Turnover

Remember when turnover was a tasty treat that your grandmother made when your family gathered for a visit? Today you say turnover within earshot of a business manager and they cringe. The pundits say we have a labor crisis – I disagree. We have a turnover crisis.

What exactly does that mean? We are oftentimes recruiting for a position and expecting the ideal candidate to stroll in and jump at the opportunity to join our ranks. Hello! It’s not 1972 anymore.

We need a shepherd of the talent! It starts with creating a dynamic work environment where individual talent contributes to group success. Recruiting candidates is much easier within an atmosphere that fuels growth. Onboarding the new hire is imperative. Continual training and education keeps the engagement level high as well as productivity near its peak. We can focus on successful outcomes as a measure of effectiveness in all of these endeavors.

I have a book on my desk entitled “The No Asshole Rule.” It offers many specific opportunities for dealing with situations at work but it all boils down to two things. First, if you work for an asshole, get out and put your efforts into another venture. Second, if you have an asshole working on your team, get rid of him ASAP so as not to pull down the rest of the team. This is similar to the “everything I need to know, I learned in kindergarten” mantra.

If we proactively build a culture that empowers our employees to take care of our customers and we support that effort through effective training and coaching, we can once again enjoy turnovers.