Keeping workers, avoiding turnover

A January report by The Conference Board, a Manhattan-based research group, found that only 45 percent of U.S. workers surveyed were satisfied with their jobs, the lowest in the survey's more than two decade history.

Reasons varied from work environment to interest in work to wages, with dissatisfaction widespread across nearly all aspects of the job.

While salary can help reduce employee turnover, the key to good retention ultimately lies in creating an engaging work environment that fosters positive reinforcement and ongoing communication, say experts.

"You don't buy your way to better morale and productivity, you manage towards it," explains Bob Nelson, author of "Keeping Up in a Down Economy: What the Best Companies Do to Get Results in Tough Times" (Pragmatic Publications, $14.95) and president of Nelson Motivation Inc., a San Diego-based management training and consulting firm.

Recognition. One of the top reasons people leave their jobs is because they don't feel valued for the job they're doing, says Nelson. That ranks even higher than compensation, he notes.

Just thanking those who do something praiseworthy can go a long way, as can seeking employees' opinions or input and involving them in decisions that affect them, says Nelson, who offers tips on giving effective praise at nelson-motiva tion.com/column_01.html.

It's all part of being a good communicator, notes Barbara DeMatteo, director of human resources consulting for Portnoy Messinger Pearl & Associates in Syosset. You should be asking employees what they're looking to get out of their jobs and what they need to perform the job better, she explains.

Talk about their specific role in the company and how it affects the future success of the firm, she notes. Let them see the bigger picture (i.e., the 500 pens you made are now sitting on a Staples shelf and tomorrow will be in Target), she suggests.

Positive reinforcement. "It's about positive reinforcement," says Aubrey Daniels, author of "Bringing Out the Best in People" (McGraw-Hill, $21.95) and founder of Aubrey Daniels International, an Atlanta-based management consulting firm.

Many managers fail to give employees positive reinforcement, or if they do, they end up offering repetitive praise, like ''good job'' over and over again, which can lose its meaning over time.

Positive reinforcement needs to be paired with graphic or visual feedback so employees can see "where they are, where they've been and where they're going," says Daniels.

This requires tracking employee performance. For instance, if you notice an employee made 98 widgets in an hour, 102 in the next hour and then 110, you can acknowledge the results with positive feedback, she adds. Conversely, if his numbers are falling, you can ask if there are any problems he might be having and how you can help, notes Daniels.

Tackling challenges. Holding regularly scheduled staff meetings can be helpful in opening the lines of communication and uncovering solutions. At least that's what Robert Zabbia, owner of an Allstate Insurance office in North Massapequa, has found.

"I ask employees what they're doing that's working for them," says Zabbia, who has staff meetings each Tuesday. "If they're doing something that works, I want to encourage everybody else to do the same thing."

Zabbia says he has low employee turnover, which he attributes to having good communication and flexible work schedules. He employs 12 people and also has an office in upstate Hyde Park. Employee perks like an office coffee maker and a stocked fridge with snacks don't hurt either, he says. "They appreciate it."

Fast fact
Depending on job level, it can cost from 25 percent to as high as 300 percent of an employee's salary to replace the person if he or she leaves. Costs include lost productivity, time spent on the interview process, advertising and recruitment fees, etc.
Source: Barbara DeMatteo