WHY EMPLOYEES LEAVE

Considering this problem from the Employment Agency perspective, a major challenge would be to match candidates and client so that both parties stay ‘married’ to each other for as long as possible. The ideal clients are those that are happy with the candidates that you place with them. It is the purpose of an agency to find a good match. The ideal candidate is one who brings enough value to a company to make it difficult for the client not to want to keep the candidate at all costs.

People to approach for recruitment to a company would be a Financial Director, Financial Controller or Finance Manager, Human Resources Director and any Human Resources Managers, depending on the company profile. Develop a good relationship with the relevant staff and the people they have around them, such as candidates that you have previously placed in the company and net workers and suppliers who can refer. Target companies with whom you can relate effectively – not too small and not too large. Also develop a good relationship with candidates to better understand what will work for the best outcome.

When a client company does not have a Human Resources Department , look for the unofficial go-to person that staff use to sort out issues, a person, who in all likelihood also has the ear of the boss.

The question why employees leave has to take into account that this is sometimes out of an employer’s control.

• If the work is not what the candidate expected. Perhaps they find that they cannot fit into a work culture, or the task is simply out of their skill range. The solution is for the agency to ensure that the candidate fits the work specification before final placement. Boredom can also be a problem as well as a lack of challenge in their role. The new employee may want to learn new skills and this does not happen either because company cannot offer this or it is not policy to do so. A solution could be for candidate to request time off to acquire these skills through study or short courses. Once skilled they have leverage to persuade employer to create promotional position if their work is valued enough.
• Sometimes there is nothing an employer can do when employees find better opportunities elsewhere as well as, when there is a change in personal circumstances, like moving to another country or city. In some cases where the employee is highly valued, the company can re-deploy to branches they may have in destination country or city
• The shortage of specialized skills like auditors and tax specialists contributes to companies competing for these employees skills.

SOLUTIONS FOR THE EMPLOYER

1. Value good staff with recognition, affirmation and reward. A simple thank you goes a long way.
2. Hire the right people from the outset.
3. Ensure that staff members have a good work/life balance to be productive.
4. Training and development is vital.
5. Empower staff members by engaging with them and by giving them responsibility.
6. Keep abreast of any internal politics through impartial communication at all levels. Do not ignore or dismiss ill-informed staff gossip as the norm.
7. Improve annual salary increases and bonus payments.
8. Make sure work conditions are good enough to keep staff happy. If workers cannot have someone impartial to talk to when issues arise with colleagues or management, you have an unproductive work force that soon starts to look for greener pastures.
9.  Do  not tolerate favouritism and fawning. The executive must be seen by the rank and file to be impartial.
10. Take steps to improve poor management which includes:

• Staff clashes with management
• Staff who feel bullied by managers or other colleagues
• Organisation instability – staff is unnerved by a constant changing of management, policies or objectives of a company.
• No communication with management.

RE-CAP

For an agency to make an ideal match in candidate to client:

• Find the candidate with the right skill sets and high level of emotional intelligence
• Build a trusted relationship with the candidates working exclusively with SR. Find out what they really want in a new role so that they can fit well. Go through the job spec before they are placed to eliminate probation leavers.
• Educate prospective employers on (as above) how to look after staff once employed.
• Give an honest professional opinion to employers about candidates to guide them to choose the right person for the job.
• Talk to clients about their organisation structure – can the company promote or replace staff internally especially positions that are junior, thus retaining existing staff members and reducing recruitment costs. This eliminates bored, unchallenged employees.
• Make sure existing good workers are happy with remuneration to prevent poaching by competitors.