How to Retain Staff (Especially Top Employees) When the Silicon Valley Economy Swings Back

Resources

• Employee Retention Headquarters, which rankings by managers and employees of 10 issues (repeated below). There is a big difference between what managers think employees want and what employees actually want!
• Employee Retention Strategies
• Human Resources on About.com: Creating High Motivation and Positive Morale Workplaces
• Business.com: Employee Retention

Round Table Discussion led by Darion Lawson

• It doesn't take that much of an upturn to lose your top performers if they are unhappy
• The most effective (and often the cheapest) way to keep your performers happy is to show appreciation. Employees more apt to stay if they feel appreciated, even if another company offers more money.
• How to show appreciation:
  • Say "Thank you" verbally or in written messages
  • Take employees out to lunch ... even if you must pay personally
  • Small presents go a long way
  • Gift certificates
  • Give recognition
  • Bend rules
  • Back up your people .. show the rest of the company that you value and respect your employees. Let both mgmt and writers know you are on the side of your writers.
  • Go to upper mgmt and ask for inexpensive perks for your staff, even now. Give upper mgmt metrics to back up your case. Present your case in a spreadsheet, even if you don't really have numbers!
  • Push to allow telecommuting ... most writers like it and will stay in a job if they can telecommute

How can you create a situation where loyalty & teamwork thrives?

• Remember, if an employee is loyal, it is more to their boss, not the company per se
• Rotate both boring, tedious junior-writer jobs and fun/challenging jobs...
  "Have everyone shovel _ _ _ _ before they get to ride the horse" (Thanks, Jonathan Ganz!)
• Create a culture where the rest of the company knows your writers are respected
• Celebrations: potlucks, lunches, birthday celebrations, ice-cream socials, Christmas gift exchanges, picnics...let them get to know each other in a social setting & be comfortable with one another

How to motivate your employees

• Foster their career growth
  • Let them know they CAN make lateral moves
  • Encourage them to take classes by giving either time off or money or both
  • Take a personal interest in their education..."I thought this might be a good class for you"
  • Encourage them to join professional organizations...BAPMF, STC, IEEE, and authorize reimbursement for their membership
• Let them feel as if they are "in the know"
• Share with them the division's roadmap (after cautioning about confidentiality)
• Share news of what engineers are doing in terms of customer visits, products, projects
• Get them the best equipment and tools your company can afford & train them on it
• Ensure in staff meetings everyone gets to speak...if someone is shy..."What do you think, so-and-so?"
• Show you value them ... let them meet real customers (but train first with sensitivity training)

ABOVE ALL...

Be proactive...take these ideas to upper mgmt so you can head off dissatisfaction *Before* the upturn begins.

Comparison of Managers' and Employees' Rankings

From Employee Retention Headquarters web site.

What Do Employees Want From Their Jobs?

Sources: Foreman Facts, Labor Relations Institute of NY (1946); Lawrence Lindahl, Personnel Magazine (1949)