The Manager’s Role in

Employee Retention

Tuning In To Employee
Expectations
Teleclass Agenda #2

❚ Setting the Stage

❚ The Case for Employee Retention
❚ Myths About Keeping Great Employees
❚ Manager’s Role is Paramount
❚ The 12 Gallup Workplace Statements
❚ Managing Work Expectations
-Transforming Attitudes Self-Assessment
“Old Contract” #3

❚ If employees ❚ Employer would give:

would: ❙ a job for life
❙ work hard ❙ a home away from
❙ be loyal home
❙ give their all ❙ regular salary increases
❙ good chance for
promotion
Manager’s Role in Employee
Retention #4

❚ 1980-90’s Downsizing Environment

❙ Career Development was “trashed”

❚ 2000’s Job Seeker’s Paradise

❙ Career Development is “hot”
❙ Economic Growth
❙ Unemployment less than 6%
Manager’s Role in Employee
Retention # 5
❚ Changing Demographics
❙ Shrinking of 25-34 year old labor pool
❙ 82% of senior executives in Federal
government eligible for retirement

❚ Downsizing had negative impact on

employee loyalty
Manager’s Role in Employee
Retention #6

❚ 2000’s organizational challenge

❙ Aggressive business environment
❙ Sustaining competitive advantage
❙ How does organization distinguish itself
in competitive market?
❙ Way to differentiate from fierce
competitors
❙ More dependent on top performers
❙ Reliant on human assets to survive
Manager’s Role in Employee
Retention #7

❚ Retention
❙ keeping desirable employees
❚ Attrition
❙ loss of personnel
❚ Career Planning
❙ bottom-up view of right people in right
place
❚ Succession Planning
❙ top-down view of right people in right
place
A Case for Employee
Retention #8

❚ Most managers think about retention

when its too late--after the resignation
❚ Long-term organizational strategy will not
be accomplished if attrition is common
❚ Has a domino effect both within and
outside of organization
A Case for Employee
Retention cont’d #9

❚ Factors within control of managers are

most frequent reasons for departure
❙ People don’t quite companies- they quit
managers
❙ Compensation a “distant” factor

❚ Best retention intervention is not a single

point resolution
Critical Findings # 10

 Loss of productivity
❙ by departing employee (ROAD program)
❙ learning curve for replacement
❙ office incidentals
❙ multiply costs by number of employees
who leave in one year
Critical Findings # 11

 Data from exit interviews typically fails to

surface REAL cause of attrition problems.
❙ Possible retribution
❙ Embarrassed of real reason
❙ Chance of mis-diagnosing critical factors
Critical Findings # 12

 Average manager fails to take

personal responsibility for
employee’s departure.
❙ Ignore factors within their control
❙ Typically point to external factors
❙ Managers need awareness training
❙ Managers need tools to meet personal
accountability to retain
Critical Findings #13

 Only time manager thinks about retention

is when employee departs.
❙ Managers attempt to talk departing employees
out of leaving (“big mistake”)
❙ Tie retention to critical organizational activities--
integral to success
❙ Treat career planning as an on-going priority
❙ Be proactive
Critical Findings #14

 Departure of valued employees can

have a ripple effect on internal
customers
❙ Transition to new employee must be
well managed
❙ Regular changes indicate
organizational instability
Critical Findings #15

 Certain degree of attrition is

positive
❙ Monitor retention and attrition rates
❙ Note unusual organizational factors
❙ Must employee correct strategies
❘ workplace learning is now a strategy
Critical Findings #16

 Must have a career development

system
❙ Important that employee expectations
are uncovered and discussed
❙ Must involve all levels in retention
Reference Material # 17

❚ Managing Work Expectations -

Transforming Attitudes
❘ Inscape Publishing
❚ First, Break All the Rules
by Buckingham & Coffman
❘ Simon & Schuster
For More Information:

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Call 800/864-4911 or
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