Steve Waterhouse
http://www.predictiveresults.com

In our HR consulting work, we have found that that HR and Hiring Managers recruit based on an idealized picture of candidate skills and experience but that these do not always result in obtaining the best candidates for the job. This is especially true in the case of the retail environment you discuss.

By conducting employee focus groups and surveys it is possible to identify what works and why people stay or leave. This allows adjustments to hiring requirements and sourcing strategies to reflect attributes that are more predictive of performance and retention.

In one engagement we were asked to identify sources of turnover, create retention strategies and more effective sourcing and recruiting strategies. Through focus groups and survey tools deployed to employees, line management, HR and company management we were able to uncover the unique characteristics of employees who performed well and stayed on the job longer. We then used this knowledge to create pre-screening questions, interview guides and sourcing strategies that more accurately reflected the demands of the job, the work environment, the job market and obtained candidates who found the job enjoyable, motivating and meeting personal criteria for reward over the long-term.

Specifically, we uncovered some interesting findings that support your comments in this article:

1. Employees whose commute to work lasted longer than 30 minutes had the highest turnover. Most of these employees left within 30 days. Employees that stayed the longest were able to get to work easily and did not have to invest significant time or cost in commuting. Working close to home was extremely important for these candidates.

2. Motivation and Passion are more important to retention than experience. Previous hiring practices had tended to select candidates with industry skills and work history. However, these employees became bored more quickly and had more options for other employment. We determined that candidates who felt they were gaining valuable work experience related to their long-term goals stayed the longest and found the most reward in the job. Additionally, candidates that had a passion for the industry category but perhaps less experience or hard skills had better performance and longer tenure.

Geoff Hultin
Talent Technology
T: 866.747.3375

Bullet 1: Talent and fit can certainly trump education and experience. Valid, job-related assessments help employers find natural talent (e.g. customer service) that aligns well with job requirements.

Bullet 2: Honesty is still the best policy.

Bullets 3, 4 and 5 speak to the employer’s understanding of employees; and, when it comes to employee understanding, one size does not fit all.

Indeed, authoritative research has found six distinct employee segments. This segmentation recognizes the different roles that work plays in peoples lives (That’s what got this article started). Employees in each of the six segments want different things from their work experience and are engaged by a different set of ‘employment deal’ elements.

Now, a comprehensive enterprise-level employee engagement survey (based on this research) can determine an employer’s current realty in terms of both segmentation and employee engagement. Reports provide the information, insight and direction that management needs to adjust employment deals in ways that raise employee engagement (and thereby improve organizational performance, talent retention and much more).

And, as bullet 6 underscores, ‘you can’t manage what you don’t measure’. Best-in-class assessments – from individual to enterprise – help managers measure well. And, today, the best online assessments are better than affordable, they’re downright profitable! Dr. Handler is right on when he says that even small hiring process improvements can lead to huge ROIs.

Please email for specific information on the research or assessments.

Adding one bullet to Charles’ list.
- Instead of driving people who consider leaving underground- thereby forcing them into taking days off as sick days, (or some other subterfuge) and learning about their leaving last minute, why not have an ‘Is the Grass Greener Policy?’- A no fault full-acceptance approach to leaving.

Allow interview days. Make an arrangement through a local career coach to have employees learn more about personal responsibility to their lives and careers as well as a specialist to discuss pros and cons. Protect anyone who declares they are looking for something more and not getting it.

A hiring manager (employer) who personally commits to helping a subordinate achieve their career goals and align them with their life goals is more likely to get higher performance and know earlier when an employee is likely to leave.

Walking the talk however isn’t easy and goes counter to traditional norms.