RetentionRetention
It is obviously important to have policies in place that retain your employees. Reward policies are an important part but not the only part. Research and anecdotal evidence shows that when employees leave a job, they mostly leave because of their manager. Therefore one aspect of your retention policies will be to have effective management development policies in place. People management is an acquired skill and although some people are more naturally suited to being a manager than others, many of the required skills and competences can be learnt.
Appraisal policies and procedures are a key part of retention. If managers know how to appraise their staff and give constructive feedback, building on strengths as well as identifying and rectifying any weaknesses, then staff will work more effectively.
Learning and development policies are valued by most employees and need to be linked to the appraisal policies. Learning can be encouraged through a wide variety of means. It is not restricted to formal and often expensive training courses. Work shadowing, secondments, guided reading, coaching and mentoring are all worth exploring as part of the learning and development policies.
