights into what your employees think about the company, their supervisors, their jobs, their perceived value to the company and the likelihood they're going to stay on the job. Regular use of employee surveys can help you catch any potential problems before they negatively impact your company.

I recommend: You should work with a company experienced in conducting employee surveys. Infosurv: The Online Survey Professionals provide comprehensive employee retention surveys and analysis. Download a pricing brochure and sample surveys from their website.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Research on employee retention shows that it costs a company anywhere from 1/2 to 4 times an employee's annual salary to replace that person.
• •  Remember that employees rarely leave companies, they leave supervisors or co-workers.
• •  As important as it is to keep good employees, don't hang on to the bad ones. Poor performing employees and bad attitudes drive valuable employees away. Improve your employee retention rate by rewarding excellence and eliminating poor performers.

If finding and keeping a quality workforce has been a challenge to your business, seek education and training to help you formulate a successful employee retention plan. By tackling employee retention problems before they arise, you’ll not only have a more loyal staff, but a more efficient one, as well.

Boost your employee retention rates by developing an employee retention program that will save you money in the long run by reducing turnover costs. Discover and implement employee retention strategies with the following methods to obtain retention of employees education and training:

1. Attend seminars that address employee retention issues and also give you the opportunity to network with other business owners and managers to devise ways to increase employee retention.
2. Sign up for online employee retention courses as research on employee retention and to learn useful new workforce trends and techniques.
3. Learn from educational training videos to determine the cause of turnover and generate solutions for the retention of employees.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Attend seminars on the importance of employee retention to discover new tactics

Workshops on the retention of employees are helpful to not only implement new programs, but also evaluate and improve the strategies you've got in place. Try a general employee retention seminar or find one that addresses specific issues like improving loyalty and employee productivity.

I recommend: Hold an employee retention and employee turnover reduction seminar hosted by AchieveMax. The company can tailor the keynote presentation to your business’ specific issues. Employee Retention Strategies offers workshops that address turnover causes and long-term solutions to retain and get the best effort from employees.

Sign up for online courses specializing in the retention of employees to discover successful plans

Take the course of independent study if you want to educate yourself on employee retention issues at your own pace. Not only will online classes inform you about retention strategies, but can also help you use tools like employee retention software effectively.

I recommend: The Herman Group offers its BrainX Employee Retention for Managers and Supervisors online course in 10 sessions. The course presents new employee retention techniques that can be implemented immediately. Coastal Training Technologies offers a series of online courses that address retention problems, along with specific solutions to improve the retention of good employees.

Learn from training videos that teach new skills and address employee retention strategies

If a seminar or online course fee isn't currently within your budget, consider ordering a series of training videos that will help you improve employee retention. You can also pass the tapes along to managers and senior staff to educate them on ways to reduce employee turnover.

I recommend: Training ABC offers training DVDs, videos and books on topics like employee motivation, talent management and improving employee retention. Discover ways to increase the retention of good employees through online training videos and guides offered by Business Training Media.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Get additional, informal training for your employee retention plan by discussing turnover and employee satisfaction with other business managers and owners when you attend industry conventions and seminars. By networking, you'll be able to discover what works for others in similar industries and modify the tips to suit your business.

No business wants to see a rapid turnover of its staff or to endure the uncontrollable costs associated with it. Not only can high employee turnover compromise your corporate reputation but it can have adverse consequences on customer service and deplete your resources. Knowing how to control employee turnover means learning what conditions serve to create the kind of positive working environment that boosts employee retention. Learn key terms related to employee retention so you can take action now.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Emergency employee life cycle

HR professionals speak about the emergent employee life cycle, a workforce model that anticipates the characteristics of new hires.

I recommend: Retensa explains how understanding the emergent employee life cycle helps to promote company strategies for successful onboarding. Find out what this model predicts about the skills of emerging employees. You'll also learn how companies use the model to adapt to workplace trends.

Employee surveys

Businesses use employee surveys to generate data from which they can determine employees' attitudes toward the company and also whether employees can offer constructive feedback on company policies and environment.

I recommend: Go to SuccessFactors to understand how employee surveys can be used to generate positive feelings toward your company, such as encouraging employees' loyalty and contentment with the work environment. Find out how exit interviews can also be used to solicit employees' insights.

Employee attitudes

While past behavior used to be considered a key indicator of future behavior, HR professionals are now relying more on employee attitudes to predict long-term behavior.

I recommend: InfoSurv offers advice on how to measure employee attitudes and turn them into useful business metrics that can boost retention. You'll learn about the variables that employees can be questioned on and what kind of decisions companies can make based upon the results from employee attitudes' surveys.

Retention checklists

Some HR managers are using a retention checklist to remind them that they should be working certain best practices into their daily management routine.

I recommend: At Employee Retention Strategies, you'll find out what the latest research has to say about the value of a retention checklist. You'll also learn which strategies are most successful and how HR managers are using these strategies to promote personal and professional development of employees, give constructive performance criticisms and engage employees in the company's day to day operations.

Hard costs

Managers speak about the hard costs of employee turnover as a factor driving them to consider new methods for employee retention.

I recommend: Go to the Rainmaker Group to find out how businesses are identifying and quantifying the hard costs associated with rapid employee turnover.

Talent management

Since talent remains one of the most essential reasons for a company's success, managing employee talent has become a crucial HR function.

I recommend: The Manager identifies the processes involved in talent managing and how companies are accepting the on-going challenge of finding and retaining top-performing employees.