Retention Strategies: Keeping the People You Want To Keep Kay Robinson, SPHR

1. Retention Strategies: Keeping the People You Want To Keep Kay Robinson, SPHR Robinson HR Consulting, Inc. Erin Ulery Director, Professional Development National Summer Learning Assoc.

2. Our mission is to connect and equip schools and community organizations to deliver quality summer learning programs to our nation’s youth to help close the achievement gap.

3. Today’s Objectives • Self assess retention at your program • Identify reasons why staff stay and why they don’t • Exchange strategies for retaining staff

4. Quality Indicators of Professional Development

5. ARE YOU READY TO FOCUS ON RETENTION? • Do you know: • how much it costs when you lose an employee and how must it costs to hire and train a replacement? • why employees leave your organization? • why employees stay with your organization? • what your turnover rate is compared to the industry average? • the amount of time you are spending on recruitment versus retention?

6. ARE YOU READY TO FOCUS ON RETENTION? • Are pay and rewards linked to performance? • Are managers trained to select, orient, coach, recognize, and retain good people and are they rewarded for doing a good job? • Are employees viewed as investments to be maximized instead of costs to be reduced? • Is your organization seen as an employer of choice? • Does your organization do what it takes to retain valued staff?

7. Why Good Employees Leave • Start by asking those who leave …. • Typically you will hear: • No link between pay and performance • No opportunities for growth • No recognition for their contributions • No appreciation for their talents • The culture is abusive

8. Why Poor Employees Stay • No accountability • Good pay without having to perform • Entitlement culture • Can’t go anywhere else for pay/benefits

9. What Employees Want • Equity • Safety • Treated with respect • Supervisory competence • Working conditions

10. What Employees Want • Achievement • Challenging work • Acquisition of skills • Ability to perform • Recognition • Employees proud of program/organization

11. What Employees Want • Camaraderie – cooperative, interesting relations • Teamwork • Communications • LET’S SHARE: How do you communicate with your staff? • Positive Culture

12. Effective Culture • Employees are valued, respected • Supervisors are trained and accountable for effective employee relations • Open Door/Open Book • Listen • Opportunity to Question (and not be seen as high maintenance)

13. Let’s Talk About Culture • Rate your organization: 1=E, 2=S, 3=P • Views employees as partners • Recognizes the personal needs of employees • Communicates clear mission, vision, goals • Reward system supports the mission and goals • Puts a premium on employee involvement • Focuses on results, not who gets the credit • Trusts employees enough to delegate • Tolerates intelligent error and experimentation • Management style supports employee-focused culture

14. Effective Employee Relations Programs • Effective employee relations programs also know: • what motivates employees • what impacts employee satisfaction • that supervisors can make or break the workplace environment

15. How to be an Employer of Choice • Creative Benefits • Creative Scheduling • Effective Communication • Effective Policies (consistently applied) • Effective Reward and Recognition • Effective Culture

16. Institutionalize Retention as a Management Function • Develop a “Retention Team” • Meet Regularly to Discuss Hiring and Retention Issues • Develop a Budget and Strategic Plan for Recruiting/Retention • Be as Cognizant of Retention as you are of Turnover

17. Steps in the Retention Process • Assess Strengths/Weaknesses Now • Train Supervisors – Recruit SMART • Treat New Hires Well • Develop Low Cost Ways to Energize Workplace • Say Thank You, Employee Services, Ice Cream Social, Spot Awards, Loans for Computers • LET’S SHARE: What low cost ways do you have in place to energize or reward employees?

18. Steps in the Retention Process • Address Issues/Problems • Take Action • Ask for Input • Suggestion Program, Let’s Talk, Skip Meetings, Satisfaction Surveys, Focus Groups • LET’S SHARE: How do ask for input?

19. Retention Starts with Recruitment • Develop a plan to find good candidates • Consider alternative staffing options • Train supervisors to interview right • Give applicants realistic view of the job – a reality check • Always check references! • Don’t hire a warm body

20. Evaluate Results • Did your efforts reduce turnover? • Implement an exit interview process to discover why employees left • Ask supervisors for input into strengths/weaknesses of retention strategies

21. What Do People Want From Their Jobs? Your Group Factors Typical Typical Individual Ranking Supervisors’ Employees’ Ranking Ranking Ranking High Wages Job Security Promotions Good Working Conditions Interesting Work Personal Loyalty of Supervisor Tactful Discipline Full Appreciation of Work Done Help on Personal Problems Feeling of Being “In” On Things

22. Factors Impacting Employee Satisfaction Gallup study of 80,000 managers and one million employees 1) Knowing what is expected 2) Having the materials required 3) Opportunity to do what the person does best every day 4) Receiving recognition for good work 5) Someone cares 6) Someone encourages development

23. Factors Impacting Satisfaction (cont.) 7) Opinions seem to count 8) Mission makes person feel own work is important 9) Co-workers are committed to quality 10) Have a best friend at work 11) Have talked with someone on progress in last six months 12) Opportunities exist to learn and grow First Break All the Rules, Buckingham, M. & Coffman, C. Simon & Schuster, 1999

24. Employee Involvement Strategies • Quality Programs • Brown Bag Sessions • “Let’s Talk” Sessions • Celebrate Program “Wins” • Suggestion System • Employee Surveys • Employee Focus Groups • Task Forces and Committees

25. Low Cost Ways to Motivate and Energize Employees • Share Information • Encourage Involvement • Allow Independence • Increase Visibility – Projects, Task Force • LET’S SHARE: What fun ways do you energize employees?

26. Questions? • Contact: Kay Robinson, SPHR Kay@robinsonhrconsulting.com Erin Ulery eulery@summerlearning.org

27. Additional Resources: • Making the Most of Summer • Child Trends.org • American Camp Association • National Training Institute for Community Youth Work • National Staff Development Council • National Youth Development Information Center • Beyond the Bell • Cooperation for National and Community Service • BELL Success: http://www.bellsuccess.org • Foundations Inc. • National Summer Learning Association

28. Next in the Series: • Performance Management:  Ensuring Employees Receive Formal Feedback – 5/27 11-12:00 EST • In addition to day-to-day feedback, a formal performance evaluation can help staff know how they are doing – and help them focus on ways to continue to be successful and ways to improve their performance. Learn how to effectively evaluate the performance of your staff and programs using performance management strategies.  Kay Robinson, SPHR, from Robinson HR Consulting and Erin Ulery, Director of Professional Development from the Association will lead the discussion. https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/139554153

29. Save the Date! “Summer Changes Everything!” Conference November 9-10, 2010 Indianapolis, IN The only national conference dedicated to summer!