Just finishing the recruiting process I'm seeing people who are desparate to get/take a job. They will take anything as long as they don't have to drive too far because of the price of gas and that it does not get in the way of their personal lives. Many people have been out of work so long they have just given up and just are not looking.
Shelley,
Good comments, Shelley. As the supervisor, we have the obligation to determine our employees' satisfaction, whether through employee satisfaction surveys or simply by talking with them. If we determine some level of dissatisfaction, it behooves us to figure out what we might do to at least lessen some of that unhappiness. Remember the old adage about one bad apple spoiling the rest. The same is true of employees. Is one person is not pleased with his/her job, things will be said and done which can influence how others feel and perform. Knowing this and taking positive action can have a significant impact on the department and the company from a financial as well as a morale standpoint.
Dr. Patricia Kapper
I beleive that most employees who are unhappy will spend time looking for another job before leaving a current one. I believe that this will often times reduce their productivity while in the present job. When the economy was better and there were more people hiring, employees might have left a job in a reactive manner without worrying about how long it might take to find another. People are more thoughtful about their actions in a time when there is no guarantee that they will have another job quickly. In some ways, if we are pro-active about helping our employees find value in their jobs (through the satisfaction interviews) we should be able to use the time that the employee is considering other positions to more appropriately tweek their present job to be something they'd like to stay and perform.
Jerome ,
That is so true. In order to avoid stagnation on the part of that employee, however, the manager needs to keep all employees motivated and inspired to do well. Failure to do so will result in lower morale across the board because bad attitudes to rub off on others. There are many things that you can do to improve employee's job satisfaction that become or are reflective of the culture of the organization. Employee recognition programs is a key example. Letting people know that you appreciate what they do. Once the economy kicks in again, you may not have the mass exodus because people like where they are.
Dr. Patricia Kapper
I think that with the economy being as bad as it currently is, people may decide to "stick it out" with companies, in positions where they may not if the economical weather was better.
Susan,
Great points, Susan. We are in a difficult time and having a job is not a given and yet it is a necessity for most people. I, too, am finding that I am getting candidates who have no where near the qualifications for the position and yet they apply. It is frustrating because you still have to review the application and that is a time consuming task. You make an interesting point about the employee retention and student retention being polarized. There is probably a lot of truth to it although I have never thought about it quite that way. And I don't notice it so much because employees are not leaving voluntarily, and, if they do, there are many applicants seeking that vacant position. It is an interesting dilemma.
Dr. Patricia Kapper
Susan,
This is where good delegating kicks in. Asking others to take on additional responsibilities needs to take into consideration what that person might gain by way of professional development by doing so. We talk about the WIIFM. If there is nothing in it for the employee, employee morale will plummet as will job satisfaction. But if you give serious thought to what new skills can be gained, it does become a win-win situation.
Dr. Patricia Kapper
I agree with your summary, and just wanted to add that the lack of increase in salary is often accompanied by the request to perform additional new tasks for that same salary. In order to keep burnout at bay, it is more important than ever to discuss time management and prioritization with employees, and to just check in and make sure they have what they need and are doing ok.
Employee retention has increased as a result of the economic hardship created and experienced by unemployment. This is not a good time to be voluntarily leaving a position, or performing at less than optimal productivity levels on the job. The challenge for the manager is to create alternative ncentives that inspire continued productivity and loyalty to the company when raises in salary are not an option.
People in the demographic area where our school is located are looking for any type of employment. Anything. What is it? I can do it! The tips and lessons given in this webinar on how to make the right hire are valuable at a time when everyone interviewed represents themselves as potentially qualified.
A related challenge we are experiencing is that students who enroll in the school are either unemployed and have difficulty affording the cost of training, or withdraw from the program if and when they are offered an employment opportunity. School is a priority, however, not the top priority in comparison to immediate income. My correlation is that employee retention and student retention are polarized; most people can only afford to do one or other other.
Debra,
A good manager should be able to recognize when employees are beginning to get stagnant and find ways to challenge them and find ways to get them excited about what they are doing. The performance review is a great avenue for having these kinds of discussions but they don't always need to be that formal. Informal conversations regarding the employee's performance, done in a non-threatening manner, can be viewed as a way to show you care and can inspire job satisfaction.
Dr. Patricia Kapper
I have noticed a positive impact on job satisfaction, retention and appreciation of the company benefits. In the past, when the market was plentiful you would often hear employees comparing compensation and benefit packages of our competitors. Now, they are happy to have stable employment and the benefits our company has to offer. Some employees stay out of neccesity, as they may be at the point in their career where they want to explore other opportunities, but remain in place, thus stagnant in their careers for fear of not finding something else.
Veronica,
Keeping employee satisfaction at a high level ensures that they won't jump ship once the economy improves either. Just as it is important to take good care of our students, the same is true of our employees. Turnover costs money. Therefore, keeping it to a minimum in a good or a down economy is important.
Dr. Patricia Kapper
Yes. The current state of the economy has had an impact on employee retention. Employees are slower to jump ship with the notion that the "grass is greener" elsewhere. With proper support from management employees can learn better coping, stress management, and communication skills as their concerns regarding the economy forces a certain level of patience and sense of long-suffering.
Hi Richard,
You are right on target with your response regarding the impact of the current economy on employee retention. If there are a number of employees who fall into the category of "unhappy," it might be worthwhile to do an employee satisfaction survey to see what is causing that unhappiness. So often we fail to ask our employees and that can lead to further unhappiness. Once we know, it is imperative that we make attempts to fix it. Employee dissatisfaction can be tied directly to student dissatisfaction and dropout problems.
Your experience with the high enrollments is typical in our sector when unemployment rates are high. The situation that you describe will have a positive effect on your student retention statistics and employee morale. It is important to show faculty and students alike that you value them so that those retention numbers remain high. Everyone wins in that environment.
Pat
I believe it has a positive impact on employee retention; although, it could be for all the wrong reasons. With the state of the current economy, employees are going to be less likely to leave their current jobs because they understand how difficult it is to find work right now. So, rather than leaving a job they are unhappy with, they will stay and remain unhappy and not be as productive as they would be if they were satisfied. I have noticed that our school is booming right now. I guess that when the economy is down, people go back to school. So, we are hiring instructors and have higher enrollments than we have ever had. The competition is fierce to be an instructor at my school and we are able to hire very qualified, motivated individuals who are very grateful to be hired. They share their experiences with our veteran instructors and I have noticed that moral seems to be higher nowadays among the instructional staff than it was when the economy was good. I believe that this is because we are hiring a higher caliber individual on the front end and the existing instructors are grateful to have jobs. We can not take this for granted though and need to continue to ensure they understand that we value them as employees and individuals.
The impact in the current state of the economy is very notisable. Employees want to maintain their jobs and as a result of that, productibity has improved.
Addys
Dolly,
There are also fewer opportunities for employees to move to a new employer because fewer companies are hiring. There is a possible difference in the career college sector, however, since our enrollments tend to be growing with increasing need for good, high quality staff and faculty.
I like your idea of having employees re-evaluate their own job performance. As supervisors, we need to be willing to assist them in this effort.
Pat
Marietta,
Sorry about my delay in responding to your post. I have been in Orlando for the Career College Ass'n. Convention and Board of director meeting since Saturday with limited access to e-mail.
Most institutions are experiencing similar situations with regard to employees being happy just to be employed. We still want to make certain that we are treating employees with dignity and respect and showing appreciation for what they do to contribute to our institution's success so once this recession ends and employment opportunities become available, our best employees don't jump ship. Students connect with faculty and staff. If particular individuals leave, students might choose to leave as well.
Pat
I think the current situation of our economy definitely has an impact on employee retention on two parts. First from the employee perspective to reevaluate their own job performance and work on areas they can improve or sustain to keep employment. Secondly from the employer perspective if a company suffers a financial downfall, the decision of whether downsizing personnel would have it's benefits.
Pat
Our employees are grateful to have steady work and are willing to go the extra mile.Due to the economy impact, it has been noticeable that employees are definetly more motivated and focused
to accomplish there tasks 100%.They want to make sure
they retain their job positions, and not feel the stress of being in danger of unemployment.
Marietta
