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Keep the Good Ones
RETAINING EMPLOYEES WHO BRING VALUE
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Public agencies across the United States are facing a silent threat.
As budget cuts are implemented and benefits are slashed, employees are considering their options. Working for a public agency isn't what it used to be and employees know it. The greatest threat to organizational viability is the loss of talent that will inevitably come as the economy offers our best employees other opportunities. Now is the time to focus on retaining those staff members who bring the most value to your organization.
You may think that retention is a human resources issue. The reality is that employee retention and motivation are essentially individual activities, driven by supervisors and managers. Retention is a one-on-one effort, rather than a group activity. And, while enterprise-wide initiatives like compensation studies and benefits analyses will create an environment that makes retaining employees easier, it still comes down to how the employee feels about working for you, their leader.
What can you do to impact employee retention?
Rather than guessing what keeps them happy, why not ask them? There's never been a better time for government leaders to engage employees in a dialogue about what keeps them motivated. And it's easy... In a monthly or quarterly meeting with each employee, that doesn't need to last more than 15 or 20 minutes, ask questions like:
- What do you love about your job?
- If you were to win the lottery and resign, what would you miss the most?
- What about your job do you dread?
- What is one thing about your current job that makes you want to leave us?
- What is it that makes you proud to work here?
- If you had to go back to a position in your past and stay for an extended period of time, which one would it be and why?
- When you tell your friends about working here, what do you tell them?
- What part of your job gives you the most satisfaction?
- What will keep you here? What would drive you away?
The Benefits of Asking
Asking such probing questions will result in a number of benefits. First, you as the leader will learn what motivates your employees. You'll also learn where your vulnerabilities are in terms of staff morale. Second, you send a strong message to your staff that they are valuable and that you need their service and dedication more than ever. Finally, the conversation may lead to new ideas and innovations that you've not yet considered. A manager I recently worked with questioned the impact of this kind of conversation. He asked, "What if I ask these questions and don't like the answers I get?" My response: "What if you don't ask these questions and lose your top performers because they don't think you care?" |
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A Call for Peeves
 Everyone has a pet peeve---something others do that is particularly annoying to you. I am seeking examples of pet peeves that managers have related to employee performance. Eating at the desk? Talking too loudly on the phone? Chomping gum while working with a customer? Texting during a meeting? What bugs you? What drives you crazy? Please send me an email to share the one thing that employees do at work that bugs you the most. I'll use your ideas (but not your name) in a future article. |
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Finish your Performance Evaluations!
NEW PERFORMANCE EVALUATION TOOLKIT |
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Completing a performance evaluation can be a daunting task. Where to begin? How to rate the performance? What to write? How to deliver it to the employee? Wouldn't it be nice to have a roadmap to guide you through the process? Wouldn't it be great to have a coach lead you through the steps?
The Performance Evaluation: Get It Done Bundle provides you with the information and support you need to get it done, painlessly. With one purchase you will receive three webinars, a copy of Painless Performance Evaluations: A Practical Approach to Managing Day-to-Day Employee Performance, and a one-hour, personalized telephone coaching and feedback session with Marnie Green. This package is valued at over $650.
Buy the bundle today for just $249 (a savings of over $400)! Here's what you'll get:
- Three webinar downloads including
- A copy of Marnie Green's award-winning Painless
Performance Evaluations: A Practical Approach to Managing Day-to-Day Employee Performance - One hour of individual consulting via telephone with Marnie Green to explore your unique performance management challenges. The consulting will be scheduled at a time that is mutually agreeable to both parties.
You don't have to go it alone! Get our bundle today and get your performance evaluations done painlessly!
Performance Evaluation - Get It Done Bundle
$249.00
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Final Footnotes
NEWS & EVENTS FROM MARNIE
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October puts me back on the road, from Montana to Missouri and from Illinois to California--and some Arizona in between. Check out my online calendar to see if I'll be in your area. If so, please reach out and say hello.
As always, I'm grateful for your feedback and your support. Drop me a note and let me know what's on your mind.
Sincerely,
Marnie Green, IPMA-CP
Principal Consultant
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