Dear Lies:
You’ve got a good start with your search variables. Here are five additional things you should know when all is said and done.
1. Who hired these people?
2. In each case, was the turnover regrettable? (Be brutally honest.)
3. Looking at your experience across a reasonable period of time, what trends do you notice?
4. How do the demographics and responses of those who left compare with those of people who have stayed with your organization?
5. Looking at the personal demographics (age, race, sex, etc.) of the sample population, what differences, if any, do you notice?
You might also benefit from gathering some qualitative data against which to match the quantitative information. For example, what are the individual recruiting habits of the hiring managers identified by your search? Do they recruit constantly? Do they use a hiring profile? What type of interview process is used? What type of new-employee orientation is used?
We will assume that you’ll use appropriate data-gathering techniques and that you will involve a sufficient population in a broad enough time span to yield meaningful results.
As for the interpretation and application of results, look at the data to answer the following questions:
1. Which managers seem to be doing a particularly effective job of recruiting and retention? What can you learn from their efforts, and how can you best give them credit for their results?
2. Conversely, which managers struggle in this area? What help do they need?
3. To what degree is your retention problem related to recruiting, as opposed to job-satisfaction factors?
4. What systemic factors seem to be helping/hindering your efforts? Which of those factors present the highest-yield opportunities?
5. What are the three most actionable findings revealed by this effort, and what could be done about them? Who would be a good champion for each initiative? What metrics can you use to measure progress?
To stay tightly focused, look for an initial short list of three high-yield systemic improvements you can make, an equal number of smaller, more specific changes, and a handful of better practices you can recognize and replicate. When you have them, get going, even though others might want to study it to death. Good luck, and have some fun with your project.
SOURCE: Richard Hadden and Bill Catlette, co-authors,Contented Cows Give Better Milk, www.ContentedCows.com, August 5, 2004.
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The information contained in this article is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.