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Problems and Best Practices in Retention

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Assignment #1 – Problems and Best Practices in Retention
Employee and Labor Relations HRM 534/Jamie Davis Smith, Esq.
January 22, 2012

What three problems might an organization have with the issue of employee retention? Three Problems an organization might face with employee retention could be identifying the problem for turnover, employees facing heavier loads which could cause more turnover, and financial burden due to high turnover rates. First, identifying the reasons for employee retention can be difficult especially in large companies. There could be ample stipulation regarding the reasons for turnover however, until the true reasons are identified, the problem can not be resolved. There are many employers in the medical field who believe pay is the biggest reason for turnover yet many don't offer basic perks. A "survey from 110 healthcare organizations--finds that 42% of health care organizations offer total reward strategies, such as retirement plans and vacation, compared to 70% of other industries" (news-medical.net). It is old news for all of us in the medical field, retention is a big problem. Many employees feel overworked and under rewarded in the medical field and this is a huge problem when there are other organizations where nurses, billing clerks, and even physical therapists can find jobs. For example, nurses and billing clerks can easily find a job at a big insurance company, especially if they have prior experience at a clinic or other medical facility. This is where the employer must identify the problem and offer the things that can help retain these much needed, skilled employees. Employees who feel they are over worked can be another issue with employee retention. In the medical field since there is such high turnover, nursing staff typically have to take on very heavy loads in hospitals and nursing homes. With such a shortage of nurses, many nurses feel the stress of heavier work loads. When working for organizations which are governed by a higher authority, nurse assistants must help less with nursing duties. JCOHA (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) governs hospitals and many other medical facilities, for example, they restrict assistants from dispensing medications of any kind; oral, injectable and intravenously. These strict rules on top of a shortage of nurses can cause high stress and ultimately drive the nurses from the field of patient care and into other jobs to push paper. Unfortunately the employer can not change the rules or regulations enforced by JCOHA, this can cause problems with retention because of the shortage of nurses and overload of duties which other employees cannot legally perform. Lastly, the employer is faced with the cost of employee turnover which can include recruitment costs, training costs, lost productivity, new hire costs, and even lost sales. According to Bliss, an employer will spend on average one and a half times the salary of an employee with turnover. With specialized positions, the cost can be even more. To calculate an estimated cost for turnover, an employer should include the cost of the person filling the job temporarily but if it is a current employee working overtime, this too should be considered. Other things an employer should consider when calculating the cost of replacing an employee is the exit interview, "the admin costs of stopping payroll, benefit deductions, benefit enrollments, COBRA notification"(Bliss, 2012) including management and HR time away from their other duties to conduct the interview/paperwork necessary. Using the calculations of Bliss, if an employee makes fifty thousand a year, replacing the employee could cost the company seventy-five thousand dollars. If turnover could be reduced or eliminated, employers could have extra revenue to provide better benefits to retain employees, it’s a vicious cycle.
Identify three retention metrics and explain their use to an employer. Three important retention metrics are employee benefits, flexible schedules, and good salary. Benefits increase costs however; retaining good skilled talent can be worth the extra overhead. As stated, in the medical field there are many organizations which do not offer benefits and these facilities have higher turnover rates than those with benefits. The benefits could include paid vacation/sick leave, health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, a flex spending account, and retirement savings to name a few. In addition to paid benefits, flexible schedules can be another perk which would help retain employees. Sometimes it is difficult for an employee to balance work and home life. If a company can accommodate the employee by being flexible with the schedule or even allowing the employee to work at home from time to time, the employee may be more motivated to help the company succeed. Salary is also an important retention metric. Competitive salary in conjunction with a competitive benefit package and a flexible schedule can help many companies with employee retention. There are many other retention metrics however, if the three previous metrics are put into place but the employee is not treated fair, has an extremely stressful job, or has a demeaning boss, these metrics may only pacify the employee for a short time. Employees like to feel valued and appreciated, if the employer can not do this, benefits may not help retain the employee.
Give examples of at least three best practices (interventions) an employer could use to correct a retention problem. An employer could use support to low-income, low-skilled employees who have a high risk of turnover. The employer can offer support to help address life issues which could prevent the employee from completing his duties such as "substance abuse, childcare, transportation, housing, and physical and mental health issues" (Casey, 2005). Helping employees with support services can help retain employees not only by ensuring they show up to work but also by proving to the employee they are an important part of the team, they are more likely to be faithful, diligent employees. Flexibility for employees with family or life issues which could prevent the employee from being at work during regularly scheduled times should help with retention. In this case, the employer would be able to adjust the schedule to help the employee meet personal needs as well as employment needs to help prevent write ups or dismissal. Lastly, the employer could correct retention problems with incentives. The incentives could include a bonus for missing fewer than three unscheduled days a year. Other incentives could be adding extra vacation hours, free lunch, movie tickets, and other inexpensive or even free awards to help spur on the employee to do their best to be at work and to be productive each day. Google has done a great job in employee retention; they may just have the best ideas when it comes to employee retention. Strickland explains employees can get their hair cut just after eating a free meal then stopping in for a round of pool just prior to going back to work. Working at Google is almost like campus living, maybe this is why Google is so successful.
Identify at least three components of an effective performance management system that would contribute to employee satisfaction and retention. Explain why each component would contribute to retention. Three components of an effective performance management system which would contribute to employee satisfaction and retention are performance feedback, resource availability and positive motivators. Feedback is important to the employee not only to help them understand where they stand in their performance but it helps them witness good and open doors communication. With good communication, employees have the belief their opinion and needs matter to their supervisor or even to the company. When employers listen to the employee, the employee is likely to repeat the process in the future and feel comfortable with communicating about the job or personal issues which may affect performance or retention. Another important component to an effective performance management system is the availability of resources to the employee. These resources can include people to help with questions, training, education, and mentors. This component should begin on the very first day of the job so the employee understands where to go for issues or needs they may have so they do not have a fear of trying to tackle a problem on their own. When employees do not have tools readily available, they can become frustrated and feel like they are failing at their job, this feeling can drive employees to resignation. Positive motivators help employers retain employees in several ways, employees may see the motivators as a goal to attain or even as a competition against the rest of the staff so they strive to reach the goal to win the "motivator". The positive motivator could be a physical prize such as a car wash or a silly trophy used to pass around the office but it has meaning to everyone. Other positive motivators could just be encouraging words from a member of upper management which would otherwise never step foot into the department. There are many ideas out there to help retain employees but the biggest hurdle is to identify the reason for absenteeism and high turnover rates.

References
Bliss, W. (n.d.). Cost of employee turnover. Retrieved from http://www.isquare.com/turnover.cfm
Healthcare at the crossroads. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/health_care_at_the_crossroads.pdf
Human resources measurement metrics. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.strategy2act.com/solutions/hr_metrics.htm
Many health care organizations have retention issues. (2006, October 16). Retrieved from http://www.news-medical.net/news/2006/10/16/20513.aspx
Strickland, J. (n.d.). How the googleplex works. Retrieved from http://computer.howstuffworks.com/googleplex3.htm

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