People stay where they can be fully human

We find ourselves in a tremendously complex environment where companies and their leaders struggle to balance seemingly conflicting priorities amid much uncertainty. On one hand, the economic prospects are not encouraging and the specter of a slowdown continues to lurk, on the other, the competition for talent High quality is becoming more intense and on top of that, technology and finance giants like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Goldman Sachs or Blackrock are laying off tens of thousands of people, generating even more fear. To navigate these stormy waters we need all the tools possible, analytical skills and a lot of sensitivity.

Leaders and companies started the year with very complex problems that they have to attend to at the same time: taking care of the budget so as not to fall into difficulties, expanding the position in the market and sustaining the motivation of people to do the best possible job, to name just a few.

It’s a tough recipe to pull off that feels like walking a tightrope, as it involves managing cuts properly without hurting the culture and creating large-scale programs that retain key talent to protect the business in the short term as we prepare for an exponentially complex future. As we have known for a long time, the key to this recipe is in the people.

There is no specific way to achieve it, each organization is different, but speaking particularly of talent retention It is very important that we understand three fundamental things: What are the causes of rotation? What makes talent stay in our company? And what strategies can we implement to ensure that they stay?

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Why do people leave?

Controlled rotation is healthy, as it allows new minds to enter the company to sustain growth and freshness. All living systems need to move and grow, but there are factors that can create talent drain which are like wounds that can imply great risks in terms of productivity, operability or the very existence of an organization.

Las high turnover rates they can harm a company’s ability to carry out its mission through disruption of continuity, loss of institutional knowledge, and high replacement and training costs. In addition, if it is not controlled, a snowball effect is generated that ends up reducing morale and causing more collaborators to think about leaving the organization. Also, if people don’t want to stay and work for a company, this usually signals to customers that there is something wrong with the organization or the brand.

The implications of turnover are so great that measuring it and understanding its causes should be a priority for all the leaders of an organization, not only for Human Resources, since this data is a clear symptom of the health of the culture, the quality of leadership and the positioning of an organization in its environment.

Having the number is the beginning, but even more important is understanding the causes. There are four main paths that lead a person to leave an organization and each one has different implications:

» 1. Dissatisfaction

When we are not appreciated, both in monetary and relational terms, we lose interest in giving of our time and talent. Furthermore, if we feel stagnant in our professional growth or social development, we begin to look the other way.

» 2. Better alternatives

Despite the complex environment, the organization has to ensure that it is competitive in terms of compensation, incentives, development opportunities and the quality of the work environment in order to be attractive to key talent. We must be prepared to deal with external offers that will surely reach the employees we value the most. The reality is that we live in a jungle where the strongest gets the best.

» 3. The planned change

Some collaborators may have a predetermined plan to resign for personal reasons, such as pregnancy, a study period, the desire for a career change, entrepreneurship, etc. Here the direct leaders are the ones who play a decisive role in maintaining an open channel of communication and trust that allows them to understand and anticipate the needs of their teams. For example, maternity/paternity plans, professional development opportunities with a scholarship, or opportunities for new projects and intra-entrepreneurship can be negotiated.

» 4. Negative experiences

Employees sometimes leave on impulse, without any plans for the future. Typically, this is the result of a negative response to a specific action by someone (for example, being passed over for a promotion or having difficulties with a supervisor). Ongoing training must be provided to minimize prevalent negative interactions such as harassment, intimidation, or unfair and inconsistent treatment. In addition, we need to create support mechanisms to address those issues like ethics and dispute resolution procedures, and employee assistance programs.

Why do people stay?

Seen in a general way, a person will remain in an organization if the salary, working conditions and development opportunities are equal to or greater than the contributions in time and effort that the person delivers every day.

But if we go deeper, we will realize that in reality these conditions are not enough, because we are complex social beings, so there is a preponderant role that can weigh even more than salary: the answer is relationships.

The more integrated employees are into an organization and its network, the more likely they are to stay. As a person develops his professional life, he begins to generate a network of connections and valuable relationships, both inside and outside of work, which become a true community that gives people their identity.

If the community is strong, inspiring and safe, leaving a job would mean cutting or reorganizing these social networks and valueswhich is very costly emotionally because it implies re-structuring a part of one’s own identity.

This is why culture is so important in retention. It is about to integrate individuals into a tribal network that drives us to go further and that supports the identity that we show in the world.

It is essential that leaders be open and constantly communicate around three things with the key talent: the future of the company, its value in the organization and growth opportunities, even if they are not immediate. Sometimes we are afraid to initiate these conversations or we sin of omission, but we can start with something as simple as asking probing questions, for example: What would make you consider an opportunity outside the company? The answer may surprise you, and then you will know what you must do to retain each individual.

What to do to improve retention?

We must ensure that we create more mentoring environmentsdesigning projects in multidisciplinary teams, clearly communicating the values ​​and modeling the company’s culture with facts and coherent behaviors in the leaders.

Actually, we have to evolve the thought of retention and rather orient ourselves to inspire, nurture and integrate. When we put people at the center, then we can begin to think about the multiple needs, doubts, and motivations that push us to stay or follow other paths.

As I said at the beginning, there is no single and infallible recipe, but it is strategic that we dedicate all possible resources to creating a creative and innovative culture, where experiments are valued and opportunities for development and growth are constant and encouraged. In addition, time, money, and effort must be invested in creating a positive, collaborative, and respectful work environment, with transparent communication and ongoing feedback.

In short, people stay where feel more fully human, where you know you can develop your full potential with a support network and shared values. Fair remuneration is a basic level, incentives are the icing on the cake, but what really matters is the symbiosis with a living cultural network.