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Reduce turnover with a ‘no compromise’ staffing policy
By Wayne Outlaw
Contributing Writer
Losing an employee, especially a valuable manager, is never easy. If the individual is a high performer, there is the obvious loss of productivity and capability in the organization.
If the individual is a poor performer, management loses stress and other employees feel less negative effects. The loss of both peak and poor performers reduces sales, impacts customer service, and drains bottom-line profits, but for various reasons.
When an employee’s departure comes a few months after being hired you naturally ask, “How could this have been prevented?”
To get the answer to this question, carefully examine how the individual was hired, how he or she was oriented, and how he or she was trained. Many times when mistakes are made, the tough questions go unanswered. To reduce future turnover and build a stronger team, there must be a “no compromise” policy in staffing.
Did you clearly define the position? Make sure you clearly knew what was needed for the position. Did you define the duties, responsibilities, expected level of performance, compensation and growth potential of the position? Was it clear not only to you and the employee, but also to the person who made the hiring decision?
Did the candidate fully understand the position before accepting it? Having a clear understanding of the position and a realistic job perspective before joining a company is obviously important. Not everything about a job is positive and it is best if candidates understand the frustrations and difficulties they may encounter before accepting the position.
Did you clearly know the values, attitudes, and capabilities needed to be successful in the job? With entry-level jobs, physical capabilities such as strength, mobility, dexterity, as well as, basic knowledge and skills may be foremost. However, higher level positions such as Sales, Management, or Technology involve working with others, which requires people and problem solving skills. The behavioral traits or attributes, such as the ability to be outgoing, the drive for success, and the ability to work unsupervised, may be keys.
For example, simple characteristics like age, education, experience or even education may not be good indicators of success in a sales position. The invisible characteristics like the ability to endure rejection, being goal focused, and having a drive might be more needed attributes for success in certain sales positions.
How well did the individual match the attributes needed for the position? Many times very capable and highly motivated individuals fail, not because of a lack of effort or ability, but because their capabilities do not match the needs of the position. The better the candidate fits the position, the easier he or she will have in being successful in the position. The less an individual fits the position, the more management has to do in terms of training, development and managing for the individual to succeed. If the fit is poor, management may not be able to do enough.
Did you interview and examine past performance thoroughly? Past performance is the best indication of future performance, because patterns tend to repeat themselves. If an individual performed poorly and had a short tenure in previous positions, no matter how well he or she presents himself or herself in the interview, future performance will likely continue to be the same.
Unfortunately, in today’s job market, you hear about some applicants who are better at interviewing than the interviewer. To avoid being misled, use multiple interviews by multiple managers and, if possible, on multiple days, and have in-depth interviews to uncover their true past performances.
Did you verify the individual’s background and performance thoroughly? Even multiple interviews can’t uncover every potential problem. Use thorough and comprehensive reference checks to verify the performance claimed by the candidate during the interview. Get beyond the several hand-picked references that say only good things and never mention the real problems.
Was the individual’s performance verified with previous supervisors? Confirm credentials such as education and certifications by obtaining tangible proof. Conduct a felony conviction check and, if required, drug tests and physicals. Ensure all red flags are clarified fully to eliminate potential negligent hiring claims.
Did you ensure there were no compromises? When I talk to executives about why an employee was lost, especially when it is due to poor performance, it is usually not a surprise to them because they had a question or concern about hiring the employee in the first place. If there is any question or concern, the answer to the hiring question should be, “No.”
When you look at how much effort it takes to orient an employee, acclimate them to the organization, train and develop the specific skills needed and manage performance, it is not wise to compromise in hiring. To find out if you are compromising, ask, “Do I feel comfortable trusting the candidate to pay my salary?” If not, pass and spend more time finding candidates. In reality, those we hire indirectly pay our salaries and pave the way for our future with their performance.
The better job you do of staffing, the easier it will be to train and manage the individual. Learn from those who leave, even though the lessons may be painful. Apply this valuable knowledge the next time you put a person in a position. The next person you hire or promote will affect your company’s future.
Wayne Outlaw is a speaker and consultant. E-mail him at wayne@outlawgroup.com.
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