PowerPoint Presentation

Employee RetentionAnd LeadershipBy: Jessica Jantzen4-H EducatorOSU Extension

Welcome listensersIntroduce yourself

*Today we are going to talk about an important topic, one that affects every business in some way-Employee Retention*Employee retention means holding on to key employees and learning how to lower employee turnover*The higher a businesses employee turnover, the higher the cost of daily operation of that business1You cant expect people to be committed, to be loyal to an organization, to be engaged in an organization, [or] to want to stay in an organization if the company doesnt care about them.-David Sirota*David Sirota: Coauthor of The Enthusiastic Employee: How Companies Profit by Giving Workers What They Want2Why do employees leave?

*In a minute we are going to see the top reasons employees leave their jobs. *This information was taken from a compilation of published journal articles.*Before we continue, give me some reasons you think employees leave their jobs*What do you think the number one reason is?3Fail to connect with their bosses as leaders and people (Welch, 2008).Work environment is not particularly friendly (Bhasin, 2000).Do not feel appreciated (Ortega, 2006).Managers will not listen to employees (Waschek, Esfeld & Werner, 2011)

Top Reasons Employees LeaveGo through reasonsCompare previous answers

*How do you think this connects to your role in your county office?-How can you develop good working relationships with your co-workers to overcome the connection issue?-Have any of you had complaints by co-workers about your office setting?In the study by Bhasin, he refers to the workplace as sometimes being hostile. What are some ways you could help the office setting become more friendly?Extension Risk Management-Have you ever had a boss that made you feel appreciated or not appreciated?In what ways did he/she make you feel appreciatedIn what ways did he/she make you feel appreciatedGive me some ideas about how you could make your co-workers feel appreciatedCongratulate, compliments, end of the week lunch, thank you cardsWhat about asking their input on certain decisions? Sometimes, that is a big compliment to people.-It is always a good idea to take into considerations what your co-workers/employees are saying.This could help your organization, work environment, and employee retention

4Limited career growth or opportunityLack of respect for supervisorHigher compensationFelt their job duties were unchallengingFelt their supervisor lacked leadership skillsFor better work hours(Waschek, Esfeld & Werner, 2011)Other reasons employees leaveBriefly touch on other reasons.

*Any comments/suggestions?

5There is no incentive for employees to explain why they are actually leaving their job.Employees want to leave their job and have that boss as a good reference.Few exit surveys have been done. (Welch, 2008)What is the Real Reason?-Limitations*As in any study or experiment, there are limitations to the results.*It is important to take these limitations into consideration to get a better idea of the big picture*In this case, the limitations are (read above)*This is an issue in Extension.*If we better understood why people leave their jobs, there may be a way to fix them and increase employee retention.*For now, we must focus on decreasing the happenings of why they leave and increase the happenings of why they stay.*Is there a good way that Extension could measure why employees leave?*Would you be honest about why you left a job in an exit interview with your boss(s)?What about with a third party that is outside of your office?

6Put it into perspective

*To help you understand why this is a topic we are covering, we need to put it into perspective.

7Employees who have worked with an organization for six or fewer months are the ones most likely to leave the company.Those with one to two years experience are the next most likely to leave.(Ortega, 2006)On average, the cost of losing an employee is about 150 percent. Its one-and-a-half times the persons compensation, David Sirota

New EmployeesRead above facts

*Does this sound accurate to you?*Why do you think the critical time is six months or less and those with two plus years of experience?*What could employers do during those critical times to reduce losing employees?*Is there a way to do this through Extension?*The last bullet describes the issue well. This is why employee retention is so important to study. The cost of losing an employee is detrimental to a small business.*Any comments/suggestions?

8Why is employee retention important?

*We covered this in the previous slide so answer this question for me*In Extension, why is it important to keep employees long term?

9Employees are the heart and soul of an organization (Ortega, 2006).Employee turnover is costly for an organization (Mitchell, Holtom, Lee, Sablynski & Erez, 2001)Finding suitable replacements for key employees is difficult (Waschek, Esfeld & Werner, 2011)Low employee turnover leads to outstanding performance of an organization (Buildings, 2005).Employee Retention*These studies suggest that it is important to keep employees long term because (read above)*How do businesses expand?Grow in size, right?How are they able to grow in size?By hiring more employees?Higher employee retention means more success for the business.

10Why do employees stay?

*We have talked about why employees leave, now we are going to talk about why they stay.*We can benefit from learning about items they do not like, but it is even more beneficial to learn why they stay. If we know what we can do to keep them happy, we can focus on those areas and succeed.

11Have a good connection with their boss (Welch, 2008)Workplace is a team oriented environment (Bhasin, 2000)Want to contribute, feel wanted (Bhasin, 2000)Workplace is a climate for learning characterized by trust and openness (Bhasin, 2000)Feel supported (Bhasin, 2000)Can balance work and life (Ortega, 2006)Offered programs like childcare (Ortega, 2006)

Top Reasons Employees StayRead Title*Do you remember what the number one reason was that employees left their job?*It was that they fail to connect with their bosses a leaders and as people.*So these studies run side by side with their results.*The number one reason employees stay is that they have a good connection with their boss.-Why do you think that is so important?Maybe it gives them a buy-in within their company?Maybe they feel like they are contributing to a cause they like?*They also like to have a team oriented environment.-How can employers create a team oriented environment?Team challenges (short games)Setting goals and steps to accomplish as a team rather than individualLess competition and more reward for working togetherRead other bullets

*What do you think about the other reasons?-How can we re-create this in Extension offices?12Shoe Size

Team ChallengeWhat do employees want?

*Just as understanding why employees stay with a company, understanding what they want is also important.

*Why should we pay attention to what employees want from their job/bosses/co-workers?14Equity and job securityEmployees want to be treated fairly and, just as importantly, compensated fairly.Companies must demonstrate more than the minimum obligations to people.CommunicationIndividuals want to understand managements expectations so they have a clear idea of how their work will be judged.It is important to set measurable goals and evaluate an employees performance.The Secrets of Employee RetentionFrom: BuildingsRead first reason

*Job security-employees do not want to keep one foot out the door. -How do you all feel when something important in your life is unstable?-They want to feel secure they will not only get reimbursed fairly, but that their job will be there as long as they need it.Read second reason

*If they want to connect with their bosses as leaders and as people, they will need to be able to communicate with them.

15Pride and teamworkEmployees want to feel good about their jobs, have a sense of achievement, and be proud of their accomplishments.Individuals should be properly trained and provided with adequate materials and equipment to complete their jobs successfully.Employees want to work with teammates who are as enthusiastic and competent as they are.Failure to address problem employees communicates to team members that management view substandard performance as acceptable. The Secrets of Employee RetentionFrom: Buildings*Here is teamwork again.-They would rather work as a team to accomplish goals rather than compete against one another.-Wasnt it always more fun to work on homework with a buddy rather than doing it yourself?*They want to be trained properly so they feel they are qualified to do they work you ask them.-Extension provides in-services and other trainings *Here it expresses employees want to know they are valued by their boss and want him/her to address problem employees rather than ignore it.-How would you all handle a problem employee?-Besides this reason, why is it important to deal with these issues rather than letting them continue?16FunWhile its important that attempts at creating a fun work environment dont disrupt the overall productivity of employees, making the job enjoyable is beneficial.By never taking time to celebrate, employees are more likely to experience elevated stress and burn-out.The Secrets of Employee RetentionFrom: Buildings*How can you create fun in your office?17RecognitionPeople want to do good work and they want to be recognized for it, says Larry Johnson, president, Johnson Training Group.Johnson recommends that recognition be significant, specific and sincere.For example, telling an employee youre great isnt nearly as meaningful as saying that his/her innovative ideas and work to satisfy a particular tenant or to keep a specific project on budget was terrific.The Secrets of Employee RetentionFrom: BuildingsRead Slide

*Can you give me some examples in Extension office settings?18How do you find out if your employees are happy?

Read slide

*Tell me how you determine if your employees are happy?

19Assure subordinates that they are free to express their opinions without fear of negative repercussions.Consider seeking the services of a third party to survey staff.Be prepared to share the survey findings and a plan of action with the team.If you can determine why employees are not happy, its likely you can prevent them from leaving by changing practices, culture, and sometimes even your management style.Ask!*The same way you connect with your employees, find out if something is wrong, learn about their schedule for the day, or communicate in general-just ask.*Third party surveys are not mistake proof but they can offer a lot of insight about what your employees are thinking without them having to tell you in person.*Sharing the findings can be a good experience for the whole office as long as the right attitude is used. Remember-they want to feel comfortable talking/discussing with their bosses. Yelling or being short with them will not entice them to be open about their concerns.

20You-As A Leader

*So what can you do to become the boss that everyone wants?*How about building leader characteristics within yourself?*What is the opposite of a leader? (Manager)-what is the difference between a leader and a manager?-show and tell-Leaders work with their employees, enduring the same struggles as they do.-Managers, well-manage. Managers assign tasks and are not present in working through the task.-Which sounds more enticing as an employee?21What sets the best companies apart, however, is how such practices are delivered, to what degree they build relationships, and to what degree they foster trust-the cornerstone of great workplace cultures.Hal Adler on workplace benefits

Taken from the best companies to work for22(1)They have open channels of communication that lead to collaboration and inclusionThese leaders are open with information, interested in learning what employees think, and incorporate their ideas into doing business. These leaders not only inform people about issues affecting them but involve them in decisions.Four Characteristics of LeadersKey Leader Characteristics by Hal Adler*The first characteristic of a leader is(Read slide)*We have talked about how communication is important, have you ever had to work with someone who would not communicate at all or had poor communication skills?*How did you handle that situations?*What were the main problems that arose because of the lack of communication?*How did you solve those issues?23(2)They move beyond the status quo.These leader take bold action in support of their people, raising the benchmark.

For Characteristics of LeadersKey Leader Characteristics by Hal AdlerRead Slide

*How does this work in Extension Offices?-Stand by co-workers and secretary?-Listen to problems outside of the office and then discuss them without blaming any one person?*Is there a way to move beyond the status quo with Extension co-workers?-Always have regard for their actions in situations.-Stand by their decisions, making them feel superior.-If a mistake is made by them, help them understand what they should have done differently in private instead of around a group of peers.

24(3)They are very selective about what to measure and why.Great leaders know what makes their unique culture tick and measure accordingly.A clear and accurate understanding of their culture allows them to choose and reward measures selectively.For Characteristics of LeadersKey Leader Characteristics by Hal AdlerRead Slide

*Why is culture important to consider when handling a mistake or measuring a co-worker?-What is acceptable for one culture may be rude/innapropriate in another?

25(4)They are passionate about values and culture.Values are tied to success and measures, and the leaders are very familiar with the values. Their vigor for values and culture is contagious.For Characteristics of LeadersKey Leader Characteristics by Hal AdlerRead Slide

*Here again, cultural knowledge is shown to be important when dealing with co-workers. *Would it be difficult for you if someone from a different cultural background only recognized their traditions, interests, and values?*It is important to express interest in individuals, showing them that their values are important to their leader.

26Leadership Challenge

Team Reliability27Adler, H. (2007). Key leader characteristics. Leadership Excellence, 24(12), 5-5. Retrieved from http://search/proquest.com/docview/204507836Bhasin, R. (2000). Why good people leave. Pulp & Paper, 74(11), 31-31. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/209812543?accountid=4117Executive, 16(5), 34-34,37. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/212578183?accountid=4117Mitchell, T., Holtom, B., Lee, T., Sablynski, C., & Erez, M. (2001). Why people stay: Using job embeddedness to predict voluntary turnover. The Academy of Management Jornal, 44(6), 1102-1121. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3069391Ortega, D. (2006). Value-added employee programs can help recruitment efforts. Managed HealthcareThe secrets of employee retention. (2005). Buildings, 99(8), 30-32. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/210292412?accountid=4117Waschek, M., Esfeld, M. & Werner, R. (2011, March). Why employees leave. Croplife, 174(3), 11. DOI: ProQuestWelch, J. (2008). Why people leave. Leadership Excellence, 25(7), 20-20. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/204618251?accountid=4117

ReferencesSummarizeThank you28