In Part 1 of this series, I postulated a formula for some of the “known" elements. The formula suggests that each of this factors can contribute to the success – or failure – of a retention strategy.
Related:Top 3 Character Traits To Look For In Your Next HireSuccessful Retention = f (Objective Expectations, Compensation, Training, Recognition, Feedback, Organizational Culture, and…)
The objective expectations component was discussed in Part 1. Part 2 discussed the challenging aspects of compensation. Part 3 discussed training. In my experiences training 1000's of managers for a variety of organizations, I've found “recognition" to be a fascinating, and one of the most puzzling, factors.
We Know A Lot About Recognition
One of the puzzling factors of recognition is that there is a lot of powerful, research supported data on the power of recognition. From the powerful, now longitudinal, work of the Gallup organization, initially popularized by the Buckingham/Coffman work in “First, Break All the Rules," the critically fourth step in developing top performers (and teams) was the answer to:
In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.
The deliberately strong wording (“in the last seven days") revealed both the power and the paradox of what we know about recognition:
Less than one in three employees give a strongly positive answer to this statement.
Between one-fifth and one-third of employees “disagree" with the statement.
Variation is responsible for 10 to 20 percent differences in productivity and revenue.
And this represents the first point on why recognition is puzzling. We know it makes a difference yet there's strong, majority opinion that it's not happening.
Research by the authors of “The Carrot Principle" (Gostick and Elton) clearly supports the power of recognition, identifying significant percentage differences between low and high performing employees:
39 point higher percentage of employees “completely satisfied with job."
63 point higher percentage of employees “agree morale is very high."
65 point higher percentage of employees “who are highly engaged."
But We Don't Do It – Or Know How?
Despite the strong evidence of the power of recognition, there is still the data showing clearly that employees do not feel they are being recognized. A recent article reported:
Employee engagement, productivity, and customer service are 14% better in organizations where regular recognition occurs.
However, only 17% of the employees indicated that their organizational culture strongly supports recognition.
Over 70% of the respondents indicated that they are only recognized once a year (a service award) or not at all. (Bersin and Associates)
Is it just that we don't do it or is it that we don't know how? This is why I find the recognition element such a puzzling factor in the retention puzzle. And it's complicated by the fact there is clearly an abundance of resources and strategies available on recognition. Perhaps that's part of the problem, too many choices. And while there's an abundance of excellent resources for recognition, there are also enough horror stories about failed programs, like oft-criticized and ridiculed “employee-of-the-month" programs. Perhaps managers and organizations want to – but don't take the time to determine the strategically best actions for recognition.
Time To Act
There are many steps that can be taken to improve recognition in an organization. I'm only going recommend two here. The first is training. Managers presented with a deeper understanding of the power of recognition and practicing opportunities for recognition in the unique settings of their organization can make a huge difference. A single manager in a training program I presented a few years ago developed a program customized to his organization – a program that is now being used by several managers in different locations around the country.
Successful recognition is frequently very personal. As a 16-17 years old employee, I was approached by one of the family owners of my high school/college employers. He took me aside, told me that he wanted me to know that his father (the founder of the company) and he were aware of my efforts during the soon-to-be completed holiday season. He then handed me a $10 gift certificate to the store. Recognition does not have to be “major;" it just has to be significant – as I'll testify to just from remembering every moment of that interaction what is now multiple decades later.
How to you make it personal? Ask! I will fully discuss a format for a “Retention Interview" in the closing article of this series. But here's a starting point. As part of a new employee's orientation (or onboarding), interview the employee. Ask how they've been recognized for their performance in the past (but don't be surprised if they haven't been recognized). Ask how they want to be recognized if their performance clearly exceeds expectations on a project? One thing that is almost guaranteed – you'll be surprised in many cases how easy it might be to generate a story that will be remembered by that employee decades later.
Jim Schreier is a management consultant with a focus on management, leadership, including performance-based hiring and interviewing skills. Visit his website at www.farcliffs.com.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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