What else does it take to K.E.E.P your employees satisfied?

"People work for much more than a paycheck."

Having extensive recruiting experience in a fast paced staffing firm (Robert Half International) and corporate call-center environment (Inktel Direct), I have learned that most employees are looking for common elements from the people they work for. People, regardless of position, seek a good "Relationship with their manager", "A positive work environment", and "Praise and recognition". Successfully combine these three elements and implement them effectively and you have created the foundation for a great retention strategy.

It is obvious that these crucial elements have little or nothing to do with compensation. Instead they remind us an important fact: People work for much more than a paycheck. People not only want their jobs to be a source of income but a source of attaining pride, professional development, enjoyment, and acknowledgment of their skills and efforts as well. With this in mind, I would like to introduce to you a retention-boosting method that I came across a few years ago, simply called K.E.E.P.-Kudos, Excite, Empower, Promote. Sounds simple right?

Kudos- Offering kudos to an employee who is meeting or exceeding expectations is a simple, effective, and inexpensive way to recognize their efforts. An employee who is constantly encouraged and continuously feels appreciated is less likely to leave. Just remember that what might be considered as a reward for one employee might not be the same for another. So, make sure to make the rewards meaningful to each individual employee. A few ways to offer kudos may include: Public recognition, an email, a "thank you" or "good job", a note of recognition or any other simple gesture of recognition.

Excite- As managers, we have the ability to set the mood and the tone of the environment that we work in so keep this in mind each and every morning as you are walking in your office. Creating a positive and rewarding corporate culture is essential for generating excitement. Remember that the more people are excited and enjoy coming to work the less likely they are to seek employment elsewhere. Here are some ideas to generate some excitement in your environment: Have a positive attitude, provide your employees with assignments that are achievable yet challenging, frequent praise and recognition, and share the company's successes with your staff so they know their hard work is paying off.

Empower- Trust your employees and give them their space to perform their jobs competently. The more empowered and trusted they feel by you, the less likely they are to leave. Most employees are on the never-ending search for autonomy and the ability to make impacting decision; meet these needs and you will create an undeniable sense of loyalty. Here are a few suggestions for "empowering" your employees: Be open to suggestions and act on them whenever possible, reward smart risks along with result, foster creativity and teamwork, and show confidence in your team's ability to make decisions.


Promote- The key to any successful retention method should be a structured program that provides and nurtures professional growth and development for employees of all levels. If your employees feel that they have hit a "Glass Ceiling" with the company, then the next logical step would be towards the door. So when possible always try to promote from within, help employees develop career plans with the company, set up a mentoring program, help employees achieve their goals.

Happy employees that enjoy coming to work everyday are the key to any successful organization, so remember that creating a positive company culture is mutually beneficial for you and your employees. Many times we assume that our top performers already know they are doing a good job, but don't make that assumption; a small gesture has the ability to go a long way. A simple thank you or a brief email can motivate someone to keep trying their best not only at work but at other things too. Try and take a personal interest in your employees and don't ever take someone's hope from them, because for some-- that is all they have.

Simple Steps to Better Recruiting

"The best changes often start as a single, simple thought. Think big, and discover the ways to make your dreams real."-- Anonymous

There are only 175,000 US Marines in the entire world (which is about a quarter of the size of the US Army), yet they are known as the "best of the best", "the few the proud" etc... They have attained the reputation because, they don't allow just anyone to become a Marine, and those who do become Marines share a common passion and a sense of pride for what they do. With the limited amount of personnel that they have, they have achieved things and made victories possible that might have not otherwise been achievable if it was not for them.
That same mentality of being the best, and only hiring a selected few can be applied to any company in order to make it successful in today's struggling economy. But to attract the best you must market yourself accordingly and strategically as well as have an aggressive plan of attack to help you achieve your goals. So in today's posting we will cover a few simple steps that we can take to assure that we are filling our open positions with the best talent possible.

Step 1
Improve your candidate Pool
Complacency is one of the worst habits that a recruiting manager can pick up.It occurs when we get used to applicants walking in to apply and all of a sudden we stop searching for the ideal candidate and settle for what's in the "pile". A candidate pool is not simply having a bunch of applications handy for any give position, but instead having a few strong solid candidates that you have already screened and believe are the best for the job and are ready to start at the drop of a dime. Having a solid pipeline can make the difference between being the best recruiter and just being average.

Step 2
Look Internally for the Ideal Candidate
A lot of the times we get so caught up with looking through the "Careebuilders" and the "Monsters" that we forget that we already have a source of applicants that have already proven their loyalty, work ethic, and responsibility to you. Allowing current employees to apply for your openings will help boost morale and show that there is potential and room for growth in your company-- which in turn is a marketing tool for you company all on its own. Give potential internal candidates a chance. It is a great opportunity to get to know your employees better and for them to learn more about your organization and its needs. A lot of the times a good fit can be found between your needs and theirs.

Step 3
Be Known as a Great Employer
Employee practices for retention, motivation, accountability, reward, recognition, flexibility in work-life balance, promotion, and involvement are all key factors needed to be a great employer. If as an employer you are continuously practicing these things, they will give your employees a sense of pride in who they work for, as well as a sense of loyalty which in turn will allow them to spread the word about how much they enjoy working for you. A company's reputation is a sensitive thing. It can take years to create and only seconds to destroy, so it is just as important to maintain a strong reputation internally as it is externally.

Step 4
Use your website for Recruiting
Your company's website is one of the most overlooked recruiting tools now a days. It is important for us to understand that when we are interviewing top candidates, they are interviewing us as well-- just as we want to know about their history, stability, and reputation; they want to know about ours. Which is why an updated and attractive website is such an important part of the recruiting process. How can you possibly ask a candidate what they know about your company, if your website hasn't been updated in months or sometimes even years?

Being an average recruiter should never be an option, otherwise you or your company will never join the ranks of the "Selected Few". Keep that "best of the best" Marine Corp mentality and constantly apply it to everything that you do. Do it because you want to improve yourself and be the best at what you do and not so much for the recognition. Recognition will come with time, but the sense of accomplishment and pride in what you do will remain constant.

Good luck and happy hunting...