"My employment experience as a recruiter and department director has given me the opportunity to see this issue from both sides of the fence" said Marc Scoleri, director of operations for CareerAdvisorOnline. "I have tried to lure people away from their jobs as a recruiter and attempted to keep my employees content in their position within my department. The three areas I consider important when retaining or recruiting are:

1. Compensation
2. Benefits
3. Flexibility

Compensation can include salary, bonuses or any other monetary awards received by an employee. The more you pay and the higher the bonus, the better the chance you have of retaining high-performing employees. Often times, employees are wooed by the temptation of more money.

Benefits can be a deal maker or deal breaker. For example, an employee with young children may need better healthcare and dental than a single twenty-five year old. Or even better, an onsite daycare facility will attract working parents. A company that provides high-quality healthcare and dental, discounts for gym memberships, childcare options and unique convenience offerings will be valued by employees. Other benefits many people yearn for is additional vacation and personal time or temporary leave. All work and no play makes for a dull existence. Personally, I believe everyone should get at least four weeks vacation. American companies need to take a lesson from European businesses when it comes to rewarding vacation time. Many companies slow down the month of August in Europe and employees benefit by utilizing the time off to travel or spend with their families. If an American employer wants to keep a top performer consider upping their vacation time from two weeks to four weeks vacation and see how your top employee reacts. Or offer half-day Fridays during the summer so employees can enjoy the longer summer days. Finally for the knowledge thirsty employee, paying for advanced education or training to improve skills could benefit all parties and entice people who can't afford an advanced degree to stay at there company a couple more years while they complete their degree.

Flexibility with schedules and offering tele-commuting options could help keep top performers in their roles longer. Employees who know they can depend on their employer to be flexible when life issues arise are more likely to value their employer. For example, allow employees to go to the doctor during the workday or give them the flexibility to come in later or leave earlier on day to accomplish tasks that require appointment setting. Cramming these life errands into the weekend can be a bummer. Having a flexible employer can pay big dividends with employee satisfaction."

"I know I enjoy my four weeks vacation and appreciate my MBA that was paid for by my employer of seven years," Scoleri added.

George Lenard, owner and editor of George's Employment Blawg, shared his unique insight on this subject. "One thing I've been aware of is that these days, retention includes not only trying to prevent employees from leaving voluntarily, but also trying not to be too quick to respond to current business challenges with permanent layoffs. Of course, with the depth of the downturn, most companies have been doing some downsizing, but there are significant costs and legal risks that can be associated with permanent layoffs, including the risk of laying off employees the company will wish it had kept when business conditions improve."

"These costs and risks may substantially offset the benefit of cost savings from workforce reductions. This is why many companies are considering a variety of alternatives to permanent layoffs, such as furloughs and reduced workweeks," concluded Lenard.

Sharon DeLay of Boldly Go Career and Resource Management is aware of the benefits companies can see from offering reduced workweeks in lieu of permanent layoffs. But that's not all that savvy employers are doing to hold on to their workforces.

"Here are a few things smart employers are doing," said DeLay.

• They are communicating better with their talent. Engaged employees mean that the employees are part of the discussion within the organization. When employees become part of the discussion, they take ownership, and when employees take ownership, they're less likely to walk away from what they feel invested in. For example, if the company is considering a change in benefits, engage the employees to discuss options. Make them own it. Another practice that is growing is that companies are starting to share financials so employees have a better understanding of their contribution to a financially healthy company, as well as the rationale behind the decisions being made.


• Employers are sitting down with the talent and trying to understand what motivates them. If people are compensated fairly, then there are many other things that make them motivated within their jobs. Employers are understanding whether that is cross-training, more leadership development, flexible scheduling, etc. We can't simply guess every individual's "trigger points" because every person is different. For example, if I'm being paid fairly, then what I would really want is a 4-day workweek (4, 10-hour days). As a matter of fact, a friend of mine just accepted an Executive VP level position and that was the "seal the deal" benefit for him - a 4, 10-hour day workweek).


• They are creating recognition plans that reward individual contributions as well as team contributions. Employees work in different ways within their jobs and when an employee is not recognized for work completed in one capacity and all rewards are based on the opposite work style, this neglects a significant segment of your employees and talent. For example, a lot of companies view their top salespeople as their top talent. By the nature of their job, these people work independently for the most part. Having a team-based rewards system excludes this talent. Again, if people are being paid fairly, then many other things are important to them, and recognition is usually toward the top.

For the most part, the experts seem to be in agreement that employers should make employees feel valued with more than just a plumb salary. Keeping employees informed and included in changes seems to be the most important thing employers can do to ensure that their best and brightest don't go out and start looking for jobs elsewhere.