by Paula Santonocito, AIRS Features Writer

With companies considering almost everything but bolting the doors these days, some retention efforts may seem as unusual as, well, recruitment strategies. But, since keeping 'em runs hand-in-hand with hiring 'em, it may seem that employers have no choice but to join the party.

Such was the philosophy of Travelocity.com. An eWeek article describes how this Dallas-based company danced to a different drummer. Following the acquisition of rival Preview Travel Inc., Travelocity.com threw several big bashes to encourage camaraderie among employees. The grand celebration involved a Christmas shindig featuring the Beach Boys. Despite the turmoil of change, the company that partied together stayed together. According to the eWeek article, only five percent of the staff exited the merged organization.

Yet, are parties what people want? Pets at work? Foosball? M(ore)TV? What is the answer? It may depend on whom you ask.

What They Say

An article by Richard S. Wellins appearing in Hireadigm (October 2000) discusses the issue of retention. Noting that "job turnover is going into overdrive," Wellins cites the "Retention Survey of Employees" by Development Dimensions International (DDI), which sought feedback from employees of major corporations. It indicates that 31 percent of those surveyed are dissatisfied or neutral about their jobs. DDI research reveals that employment satisfaction is tied first and foremost to the ability to balance work and outside life. This is followed by work that is meaningful. Money? It ranked fifth on the list.

These findings, however, seem to be in direct contrast with the "2000 SHRM Retention Practices Survey" http://www.shrm.org/surveys, which polled human resource professionals about retention. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that, according to this group, higher salaries offered by other organizations is the number one "Factor Posing a Threat to Employee Retention."

Huh? Is management paying…attention?

While respondents to the SHRM survey cited money as the main motivator for a move, they did acknowledge that there are other important issues. Health care benefits ranks as number one in the "Effectiveness of Retention Tools and Initiatives" category.

Still, missing from the equation is the primary concern of DDI employee respondents: the ability to balance work and outside life. In the SHRM "Factors Posing a Threat to Employee Retention" survey category, employers give this issue a number five. Is it any wonder then that initiatives like childcare subsidies and telecommuting are tools management sees as lacking effectiveness when it comes to retention? Neither of these made the top ten.

What They Do

How important is it to work with people you know and like, and what affect does this have on an organization? Angami Systems http://www.angami.com, a company offering on-line employment referral systems, recently completed a comprehensive survey that focused on understanding how referrals relate to job satisfaction and retention. Survey participants were professionals who hold different level management positions, from individual contributors to executive management, at small and large companies in a variety of industries.

The results seem to indicate that employee referrals are indeed tied to retention. Among the conclusions of the Angami survey are that employees hired through referral are more satisfied with their jobs, and that they tend to stay longer in their positions than employees hired through any other means. Survey results are detailed in a white paper, which is available at the Angami Web site.

Asking Them

The Container Store, the Dallas-based retailer occupying the number one position on this year's list of the Fortune "100 Best Companies to Work For in America," has a 15 to 20 percent turnover rate in an industry where the average is around 100 percent. A loyal workforce is the result of a company focused not only on its customers, but also on its employees.

An organization that asks for regular feedback and addresses concerns, The Container Store has an annual employee survey process, which has resulted in such things as increased vacation time and extended paid maternity leave. "We're constantly trying to improve things, and we're listening to our employees," says Audrey Keymer, public relations supervisor.

Work and Life

There are many pieces to the equation of what constitutes a happy camper, but it should come as no surprise that the CareerBuilder Balancing Work and Life survey http://www.careerbuilder.com/survey/balancing/balancing.html found that many people are experiencing stress as they try to do it all. And they're looking for relief. A full 74 percent of respondents would like an opportunity to work from home and 63 percent value flextime as an option.

People need to be paid, yes, but compensation takes many forms. While employment longevity may never return to what it was in millenniums past, to the extent employers can alleviate concerns and find ways to relate to people as "human resources," there will be an increase in the level of job satisfaction and, gasp, maybe even a sense of company loyalty.

-- Paula Santonocito is a writer and communications professional who has written about a variety of business and management issues and is now a contributor to AIRS research. This article is reprinted by permission from AIRS, a global leader in Internet recruitment, tools, news and information. For more information on AIRS, please go to: http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com/pages/airs.php . Copyright © Hanover Capital Management Corporation 1997-2001. All Rights Reserved

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