Minimize turnover with GREAT career discussions
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and others recognize that some turnover in organizations is normal and healthy. Targets of 10 to 12 or even 15 percent are healthy and appropriate, yet, for many organizations, turnover is much higher. Even in a difficult economy, employees are finding other alternatives.
It’s easy to write off departures to opportunity and salary, individuals leaving an organization for a new opportunity may experience an average increase of 10 to 15% (Forbes). Furthermore, it is highly unlikely that an individual accepts a counteroffer to stay put, once they receive an attractive offer from another organization. Frontline leaders, however, can do much to ensure that the employee’s situation doesn’t reach the external offer stage. Yet, leaders consistently fail to have regular career development conversations with their employees.
Retaining employees starts by having fruitful career conversations with every employee on a regular basis. The career conversation involves asking questions, listening for responses, and then summarizing what is heard. Time should be set aside specifically for career conversations that aren’t lopped onto a litany of “to do” tasks resulting from regular manager/employee 1:1s.
Effective career conversations focus on the individual, letting them talk as much as possible. The manager’s role is to ask clarifying questions and summarize for clarity. Below are a few guidelines for facilitating successful career conversation.
Start with wellness. Take time to check on the individual’s wellbeing. How are you holding up during these trying times? What’s working for you and your family. You most likely can’t solve their challenges, but you can demonstrate by listening.
Ask simple questions. What do you like about your job? What aspects do you enjoy the most? Starting with what is working well, gets the conversation off to a good start. After listening carefully and taking notes, then ask about parts of the job that are dissatisfying or wear them out. Career conversations aren’t about “fixing” all the ills of a job, but rather identifying what’s working and what is draining.
Probe for specifics. Discuss the aspects of the job that truly engages the employee. Does the individual gain energy from group problem solving or deep analysis? Are they comfortable with interacting with executives or would they rather work through you, their manager? Do they enjoy work that is new and unstructured, or do they prefer timelines and specifics? All of these characteristics don’t need to be addressed, but they add “color” to the conversation and allow the manager and employee together to explore how the job is working or not for the individual.
Ask about their future. This can be uncomfortable for the employee, because they may not see themselves working for their current employer over the long term. Ease into this aspect of the conversation with general questions: What would you like to be doing in three years? What are your long-term career aspirations? These questions can identify skills or experiences that the employee could acquire that you, their manager, can help identify and develop.
Summarize and jointly create a plan. This step may be what managers fear the most. What if the employee says, “I want your job”? The manager may not be ready to vacate their role or think the employee is ready for promotion. Discuss instead possibilities that exist. The employee may not be ready for a broader role because they lack key experiences, so discuss how they might close the gap. Avoid creating a laundry list, focus on identifying two or three actions to take in the next six to eight months.
Consider creative development alternatives. Managers may also be reluctant to engage in career discussions because training dollars are not available. Development occurs in many ways, particularly on-the-job. The Association for Talent Development (ATD) encourages organizations to focus 70% of their development effort in on the job learning rather than in classroom settings. Consider the following on-the-job development vehicles:
Take on a new project or responsibility. Make sure the project has substance and isn’t “dumping” an unwanted task on an eager employee. Find interesting, challenging work to add to the employee’s portfolio. Offering options, rather than a single suggestion allows the employee to truly feel that the opportunity is developmental and not just unloading an unwanted task.
Identify a short-term project with another department. Many parts of the organization (IT, marketing, R&D) could benefit from insights from others outside their own department or areas of expertise. Seek out other departments where an employee can engage with and learn from.
Provide introductions to senior leaders. While employees may know their departmental executive, they often do not know others in the director or vice president ranks. Take the opportunity to introduce talented individuals to senior decision makers. Provide an introduction and a rationale for doing so.
Find industry networking groups. Local industry professional chapters offer seminars and networking socials for very minimal costs, even during COVID. Encourage employees to engage with connections outside of the organization and then encourage them to share what they’ve learned after events.
The possibilities for engaging with an employee’s career are limitless, and start with a simple, honest conversation: what’s working, what’s not, and where do you see yourself headed? Make career conversations a priority. Put them on your calendar, and DON’T CANCEL THEM! Nothing says, “you don’t care about me” more than cancelling career conversations. Refrain from converting career conversations to performance discussions. Those discussions need to happen, but they should occur at a different time. Conclude by reinforcing the employee’s value to the organization and support for their work.
Questions, suggestions? janetpolach@yahoo.com