I had a client reach out to me and tell me that his business is doing well, with the exception of one department. That department had a revolving door of people. “I walk in there and don’t know anyone. Then 2 months later, I walk in there and again don’t know anyone.”
I spent a few minutes asking him some questions, and we scheduled a Discovery meeting. I went into the office and interviewed several people in that department. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the Department Manager was using his blood connection with the owner to delegate work that was supposed to be his, to harass employees, and to threaten folks with losing their jobs. No one reported it, because he was kin to the owner.
This problem had gone on for years.
Since then, the owner fired his kin. It caused a rift in the family, but as the owner said “I’d rather have a rift in the family than a drain in my business.” I followed up with the owner later, and he said that walking into that department is a “breath of fresh air.”
Here are 5 things to do when you have a retention problem:
1) Determine if there is a trend in the employees who are leaving. Is it the same department? Same position? Same gender? Same age of employee?
2) Once you determine the similarities between the people who are leaving, go interview those that are staying.
3) Your employees who are staying are NOT going to tell you the whole truth. They are also NOT going to tell you how bad things are. Your job is to take the “whispers and the hints” that they tell you, and multiply it times 10. ANY hint of a bad employee means that it is WAY bigger than they are telling you.
4) Remember: people don’t leave jobs; they leave managers. If one manager is losing lots of people, then they are most likely the culprit.
5) If it isn’t the manager, check salaries. Check how many hours people are working. And finally, ask them this question: If you could wave a magic wand and fix this department, what is the one action you would take?
I am happy to say that my client is really pleased with how things are going now. He and his family are in therapy to solve the rift.
POWER THOUGHT: Retention can cause tension, but it doesn’t have to.
***If you are struggling with employee retention, reach out for a conversation. I’m happy to discuss what these issues are, and some of the potential solutions.