|
 Retention
per se is not rocket science and actually it is
not a science at all. To my mind, it is an art
and it has to be developed over the years. In
fact, it is not something which is done sporadically
as the companies do which are need based. Lot
many things have been written about HR and retention
policies which the different companies follow
but before that let us understand why the employees
leave in the first place.
There are different theories floating in the market
and the most acceptable (because all of us want
to believe) is that most of them leave on account
of their boss. It is also said that employees
leave the job because of stifled growth and low
salaries. Most of these individuals who leave,
to my mind leave for different reasons but on
the face of it, it is always for the "better"
career prospects and because of the brand. People
would also leave for a better location, better
infrastructure and better facilities. I would
like to split the employee prospects into following
3 segments - First is the youth brigade which
is less than 30 years in age and who always look
for money and the environment. Like you have the
BPO industry, where I know of people who have
left a company because the competitor was giving
them a discotheque pass each Saturday. Next are
the adults who want to make a career and establish
themselves. At this age they would look for better
perks and a dignified or an aspirational profile.
Once you cross the age of 40, there has to be
a sound professional reason for leaving because
this decision also affects the family and by this
time you are already in a comfort zone. In most
of the media houses you will observe that the
attrition is more in the junior and middle levels.
This is what the situation is as of now. And now
broaching the subject of retention policies within
the setup. Let me pontificate that there are no
defined policies as such but a policy is created
only when the need is realized. e.g. if a key
employee is leaving, you think in terms of restructuring
the salary. To my sheer belief, why cannot we
re-recruit key employees assuming that we have
to hire them afresh maybe after every 6 months.
It sounds good but seldom practiced. Again, the
idea is to create an environment where an individual
is appreciated and given the new profile and new
responsibilities. If you like your job, you normally
do not think in terms of leaving even at a hike
of about 25 - 30 %. The only exception is the
"youth brigade" who would leave if they have a
friend working in a different company. For them,
it is not the question of a career but it is just
a job. And I am making a general statement but
please discount the exceptions.
Also, to have a Performance Management System
in-built into the structure, where everyone feels
that as long as they stay in the organization
or any organization, the domain knowledge and
the soft skills are being continuously upgraded.
Moreover, retention policies are not for mediocres
and it is for the performers who have to be identified
correctly and without any bias. The "smell" of
the organization is quite relevant here, and what
is this "smell"? You can feel it, when you walk
into any company office and interact with the
employees. It is the response and an attitude
which makes you feel good. This is something which
does attract the individuals to join in the organization.
About 20 odd years ago, I used to work with the
Tatas, and I still have fond memories. This is
with full understanding that the individuals are
different but there is a general feel of the place
which is the differentiator. You can write rhetoric
policies but if you create a good working environment,
you would be able to retain people. This is a
subjective and a profound statement, but practical
application is daunting but not impossible. Even
a small gesture communicates a strong message
in the organization.
Yes, you can have great policies including retention
policies with retention bonus and extended training
courses in top B-schools in India and abroad,
and a few frills here and there but it is the
emotional connect or Emotional Quotient which
is the key to retain people. There is no cut-and-dried
or a fool-proof method for retention as we are
dealing with the human mind which is dynamic and
not predictable. And finally, retention is everyone's
job and not the HR department alone. |
