Comments on: A Blocking Strategy For Increasing Employee Retention, the Final Part http://www.ere.net/2006/12/18/a-blocking-strategy-for-increasing-employee-retention-the-final-part/ Recruiting News, Recruiting Events, Recruiting Community, Social Recruiting Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:03:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Josie Erent http://www.ere.net/2006/12/18/a-blocking-strategy-for-increasing-employee-retention-the-final-part/comment-page-1/#comment-2230 Josie Erent Wed, 27 Dec 2006 03:03:00 +0000 http://www.ere.net/2006/12/18/a-blocking-strategy-for-increasing-employee-retention-the-final-part/#comment-2230 I at one time or another have discussed this issue..with a corporate president. The discussion focussed on corporate retention. The reality was that I had jokingly stated that if every company treated their employees well....there would be no reason for the employee to talk to a recruiter or leave a company. Some of the suggestions I simply disagree with and do not address the real issues of treating employees well and rewarding performers who for lack of recogniton or financial rewards or negative bosses seek opportunities else where. A talented corporate professional is a like a beautiful robust flower. If not provided a nurturing and rewarding environment, it simply blooms and dies. I am glad that I am a recruiter because unfortunately most companies treat people as numbers and not as people who have their own goals and dreams that are unfortunately secondary to a company Your argument simply does not address the individual who will simply leave the company rather than deal with the artificial obstacles that you have suggested that may be effective in the short term but create resentment in the long term. I at one time or another have discussed this issue..with a corporate president. The discussion focussed on corporate retention. The reality was that I had jokingly stated that if every company treated their employees well….there would be no reason for the employee to talk to a recruiter or leave a company.

Some of the suggestions I simply disagree with and do not address the real issues of treating employees well and rewarding performers who for lack of recogniton or financial rewards or negative bosses seek opportunities else where.

A talented corporate professional is a like a beautiful robust flower. If not provided a nurturing and rewarding environment, it simply blooms and dies.

I am glad that I am a recruiter because unfortunately most companies treat people as numbers and not as people who have their own goals and dreams that are unfortunately secondary to a company

Your argument simply does not address the individual who will simply leave the company rather than deal with the artificial obstacles that you have suggested that may be effective in the short term but create resentment in the long term.

]]> By: Michael Maisel http://www.ere.net/2006/12/18/a-blocking-strategy-for-increasing-employee-retention-the-final-part/comment-page-1/#comment-2207 Michael Maisel Tue, 19 Dec 2006 12:19:00 +0000 http://www.ere.net/2006/12/18/a-blocking-strategy-for-increasing-employee-retention-the-final-part/#comment-2207 Stefan, I think you are right on point here, and research supports you. KFI did a survey a number of years ago, which revealed the top 4 reasons for voluntary terminations: 4. MONEY (Makes us feel good, or surprised?) 3. CREATURE COMFORTS (Shorter commute, better office, etc.) 2. FEEL UNDER-UTILIZED (Hooray for Abe Maslow!) 1. HATE MY BOSS Statistical margin of error be damned, at its least this survey indicates that the best measure of protection against raiding may be to create an environment and culture that employees find stimulating and professionally rewarding. Investments in management training to improve employee relations will not only help curtail the most frequent cause of voluntary terminations, but may well have the dual benefit of improving retention of managers because, as we all know, the retention tool with the highest ROI is training. Sounds like a win win, no? Using more proactive tactics, as Stefan suggests, may be the best prevention against raiding. Not that strategies to protect against raiding don't have their place, but perhaps the best place may be in the bunker as a doomsday plan. Stefan, I think you are right on point here, and research supports you. KFI did a survey a number of years ago, which revealed the top 4 reasons for voluntary terminations:

4. MONEY (Makes us feel good, or surprised?)
3. CREATURE COMFORTS (Shorter commute, better office, etc.)
2. FEEL UNDER-UTILIZED (Hooray for Abe Maslow!)
1. HATE MY BOSS

Statistical margin of error be damned, at its least this survey indicates that the best measure of protection against raiding may be to create an environment and culture that employees find stimulating and professionally rewarding. Investments in management training to improve employee relations will not only help curtail the most frequent cause of voluntary terminations, but may well have the dual benefit of improving retention of managers because, as we all know, the retention tool with the highest ROI is training. Sounds like a win win, no?

Using more proactive tactics, as Stefan suggests, may be the best prevention against raiding. Not that strategies to protect against raiding don’t have their place, but perhaps the best place may be in the bunker as a doomsday plan.

]]> By: Karen Mattonen C.A.C., C.S.P http://www.ere.net/2006/12/18/a-blocking-strategy-for-increasing-employee-retention-the-final-part/comment-page-1/#comment-2206 Karen Mattonen C.A.C., C.S.P Mon, 18 Dec 2006 07:44:00 +0000 http://www.ere.net/2006/12/18/a-blocking-strategy-for-increasing-employee-retention-the-final-part/#comment-2206 Leo, I am with you, the word poaching and recruiting should not go hand in hand. If a company is Poaching from their competitors, generally it is assumed that they are not recruiting with the intent to offer someone an opportunity to help advance their career, but have more unfair or anti competitive strategies in mind - like was mentioned in a former article, stealing a whole department with the intent to impede a competitor.. Not too cool! Like many have said in previous posts.. focus on finding ways to earn loyalty - salaries, bonuses, benefits, 401k, payed education. Most of all find out what the issues are.. deal with it.. Retention is the key here, focus on how to create a work friendly environment.. Focus on Employer/employee loyalty Karen Leo,
I am with you, the word poaching and recruiting should not go hand in hand.

If a company is Poaching from their competitors, generally it is assumed that they are not recruiting with the intent to offer someone an opportunity to help advance their career, but have more unfair or anti competitive strategies in mind – like was mentioned in a former article, stealing a whole department with the intent to impede a competitor.. Not too cool!

Like many have said in previous posts.. focus on finding ways to earn loyalty – salaries, bonuses, benefits, 401k, payed education. Most of all find out what the issues are.. deal with it..

Retention is the key here, focus on how to create a work friendly environment.. Focus on Employer/employee loyalty
Karen

]]> By: Bill Wager http://www.ere.net/2006/12/18/a-blocking-strategy-for-increasing-employee-retention-the-final-part/comment-page-1/#comment-2205 Bill Wager Mon, 18 Dec 2006 07:22:00 +0000 http://www.ere.net/2006/12/18/a-blocking-strategy-for-increasing-employee-retention-the-final-part/#comment-2205 While this series has been fairly comprehensive, almost exhausting the subject of blocking strategies, I feel that certain critical, highly effective methods have been overlooked. In an endeavor to shed even further light on this subject I will enumerate a number of methods that we use here. I believe that I am highly qualified, even uniquely qualified to speak on this subject as a veteran of the 'Wars on Talent', no one knows better than I. The youngsters may not remember, but in the old days, we actually fought the talent; fought em' to a standstill. Let me help the good doctor by enumerating some of the blocking strategies we used in the theory x golden days. 1) RESTRICT TELEPHONE ACCESS Use crazy glue to glue the handsets to the bases. If they can't pick up the phone, they can't talk to recruiters. Don?t use contact cement--the cleaning people hate all those gooey strings--making THEM vulnerable to poachers. 2) RESTRICT RADIO WAVES Wrap the most vulnerable employees in tin foil to prevent TPRs from reading their thoughts or communicating with them by any means short of gamma rays. 3) SECURE YOUR PREMISES Wrap the building in lead--that'll close the gamma ray opening. 4) TAKE HOSTAGES Retain physical possession of key employees? family members (pets will do for the more sensitive) 5) SET AN EXAMPLE Shoot the least loyal employee--leave the body around for a few days. 6) COUNTEROFFERS Make ridiculous counteroffers. 'So, Smedley, they offered you 100,000! --I'll give you a million! (the check does not need to clear) Use and enjoy these techniques that took me years to develop. I have many, many more--four or five articles worth, at least. Bill Wager Hunter Green 40 Exchange Place NY, NY 10005 212-742-0990 billwager@hunter-green.com While this series has been fairly comprehensive, almost exhausting the subject of blocking strategies, I feel that certain critical, highly effective methods have been overlooked.
In an endeavor to shed even further light on this subject I will enumerate a number of methods that we use here.

I believe that I am highly qualified, even uniquely qualified to speak on this subject as a veteran of the ‘Wars on Talent’, no one knows better than I.
The youngsters may not remember, but in the old days, we actually fought the talent; fought em’ to a standstill.

Let me help the good doctor by enumerating some of the blocking strategies we used in the theory x golden days.

1) RESTRICT TELEPHONE ACCESS
Use crazy glue to glue the handsets to the bases. If they can’t pick up the phone, they can’t talk to recruiters. Don?t use contact cement–the cleaning people hate all those gooey strings–making THEM vulnerable to poachers.

2) RESTRICT RADIO WAVES
Wrap the most vulnerable employees in tin foil to prevent TPRs from reading their thoughts or communicating with them by any means short of gamma rays.
3) SECURE YOUR PREMISES
Wrap the building in lead–that’ll close the gamma ray opening.
4) TAKE HOSTAGES
Retain physical possession of key employees? family members (pets will do for the more sensitive)
5) SET AN EXAMPLE
Shoot the least loyal employee–leave the body around for a few days.
6) COUNTEROFFERS
Make ridiculous counteroffers.
‘So, Smedley, they offered you 100,000! –I’ll give you a million! (the check does not need to clear)

Use and enjoy these techniques that took me years to develop.
I have many, many more–four or five articles worth, at least.

Bill Wager
Hunter Green
40 Exchange Place
NY, NY 10005
212-742-0990
billwager@hunter-green.com

]]> By: Leo Faneuf http://www.ere.net/2006/12/18/a-blocking-strategy-for-increasing-employee-retention-the-final-part/comment-page-1/#comment-2204 Leo Faneuf Mon, 18 Dec 2006 07:02:00 +0000 http://www.ere.net/2006/12/18/a-blocking-strategy-for-increasing-employee-retention-the-final-part/#comment-2204 The article should be re-named 'A Blocking Strategy For Decreasing Employee Retention'. I have a small issue with the word 'poaching' - poaching is illegal theft of somene elses property, recruiting is not - and I hate to break it to John but the company doesn't 'own' the employee, company pays said employee to do a task. Acording to the most recent article, companies need block recruiting to employees while they are at home. We're back to Big Brother, SS, Nazi, Communist, Police State tactics. What an employee does on their own time is that person's business, not the company. What's the plan, send the SS out to hook out 'blocking' filters to the employee's cable line as it enters their house? An employee is paid to do a 40 hour a week job (granted, it's longer in today's corporate world), but time outside of work is the employee's time These tacics will increase attrition, not retention. Employees don't need and don't want the stormtroopers watching their every move. Micromanagement strikes again, this time in its truest form, the police state which will stop innovation, increase attrition and, in the end, make profits disappear. I wouldn;t want to be the person who OK'd this strategy. The article should be re-named ‘A Blocking Strategy For Decreasing Employee Retention’.

I have a small issue with the word ‘poaching’ – poaching is illegal theft of somene elses property, recruiting is not – and I hate to break it to John but the company doesn’t ‘own’ the employee, company pays said employee to do a task.

Acording to the most recent article, companies need block recruiting to employees while they are at home. We’re back to Big Brother, SS, Nazi, Communist, Police State tactics. What an employee does on their own time is that person’s business, not the company. What’s the plan, send the SS out to hook out ‘blocking’ filters to the employee’s cable line as it enters their house? An employee is paid to do a 40 hour a week job (granted, it’s longer in today’s corporate world), but time outside of work is the employee’s time

These tacics will increase attrition, not retention. Employees don’t need and don’t want the stormtroopers watching their every move. Micromanagement strikes again, this time in its truest form, the police state which will stop innovation, increase attrition and, in the end, make profits disappear. I wouldn;t want to be the person who OK’d this strategy.

]]> By: Stefan Schneider http://www.ere.net/2006/12/18/a-blocking-strategy-for-increasing-employee-retention-the-final-part/comment-page-1/#comment-2203 Stefan Schneider Mon, 18 Dec 2006 06:18:00 +0000 http://www.ere.net/2006/12/18/a-blocking-strategy-for-increasing-employee-retention-the-final-part/#comment-2203 Some of these suggestions are very innovative, but I feel like the overall approach is very negative. Great companies don't bleed talent. People who are treated fairly by their managers, are offered a decent place to come to every day by their companies and find themselves challenged and decently rewarded in their roles usually prove very difficult to actively recruit. These strategies are all reactive, but they don't address what is usually the root cause of the problem...poor management. Some of these suggestions are very innovative, but I feel like the overall approach is very negative. Great companies don’t bleed talent. People who are treated fairly by their managers, are offered a decent place to come to every day by their companies and find themselves challenged and decently rewarded in their roles usually prove very difficult to actively recruit. These strategies are all reactive, but they don’t address what is usually the root cause of the problem…poor management.

]]>